“GET BACK to your houses!" is a prophetic word that many in the charismatic movement have been acknowledging. Living churches are not building-centred, nor even meeting centred, but people-centred.
The early days of the charismatic movement in the UK saw much emphasis on groups meeting to fellowship and worship in houses. The warmth and intimacy of these small groups were a much-needed breakaway from coldness and starchiness that many had found in churches.
And in them people were particularly receptive to the Holy Spirit. Many were baptised in the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues through house groups. Many experienced the reality of body life through such groups.
As the charismatic movement has grown in size, the closeness of these groups has tended to fade. But now God is calling for a re-emphasis on houses.
Pentecostal houses
After the Pentecostal outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we are told that the first Christians were daily together, "breaking bread in their homes".
Later on, we read of "churches in houses".
Groups of Christians have been meeting in homes for almost 2,000 years! In the Jesus Fellowship, we call these little churches "Church Households".
Church Households are the basic unit of the Fellowship. In size they vary between a dozen people and up to forty. They are the "family" unit within the range of smaller evangelistic cell groups ('Servant Groups'), larger congregations meeting for worship and ministry, and celebration gatherings of 1,500 or more.
Church Households are normally based on one of our Christian Community houses. They include both those living within the community house and those living in their own houses.
The Church Household is the basis for house groups, for the weekly Agape covenant meal, and is the pastoral unit. Every member of the Fellowship belongs to a Church Household, and new friends are always attached to particular Households.
Composition
Church Households are a "family"
of brothers and sisters "knit together"
in Jesus Christ: warm, secure and welcoming. The Households contain a wide mix of families and single people, old and young, men and women of every type of background. Within each Church Household, a group of brothers functions as the leadership team, while all take part in the responsibilities and ministries of the body of Christ.
We have over 60 Church Households in the Jesus Fellowship, with names such as Dayspring,
Highest Name,
Crown of Life
that reflect some aspect of biblical truth.
Functioning relationships
The key time for the Church Household is the Tuesday evening Agape meal, when all covenant members gather for a time of fellowship, worship, and affirmation of covenant together around the meal table. Along with the sharing of bread and wine in holy communion, the time also includes mutual confession of faults, receiving new members and "Victory Days" (which are used to highlight the progress of new believers).
Thursday evening, by contrast, is often a more evangelistic friendship meal, while Saturday evening is usually a time for house-group meetings.
The life of the Household is not just meetings, though. It is centred on relationships between the members. People of many backgrounds flow together, proving that Christ has called us to "build" in a way that crosses every kind of barrier. In our Church Households we learn how to be together as the people of God. With faith and patience it works! It is in the Church Household that we are able to learn to love one another in the way that Jesus taught. Creative relationships of trust and friendship develop with compassion and understanding.
As we build strong Church Households in this way, the New Testament truths concerning the temple of God,
the body of Christ
and the Kingdom of God
come to practical, daily expression.
Increase & celebration
Church Households aim for church growth and church planting. Each Household has prayerfully adopted a "target" for increase which they pray and work towards. God honours such faith and activity and Households have been gaining new converts for the Lord, and new members for their Household. After baptism and pledging covenant before the whole church, new members are warmly received by the Church Household with prayer, prophecy and the washing of feet. New members are given a "caring brother" or "caring sister" to help their Christian growth.
When a Household grows larger than twenty or thirty, it often divides into two. The new Household may remain based on the original community house, or it may help to plant a Church Household in a new location.
Let's get back to our houses and make them function for God!
Building churches
