During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis. From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days. On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us. Acts 16:9-15.
Notice that Paul associated “helping” in Macedonia with “preaching” in Macedonia. Nothing here, nor anywhere else, about planting churches or starting something. It was rather the gospel seed which was to be planted. Nothing here about cleaning up the social ills of the city or beginning a never-ending conversation.
Notice that Lydia’s conversion is attributed to God, not to the latest methods. Are we overly dependent upon methods, books, and techniques or are we knocking at heaven’s door?
Where, oh where were the men? No doubt some in our day would have scolded these women: How dare you assemble without men and without elders and deacons?
What do you see or not see in this account?
Nationwide research has yielded more polling numbers for the house church movement and the numbers are, as they say, “all over the page.”
The latest from the Barna Group, as reported by ABC News, is that there are at least 5 million American adults involved in house churches. But less than a year ago, that number was put at 20 million (weekly participants) or 43 million (monthly participants). During an alleged period of “exponential growth” why have the numbers… plummeted?
In January of ‘07 it was heralded in the Barna Update: “The rapid growth in house church activity is evident in the fact that half of the people (54%) currently engaged in an independent home fellowship have been participating for less than three months.” If so, based upon the most recent head-count of 5 million, there would have been way less than 2.5 million participants during the time frame when tens of millions were being reported. That is, unless millions have dropped dead.
Most recently, George Barna revealed that house churchers are much “more satisfied than those in conventional churches.” That’s a strange thing in that Barna previously announced that “70 million adults had experimented with house churches.” 70 million tried house churching but only 5 million are now with it on a regular basis? That’s about one in fourteen, is it not? Exactly what kind of satisfaction are we talking about?
Furthermore, why is the failure rate of house churches so high if house churching is so satisfying? According to my observation, their life span is more likely to be measured in months rather than years. According to a book entitled “The House Church Movement” (Seedsowers Publishing, page 65): “House churches collapse and disappear faster than they are born.”
Another head-scratching statistic from the Barna Group to ponder and to factor in: 80% of house churchers “maintain some connection to a conventional church, having one foot in both camps.” Again, I do have to wonder: If 4 out of 5 house churchers still remain connected with the traditional churches they were relatively unsatisfied with, just how satisfied are they or how unsatisfied were they?
(We know that the phrase “maintain some connection to” actually means to “attend” because In June of 2006, it was published at barna.org: “… one-fifth (of all USA church attenders) ATTEND both a house church and a conventional church” And in December of 2006, the same subset was referred to: “Involvement in a house church is rapidly growing, although the transition is occurring with some trepidation: four out of every five (80%) house church participants MAINTAIN SOME CONNECTION TO a conventional church as well.”)
But wait, the continual theme of Barna’s “Revolution” was that the revolutionaries had left the traditional churches in mass exodus. Their departure was necessary because their intense passion for God rendered them incapable of co-existing with ordinary, less authentic Christians.
It may objected that house churches are practically invisible and that the precise or the approximate numbers cannot be determined. Well, why then does Barna ascribe a tiny margin of “sampling error” and a high “confidence level” to his analysis?
I would be interested in seeing polling data from another source which might corroborate the incredible Barna numbers. This revolution, if it is the real deal, represents an extensive re-draw of the Christian map as never before witnessed on planet earth - it’s existence and magnitude could not possibly be overlooked.
Personally, I have found house churching to be, for the most part, satisfying and highly recommend that every Christian consider the possibility. You, for example.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=2781114&page=1
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=50802
http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=241
http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=252
http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=255
An amazing but not an unsuspected trend:
Jan. 16, 2007 (UPI) — A new report says 51 percent of women in the United States are living without a husband.
A New York Times analysis of census results found that in 2001, more than half of U.S. women said they were living without a husband, compared to 35 percent in 1950 and 49 percent in 2000, the newspaper said.
The newspaper said women are marrying later or living with unmarried partners. Women are also living longer as widows and delaying remarriage after a divorce, the report said.
The Census Bureau said only 30 percent of black women are living with a spouse, compared with 49 percent of Hispanic women, 55 percent of non-Hispanic white women and more than 60 percent of Asian women.
source: http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20070116-092856-3691r
God meets us where we are, as always. No situation is perfectly ideal. Not having a husband didn’t keep Lydia from hosting the saints in her home. Acts 16:40: After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them. Then they left.
By the way, God has a very keen interest in the fatherless and widows. Do we?
Living Room Liturgy by Steve Grove, Jan. 9, 2007
Every Monday night, Meredith Scott and eight of her friends get together at one of their homes in St. Paul, Minn. They cook a meal, share what’s going on in their lives and pray together.
But Scott and her friends don’t call this a Bible study or a support group — they call it a church. They are part of the growing number of Americans who are shifting from traditional churches toward more informal, intimate settings, dubbed house churches.
….
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=2781114&page=1
I was thinking today about the number of films and tv shows which had the catholic confessional somewhere in the plot. Several which I’ve viewed over the years used the theme of a priest who had incriminating evidence but could not divulge it, having received it in the confessional stall.
Scripture does encourage us to confess our faults one to another. This invites humility and seems to fit with the closeness which can come by meeting in homes. Yet this very same text is used by modern priests who offer confessionals as part of their services. Have they gone too far in so doing? Yes, they have.
James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
Speaking of confessions, have you ever noticed how quickly we are to admit we a sinners *in general* but if and when it comes to admitting a specific sin, some - particularly we of the male gender - would rather die a thousand deaths than just “fess up?”
SAN DIEGO — Thousands of U.S. troops are being barred from overseas duty because they are so deep in debt they are considered security risks, according to an Associated Press review of military records.
The number of troops held back has climbed dramatically in the past few years. And while they appear to represent a very small percentage of all U.S. military personnel, the increase is occurring at a time when the armed forces are stretched thin by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“We are seeing an alarming trend in degrading financial health,” said Navy Capt. Mark D. Patton, commanding officer at San Diego’s Naval Base Point Loma.
The Pentagon contends financial problems can distract personnel from their duties or make them vulnerable to bribery and treason. As a result, those who fall heavily into debt can be stripped of the security clearances they need to go overseas. From Fox News, October 19, 2006
First, I do not view soldiers with debt as having done anything amiss whatsoever. Tours of duty are longer than ever and the cost of living keeps going higher especially when the main wage earner isn’t present. Many were in the Guard prior to the War as a second or third job in order to pick up some extra cash. The issue here is being overly indebted.
I do happen to see something in this account which reminds me of how debt - often based upon greed - can paralyze some of the opportunities which we might have been able to sieze for the Kingdom. Debt can even leave us as a risk to ourselves and to others. Think of all the marital disharmony which has been precipitated by money matters… Christians not excluded.
My Dad, who experienced the Great Depression, used to say to his 6 sons: “You can’t spend it but once.”
Larry Burkette used to teach that the greatest hindrance to Christians missions was DEBT. Of course he would be a little biased as a debt counselor, still he may be right. God knows.
2 Timothy 2:4 No man that WARreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a SOLDIER.
Here’s a scenario which might appear strange to us but not to those who lived in the earliest days of the church:
A guy my age, as a father, grandfather, and yes, as a great-grandfather might have several dozen of his own kin coming over for a regular meal and a meeting in Jesus name. That’s not to mention all the in-laws of each married child from the other side of their families. Several dozen would certainly qualify as real church according to anyone with whom I’m acquainted including my own relatives which disapprove of house church.
Young teens married then and lost no time in bearing children. There was no birth control being practiced as a rule and the lights went out early.
Yes, it would have been quite possible to host a “family church” in which the teeming crowd overwhelmed the house. We can’t assume that all the family members would have become Christians, nevertheless the numbers could have been surprisingly high.
In round figures, Carolynn and I might have married and had the first of our 6 children at age 15, who each had 6 kids by the time we were 40-something… you get the idea and can have fun with the math. That’s a big bunch, no? It must also be mentioned that the average age of a male in the Roman empire was only 40-something at death. So I’ve been told. Wars, disease, and persecutions took their toll.
I don’t get the idea that “family church” was the norm then but I believe it is perfectly acceptable and not to be apologized for. I do believe that we should invite others, too, whenever possible. Each person brings something. Why would we not welcome them into our fellowship or hesitate to join theirs? If we are practicing hospitality we surely would. That said, I do believe that the meetings were to be intentional and regular but that wouldn’t exclude spontaneous ones. What is ‘regular’ may vary, I freely acknowledge. That’s a topic for another day. I just wanted us to consider the domestic situation of some of the large Christian families in the ancient world. The Bible, btw, mentions several household baptisms. There are also major implications here for the Lord’s Supper and eldership, too.
I’m occasionally informed that house churching is easy - so easy and simple that anybody could do it. Certainly, if God is in it, it can and it will happen. Surely, churching of about any kind - even house churching - has frequently been made more complicated than originally intended.
House churching would need or at least want, it seems to me, some sort of a stable household. This would disqualify many, if not most, in the US where the divorce rate for the saved is about the same as the lost. Of course, folks remarry and start again but there are a lot of unstable households even where one or both parties are believers. Where such marriages are intact, there is often great disharmony which would make the gatherings a strain on everyone. Who would want to be in the cross-fire?
Both spouses should be in general agreement about doctrinal things, ‘twould seem. Then, there might ought to be a basic agreement on the format of the meetings. Then, there should be a willingness to love everyone else involved at all times. Then, there should be a willingness to be open and intimate in one’s home setting which is a little like being on an examination table.
Anybody left? Anyone can declare themselves to be a church but how about all those one-another commands which require dying to self?
Again, almighty God can cause these would-be barriers to instantly evaporate but is house churching really easy? Has it been for you? For me, I’d have to say yes and no. More no than yes, I suppose, as I reflect today. Rewarding? I’m sure about that. But if it is so easy, why are there not more of us? Why is the fold up rate of house churches so high? What’s the hold up if it’s so simple and easy?
Religion When advanc’d in pow’r,
Will make you Husband every hour.
‘Twill make Men strive with all their might,
And therein Find a sweet delight.
If there were Nought besides that pay
Christ gives To cheer us in our way;
Should we not Do the best we can?
For there’s No such reward from man.
Shall others Work, and not regard
Their strength To get a small reward?
Whilst we Turn slugs and loiter thus?
0 that Their zeal might quicken us.
Why are our Hands, and feet so slow,
When we Unto our business go?
How can we Then Christ’s pay expect,
And yet the Christians work reject,
If this, then Also that embrace
Them both; If not, we both disgrace.
Some if They could these two divide,
‘Twould Please them well, with Christ to side
But if they May not, then it were
As good Cease pleading, they’ll not hear:
Rouse up From sloth, my soul betake
Thee to thy Work, no cavils make.
O strive And try, saints say that even,
The pain they Take hath much of heaven.
But yet Their best wine’s kept till last,
Their rest and Ease comes all so fast.
————
John Flavel
(1628-1691) was the son of a Puritan minister who died in prison. He was educated at University College, Oxford, and labored in the ministry at Dartmouth, Devon. His writings are deeply spiritual and experiential. This poem is from his 6 volume collected works.
————
Afterthoughts:
The word “religion” has fallen upon hard times, lately. It’s a biblical word and just means how life relates to God. It’s often mistakenly contrasted in our day with a relationship with God. Granted, one can have one without the other but they shouldn’t be viewed in contradistinction.
The final couplet, which is read downward (!) through the capitalized words in each line, is a needful antidode for those who believe that “being” in Jesus Christ excludes “doing.”
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that DOES the will of my Father which is in heaven. Matthew 7:21
I don’t believe this poem has seen the light of day in a long time. It did not appear in the google index. Enjoy!
Who would have guessed that, by some accounts, there are now more house churchers than Southern Baptists, the largest protestant denomination in the USA? House Churchers, therefore, are all around us, likely in every public place, even at every major intersection. If the “one in five adults” figure is accurate and you’re sitting in a restaurant, there are statistically several others present who could join with you for an impromptu church meeting.
These numbers mean that traditional churches have lost members by the millions, tithes and offerings by the billions. If “one in five adults” are participating in house churches, tens of millions of children would also be involved.
These new churches, we are informed, are not “cell churches” attached to a traditional church but real house church participants.
Is this the latter day glory or what? I am very optimistic in my prophetic views of the end times but I must confess that such figures exceed anything I could have ever expected. Oh me of little faith… The amazing findings of George Barna can be tracked in the articles below.
And somewhere, there must be a sizable group of “house church planters” who have been more fantastically successful than anything previously documented in the whole history of the church including the book of Acts. Might these please step forward and identify themselves? God will receive all the glory, of course, we just want to know who you are.
It should be noted that serious disparity does exist in the polling. The Time magazine article first mentioned it. Take, for example, the data reported in the Friday Fax, published by researcher and author Wolfgang Simson. About a year ago (May 13. 2005) it was documented that USA house churches “had probably doubled in the past 18 months, from 2,500 to 5,000.”
Hmmmm… Let’s take that “43 million” number of house churchERS and then double again the number of house churchES to 10,000 to represent another doubling for the year 2006 - this time in only a year, actually much less. That translates, I believe, into about 4,300 adults per house church!
What do YOU think about the implications of the alleged “70 million who regularly attend or have experimented with a house church?” What do you see in your corner of the world to confirm such an unprecedented shift in social behavior?
Me, I’ve gone door to door for 20 something years as a UPS delivery driver in more than a dozen counties in Tennessee and Virginia. I’ve gotten close to a lot of families along the way. Total number of known house churchers encountered? Zero.
Furthermore, I’ve read literally thousands of email messages, public and private, over the past decade from those within or interested in the house church community. Folks alooking for a local house church have outnumbered those who actually found one by a ratio of hundreds to one.
Where are all the house/micro/simple/home/nano/organic/family/nameless church bloggers, btw? If our numbers are greater than the Baptists (and all other denoms) why isn’t it reflected in the blog traffic and the tags? I see hundreds of reformed bloggers, for example, but hardly a few dozen house church bloggers who post regularly if even that many.
Question: Other than the Barna Group what other pollsters have examined this matter and what did they discover?
http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrow&BarnaUpdateID=241
http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=221
http://www.abpnews.com/1198.article
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=50802
http://www.albertmohler.com/commentary_read.php?cdate=2006-02-13
