Introduction
How does one plant a house church? The answer to this question marks the start of a remarkable journey with God and individuals who will surpass your highest expectations.
This is church at its best. No other form of believer fellowship can compare to it. It cannot be otherwise, because this is how God planned it for his church. This is how the church was formed together in the New Testament and how the believers lived out their faith.
This is not just another method but indeed the birth of the church in its purest form. It is a way of life of communion with God and with fellow believers that contains all the elements to make their journey very dynamic and divinely fulfilling. With this God-given method of coming together and living together, Father literally enriched everyone’s deepest humanity and provided for their needs in a Divine way. God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were obviously very welcome and at home in this setting, wherever these first believers gathered. This way of life, being together and living together, experienced by the first believers, was the most life-changing experience that humanity has ever been exposed to. In this God-created dimension of interaction between Jesus and the corporate body of Christ, a breathtakingly deep and gloriously intimate relationship was established and developed. He was the center of everything, and He alone was the divine object of worship, admiration, and love. They were born in Him, and in Him they grew as a unit.
My prayer for you is therefore as follows: “May your personal encounters with Jesus Christ be the dynamics of your being and the distinctive feature of your gatherings and daily walk with each other.” May you also taste the divine experiences that those first believers tasted. It is His will for all of us that we experience a pure relationship with Him and our fellow believers that is not contaminated by religion and human ordinances and institutions. May you also embrace that deeply sincere, unartificial way of life, where we genuinely discover the truth and attain true freedom.
This manual is aimed at the practical side of house churches, and therefore, I will not go too deep into dogmatic teachings. However, as I introduce certain actions in the house church in this manual, I would like to explain why they are practically carried out.
There are reasons and motivations for all behavior, actions, and the way of life of the house church community. Nothing is done or carried out in a certain way by chance, as each action is influenced by the community’s beliefs, values, and the spiritual principles outlined in the manual.
The manual, therefore, deals with the spiritual principles that govern authentic house church planting. It is also a practical guide that facilitates the establishment and growth of a house church, and finally, it is a guide that contributes to the health and development of the house church in general by providing strategies, resources, and best practices for leaders and members to follow.
The manual truly enables you to plant and maintain an authentic house church. In such house churches, interaction between believers varies from informal socializing to more serious interactions with God and each other. However, all interactions are informal in nature because they primarily involve spiritual family gatherings and interactions.
This interaction, when they come together officially as well as when they deal with each other in their daily lives, is God’s building material to share and work with each one individually and collectively in a unique way. Interaction in the house church creates new dimensions in the child of God’s life that confront him. It asks important questions of him, and it demands a new attitude that we are not used to, such as being more open to spiritual growth and fostering deeper connections with spiritual family members.
This interaction is Jesus-centered. It changes us, it bends us, and it develops us. It creates a Jesus image in us. This interaction is truly divine because our Heavenly Bridegroom is actively involved in it.
The manual is not rigid or absolutely prescriptive.
This flexibility is one of the important elements of the house church.
There is a place for everyone in the body of God where he can be himself and live his unique life without being judged.
It is practically a religion-free “Jesus life”. Jesus in you does not change your personality. He lives in you and through you, regardless of your personality.
What is presented is the result of years of practical experience gathered worldwide in house churches of different nations, peoples, and languages, and is reproduced in this manual. I will refer to the various sources and even make internet links available for further study. These sources are literature from prominent house church planters with many years of experience, such as Frank Viola, Gene Edwards, George Barna, Wolfgang Simson, Myron Horst, Milt Rodriguez, Jon Zens, Grace Wiebe, Karl Ketcherside, David Anderson, and others. There is also input from Spirit-filled ministers and prophets such as Jannie van Zyl.
The manual is also in line with the word of God, and I will refer to Scripture a lot. It has then been tested by the word of God as well as its practical feasibility.
Some things are not right or wrong, but they just work best in certain contexts or situations, depending on individual circumstances and interpretations.
Some things are good suggestions, and it does not matter if they are done a little differently, as long as the core principles remain intact and the intended outcomes are achieved.
There are things that are by nature non-negotiable, for very good reasons, of course, but you will immediately recognize these points, and the chances are very good that you will agree with them.
The main motivation for writing this manual is to make a comprehensive manual available to everybody who wants to plant house churches. The main objective is, of course, to assist them in planting and maintaining authentic house churches that adhere to true biblical principles.
The house church is born
At this point, I would like to mention that an authentic house church is not actually started but is “born.” It is a living organism and not a human structure made with human hands.
An authentic church cannot be started by the bare hands of human beings – no more than a woman can be constructed through human ingenuity or imitation. A woman must give birth. And once born, she must be nurtured to the point where she develops on her own.
– Frank Viola
The church is the body of Christ, of which Jesus is the head.
It is the bride of Christ and the temple of God. The church is undoubtedly an entity that transcends this earthly realm.
The church was born of God and is sustained by Him. For this reason, everyone who enters this area should be fully aware that he or she finds himself or herself on holy ground. The church is a woman, a bride, in fact. She is the wife of the Lamb (Revelation 21:9). If she is a living organism, how can she be managed like an institution? How can she be treated like a business?
We read about this organism in 1 Corinthians 10:32-33.
Give no offense to Jews or Greeks or to the church of God, just as I please everyone in all things, not seeking my own advantage but the advantage of many so that they may be saved.
The church of God is a living temple. It is not built of stone and brick. The church is spiritual because God is Spirit.
The church of God is a people. People who come together are a church. Such a church, commonly known as the “Ekklesia”, when they come together the first few times, must first experience a dynamic encounter with Jesus together before she is born. Let’s say this “encounter” is a “revelation,” a “conception,” or a holy “confrontation” with the Creator of the universe that precedes this birth. Something happens in the spirit world when this Divine “confrontation” takes place that brings the group of people together in the Spirit and in unity. Therefore, a house church cannot just be started. It will merely be a regular gathering of individuals that is indistinguishable from a typical association or meeting of people with shared interests.
There must be a divine communion or conception. When this happens, what actually happens? Another divine community is born that stands in a unique relationship with God and with each other. The group of people is connected to each other in unity and in spirit by the Spirit of God. However, this birth only comes into its full right if the Ekklesia in question meets the Bible-based requirements of the Ekklesia, such as adhering to the teachings of Christ, fostering genuine fellowship, and engaging in collective worship and service.
The unique birth does not occur if it is just an ordinary or normal meeting of believers. Jesus is the head of the congregation, and He knows each member of the congregation. He knows each one’s motives. He knows each one’s heart. He knows what the foundation and the focal point of the congregation will be. This divine encounter with Jesus leads to the birth of the living spiritual congregation, the moment the group is filled with his Spirit and confirmed as a unit. It is precisely for this reason that truly authentic house churches are generally known worldwide as the “organic church”. The word organic refers to the birth from a “spiritual life” and not the mechanical human construction of the institutional church that is held together with religious programs. What controls the institutional church? What holds it together? Human rules, regulations, traditions, business principles, and organized structures.
The strict definition of the Greek word dictates that the “Ekklesia” is to be a local and autonomous congregation which reveals God’s program for the assembling of believers. It does not support any form of false doctrine and gives a proper biblical concept of the New Testament church.
– Cooper P. Abrams
This is the difference between the house church and the institutional church. Although the people in the institutional church are also part of the body of Christ, as I have just explained, its structure is not authentic and not part of God’s perfect will for his church. The institutional church is permeated with human institutions and organizations that have caused significant harm.
This approach severely limits the true church of God, which lives within the man-made structure.
Instead of Jesus in us as the basis of our way of life and the foundation of ministry and functioning of the body of Christ, we have allowed the organization to take control of the church, leading to a focus on institutional goals rather than spiritual growth and community support.
By contrast, the only sustaining force of the early church gathering was the life of the Holy Spirit. The early Christians were clergy-less, liturgy-less, program-less, and ritual-less. They relied entirely on the spiritual life of the individual members to maintain the church’s existence and the quality of their gatherings.
– Frank Viola
The early church was governed by the indwelling Jesus. The Holy Spirit provided guidance. Congregations were totally dependent on Christ as their head and led by the Holy Spirit.
The institutional church has, over the years, largely deviated from the “body of Christ” experience, and the end result has been the replacement of a “relational faith” with an “organizational faith”. The church has basically ignored what Scripture prescribes regarding church planting, congregation care, church leadership, and so on, which has led to a disconnect between biblical teachings and the practices observed in many congregations today.
I certainly acknowledge that God still uses and blesses the institutional church, although it is not what He planted on this earth through Christ and the Apostles.
I have already used the word “authentic” a few times when referring to house churches. This is because not all house churches are authentic. Some are not based on pure biblical principles, and many house churches are very similar to the institutional church.
Examples of these are care groups, cell churches, cell groups, prayer groups, Bible study groups, special Christian interest groups, etc. Some of them are the grouping of a few people around a special person, a special idea, or an interest. Such a group is just an outgrowth of the institutional church, and fundamentally, it does not meet the characteristics of a true Bible-based house church, which typically emphasizes communal living, shared resources, and a focus on scripture as the foundation for community life. Such an arrangement changes everything. If the basis of the group is not pure, then it remains simply a human institution. One group is built on a rock, and the other on sand.
However, these groups miss the experience and dynamics of the authentic house church altogether. Most of these groups have deep roots in the institutional church, which leads them to be similar in nature and fall into the same pitfalls, causing them to miss out on the divine deliverance, depth, and fulfilled community life that characterize a true house church.
These groups typically do not experience the dynamic revelation of Christ that is characteristic of a true Bible-based house church, due to the same factors that restrain the institutional church.
Another significant characteristic is that when they experience a dry or rough time or when conflict rears its head, the people pull their heads out. Many of them are eventually drawn back to the well-polished program-driven institutional church, often seeking the stability and structure that it provides during challenging times.
There does come a day for many people to move on. So many people experience a longing for true spiritual connection with God and other people. Some individuals sense that something is amiss, but they are unable to identify it.
Others instinctively know that the church, as they know it, is imperfect and inadequate. Some know that, for the Son of God, a perfect bride without spots or wrinkles has been born.
The temple of God consists of holy living stones that have been built together by God’s hands into a perfect Holy Spiritual house for the Father. Some people say goodbye to the unnatural version of the church in exchange for the spiritual, seeking a deeper connection with their faith and a more authentic community of believers.
Not everyone makes this decision, but those who do find themselves on an exciting journey characterized by new experiences with Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Father. People experience a new relationship with Jesus in new dimensions that they did not know existed, such as a deeper understanding of His teachings, a more personal connection through prayer, and a sense of community with other believers.
The transition process is not simple for everyone.
The foreign always brings new things, new ideas, and new experiences, but also always renews one’s spirit and soul in the process.
The authentic house church groups focus solely on the person of Jesus, the divine recognition of the Father as the source of life, and the leading of the Holy Spirit as a friend and a companion who helps them through life and who is very active during the gatherings.
They are interested in nothing else but an intimate interaction and relationship with Him and their fellow believers. Together they are built up in their faith as the family of God, with Jesus the Head of the congregation. Together they experience the cross of Jesus in their lives, and together they face life with its challenges. In the process, they learn how to powerfully live out the indwelling Christ from day to day, which includes practicing love, forgiveness, and service to one another in their daily interactions.
The characteristic relationship dimension of the true Bible-based house church brings power into their lives. It builds spiritual foundations, pillars, and bridges that make the congregation a close unity, fostering deeper connections among members and enhancing their collective faith experience.
The group of people is “glued” together by the continuous personal encounters they experience with Jesus. This becomes the unifying factor. The revelations of Him that the individuals experience during this process serve as the foundation for both themselves and the entire congregation, including the house church community as a closely-knit unit.
They are built up solidly as a spiritual house in Jesus Christ.
Matthew 16:16-18
And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto you, that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Jesus Christ also rises in them to live in them and through them. The revelation of Him in them is the foundation on which the entire house church community is built. The institutional church would like to say here that the above is also true for them. We share the same experiences in Christ, regardless of the differences in our gatherings and our living out of our faith.
This is the point at which I unequivocally and without any doubt disagree with it. It is precisely the inherent nature and focus of the institutional church that makes such a scenario impossible.
This manual, therefore, aims to emphasize the consequences of precisely these differences.
The Practical House Church Manual was written by ASR Martins
