Your Essential Guide to House Church in 2022

Written by Chaston Asbury on Mar 22, 2022 in Church Management. Edited by David Crabtree

One of the first meaningful experiences I had with the Lord was in a home. It was simple, powerful, and impactful. There were 14 people, a pot of chili, and a carton of ice cream. However, we worshipped the Lord that night in a way that rivaled any traditional church service I have ever been to. 

“For where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them…” Matthew 18:20 (NIV). I have experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit just as tangibly in a small home gathering as I have at sizeable Christian worship conferences. With this in mind, I want to address the “house church model” of planting churches in 2022.

A New Church Climate

The COVID-19 crisis has demanded that we get creative in our ability to gather as a church. With buildings closed and limitations on gathering sizes, the church has had to find new ways to collect. Many have turned to church online and are doing a great job of capturing the ability to stay connected to the larger body. 

Others, however, have connected at a more intimate level, experiencing the power of the gospel with a small group of people in a home. For many, this is turning out to be a refreshing time. Gathering with a small group of people to worship the Lord, study the Word, and be discipled, is proving to be a breath of fresh air. Could it be that the house church will be one of the most significant fruits of this moment?

The Value of the House Church 

• The power of the local church is validated in the house church model. The influence that is let loose in a local community when we remove the constraints of a typical church gathering is fantastic. A house church’s validity is not based on its size but on being a spiritual family as part of the mission of Jesus. 
• Those called by God to start house churches can lead, disciple, and reflect Christ in ways many of the larger churches cannot. The smaller, more agile house church can often connect family to family in a more defined region, like a neighborhood, apartment complex, or school campus. Many of these churches will find their brightest hours are doing these kinds of group gatherings. 
• The house church brings the gospel to the places where they are sent in a radical hands-on way. Neighborhoods are being transformed by the simple presence of a community of Christians on the mission of Jesus. It is an example of the true transformation of a geographic location. 

We often hear prayers and vision statements about “taking the world for Jesus,” which is noble and true and on the heart of Christ, but often it appears that Jesus does such diligent work through first taking neighborhoods. This is encouraging for many church planters because they may not be called to win the world but win their world to Christ. What if a big win comes through aiming small?

Little is needed to pursue the God-given dream to start a house church. Many large church plants today require hundreds of thousands of dollars to get started. They require a great deal of infrastructure, leadership, space, and finances. These churches can do great things in the cities to which they are called, and there is definitely a need for them. However, house churches do not require all of that to begin and can be effective in different ways.

Spreading the Gospel One House at a Time

There is much we can learn during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, we will be teaching lessons for years and decades to come. But one thing is clear right now: in these moments of radical social change, there are multiple ways that God can use the church to bring the gospel to the world around it. 

He is using large churches, online church ministries, and house churches to spread hope to a world that is desperately longing for it.