How Does a House Church Differ from a Traditional Church?

When many people imagine starting a church that meets in a home, they often envision creating something more like the traditional churches they have experienced, especially if they lack exposure to house churches. Perhaps this describes you. But the intimidating trappings that come to your imagination are unnecessary burdens. A house church can be much simpler than what you have experienced.

But simple doesn't mean simplistic. In fact, a simple gathering in a home can be powerful. So how can a house church differ from a traditional church? To help you imagine that difference, we will address several mind-shifts that are needed to gather in healthy ways in simple settings. This isn't an all-encompassing post, but it hits on some of the main ways you would do well to transform your thinking if you have a traditional church background. These mind-shifts include:

• From complicated to complex

• From centralized to decentralized

• From consumer-oriented to producer-oriented

• From knowledge-based to obedience-based

From Complicated to Complex

The first shift in thinking is from complicated to complex. Although traditional churches are not one-dimensional, most are complicated enterprises, even the smallest among them.

Complicated is different from complex. You could describe most house churches and their networks as simple yet complex. Complexity includes a degree of unpredictability and a need for creative, adaptive thinking and problem-solving. Complicated systems are relatively stable in their interconnectivity, which requires specialization to understand and execute. Complex systems are more dynamic, requiring ongoing learning and adaptation, and leading to more unpredictable outcomes.

A factory is complicated. An artist's studio is complex. Management is complicated. Leadership is complex. A car engine is complicated. The weather is complex. A military is complicated. A family is complex.

This isn't to say that there is no complexity in traditional ministry. Of course, there is some. However, on the whole, most traditional churches are complicated enterprises that require schedules, programs, budgets, and personnel, including paid staff and volunteer teams, to deliver largely predictable outcomes.

A house church is more complex due to its highly relational nature. People are unpredictable. And a healthy house church or network of house churches ought to be less institutional and therefore less complicated in its approach. This is because the emphasis is on the idea of the church being people, not a building or organization.

We see such complexity in the New Testament. Although many principles are shared across the book of Acts, the epistles, and Revelation, each church in these books faces unique problems. There is, for example, some overlap in Paul's letters and even in Jesus' letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3, but each has its own nuances, requiring separate letters. That's because their understanding of church was more complex and less complicated.

From Centralized to Decentralized

Part of the complicated nature of the institutional environment is that a significant burden is on the appointed (often certified, ordained, and paid) leadership to run things. The pastor(s), elders, and other ministers typically run meetings, lead gatherings, and make many of the decisions.

This phenomenon of a minority leading in this way is called centralization, the opposite of decentralization. A healthy house church and any network it is a part of will be decentralized in its organizational structure.

Decentralization means that more people, including those with less experience and status, play a role in decision-making and take on various leadership roles. There is no (or much less) need to have been around for a while before one can participate in a decentralized environment.

Large corporations are typically centralized. Start-ups tend to be decentralized. The currency of central banks is centralized. Cryptocurrency is decentralized. Fast food chains are centralized. A local farmer's market is decentralized.

Again, we aren't saying that traditional churches are thoroughly centralized. There can be decentralized elements. But for the most part, traditional churches are centralized in their character.

A healthy house church is more decentralized. The same can be said for a wider house church network. The expectation is that all hands are on deck. There is less opportunity to be a passive spectator and greater expectation that each contribute in some way.

This expectation is also seen in the New Testament, especially the letters of Paul, where he speaks of the church as a body made up of many interdependent members, giving the least dignified members the most honor and emphasizing each member's individual giftings (Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12–14, Ephesians 4).

From Consumer-oriented to Producer-oriented

In a traditional church environment, it is typically acceptable and easy for a particular individual, family, or even an entire age bracket (namely, children) to show up and quietly consume the ministry. Meanwhile, it would be strange for an individual to come to a house church and not participate. There is no back row for someone to sit in and avoid everyone else in a home.

But if we are honest, most traditional church settings lend themselves to consumeristic behavior. This is so much the case that people even use phrases like "church shop," "being fed" by a sermon or teaching, or "filled up" by a positive worship service or event. Similarly, the typical structures of a traditional environment, from the way people sit and spectate at a gathering to the dependence on events, programs, and curricula, have led them to overwhelming consumeristic behavior.

Contrast this approach to what we have described so far above, where all hands are on deck, and all are expected to contribute and use their gifts to bless the community. Such an approach views each individual as a producer and not a consumer of ministry. A healthy house church will be a room full of producers. There may be leaders in the room, but they act more as facilitators and less like emcees.

Once again, this isn't to say that there is no opportunity in the traditional environment for individuals to also become producers of ministry. But the prevailing approach is typically more consumer-oriented. Likewise, a house church must guard against slipping into consumeristic behavior. But for the most part, house churches tend to foster less consumeristic and more production-oriented behavior.

You see such a producer mindset in the earliest church of the New Testament as well. Consider that after persecution broke out in Jerusalem, "they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles…. Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word." (Acts 8:1b, 4). Although the apostles (formal leaders) weren't with them, the everyday believer knew what to do to produce ministry as well.

Or consider Paul's description of a stereotypical church gathering in 1 Corinthians 14:26: "What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up." Each one produces ministry. There are no mere consumers here.

From Knowledge-based to Obedience-based

A byproduct of a complicated, centralized, consumer-oriented approach to church is a focus on Christian formation as a knowledge-based endeavor. In most traditional churches, the central event at a gathering is a formal teaching from a leader, typically a pastor, a departmental minister, or other leader. Such teaching includes more than sermons. It includes children and youth ministers giving talks, small group leaders teaching, and the like. Many Christians can't even imagine a church event without a qualified leader "giving a word" of some variety.

Such an approach at least demonstrates, if not explicitly states, that the main point of discipleship is to grow in our knowledge of God, the Bible, or doctrine. Although it is important and there is a place for growing in knowledge, it is not the only, or even the primary, point of discipleship. Discipleship without obedience or a de-emphasis on obedience is woefully incomplete. This is why Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" (John 14:15).

For this reason, a healthy house church will be more oriented toward obedience to Jesus and less toward teaching and learning. We aren't implying we are anti-intellectual or that there is no place for gaining knowledge. But a house church is still a legitimate church even if someone doesn't give a talk/sermon each time they meet. Instead, they can read passages of Scripture together, discuss them, help each other understand what the passage means and how to obey what God is teaching them, and hold each other graciously accountable to these obedience points.

Again, there is undoubtedly some attention paid to obedience in traditional environments, but it can be overshadowed by the teacherly nature of the ministry. And if an individual takes a consumeristic posture to the ministry, there is typically very little to no relational connection to help encourage that person in their personal obedience to Jesus. Meanwhile, the highly relational nature of a house church lends itself to such encouragement and loving accountability, helping each person grow not just in what they know but also in how they take action based on what they learn.

Jesus and the early disciples gave many warnings about those who know but do not do from Jesus quoting Isaiah to say, "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me" (Matthew 15:8) to James saying, "You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!" (James 2:19), indicating that knowledge alone isn't enough.

Healthy discipleship involves a balance of what we learn and how we obey what we know. Therefore, a healthy house church includes helping each person grow in their knowledge while also emphasizing obedience to Jesus.

Concluding Thoughts

There is certainly so much more we can say. These are just broad strokes of how a healthy house church differs from a traditional church environment. Therefore, if you were to now imagine the prospect of helping such a group form, hopefully you no longer imagine the facets of a complicated, centralized, consumer-oriented, and knowledge-based church that you have experienced—now just in a living room. Instead, you ought to imagine a gathering that is complex yet simple, decentralized, producer-oriented, and obedience-based.

A house church has less emphasis on formal leadership taking on the lion's share of the ministry. All are expected to participate to help the group thrive. There is less need for you to be the leader responsible for sermons, children's ministry, special programs and events, non-profit status, and the like. Instead, there is more need for shared meals, participatory discussions, involving everyone as much as possible (including children), and all genuinely spurring each other on to love and good works.

If you appreciate this post, we encourage you to share it with someone else who might benefit from it. You can also read similar posts on similar topics here and here. And we encourage you to join one of our upcoming coaching cohorts to learn more about how you can start gathering with others in simple ways.