Opinions Expressed on House Churches

The following was posted to Terry White's FGBC WORLD blog:

The opinions of several Grace Brethren pastors on the subject of "house churches" are quoted in this article from the Dayton (OH) Daily News, written this past week by Brian Orme of the pastoral staff of the West Milton church.

'Revolutionaries' find refuge in home churches
By Brian Orme

There's a new movement, a shift in the landscape of the church, says George Barna, the director of the Ventura, Calif.-based Barna Research Group. In Barna's studies one thing seems clear: In today's culture many people are leaving the traditional church to practice their faith in alternative venues... Read the rest HERE



Also I made a comment to that blog entry. You can see it in context here. Or as an isolated comment here
I also wanted to paste it here be

"I think ...[the] comment in the article about having a "network of small groups centered around a larger congregational entity can cover that entire grid far better than any single house church" is recognized and practiced by many house churches.

A majority of the house churches that I am familar with are connected to a "network" for that very reason--not that they aren't a church--but that local churches ought to be interdependent with other local churches. These house churches know they need to work together for discipleship, mission and the like.

The idea that each individual house church is an island to itself is something to be worked through. The idea of an "independent church" whether a house church expression or any expression is an oxymoron.

The Church is connected--believers and local bodies (e.g., Eph 4:16; Col 2:19)! That is why churches of all expressions have associations, fellowships, etc.

Let's keep listening, learning, and conversing.