If you lead your small church to adopt early church practice, it will be a blessing to people. Free Help Teaching Strategic Size Why? Those who have pulled their children out of both government and Christian schools are often not interested in their children being involved with Sunday school or youth groups. The early house churches met in the mostly-covered atrium area of the house. 2. Rather than in a funeral-like atmosphere, the Lord’s Supper was reverently celebrated in anticipation of the Wedding Banquet of the Lamb. Nor is there any extant church that certainly was built prior to Constantine.” New Bible Dictionary (Wheaton, IL:  Tyndale, 1982), 498. Walls between adjoining rooms off the atrium could be removed to create a big open area. Church hostess Lydia was a prosperous businesswoman who sold expensive purple fabric and could afford servants (Ac 16:14). Participatory Worship: Early church meetings were clearly participatory. . Don’t rule out the possibility of meeting in someone’s home—under the right circumstances it can still be a viable option (see our book for more about modern house churches). They were big, semi-public houses. Commit to being a small church that starts new small churches that start other small churches. Small churches align very much in size with apostolic churches that met in Roman villas. This is the 12th column in a 12-part series. Graydon F. Synder, Church Life Before Constantine (Macon, GA:  Mercer University Press, 1991), 166. Other early churches also met in homes. The real issue is not where a church meets but how it can best do what God requires of it. Multiplication: Small churches have great potential for growth through multiplication. There are over fifty of them, such as love one another, give preference to one another, encourage one another, agree with one another, accept one another, submit to one another, etc. Acts 1:13, 15, 2:1-2. Was Jesus’ ministry a failure?         According to Anglican priest and evangelist David Watson, “For the first two centuries, the church met in small groups in the homes of its members, apart from special gatherings in public lecture halls or market places, where people could come together in much larger numbers. One known ancient home that hosted a church was the Lullingstone Villa in Kent, England (built during the Roman occupation). In fact, church buildings were quite rare until the fourth century, when the power-hungry Roman Emperor Constantine suddenly outlawed house church meetings, began erecting church buildings with Roman tax money, and issued a decree that all should join his Catholic Church. Why might the apostles have laid down a purposeful pattern of small churches? God’s people are thus seen as part of God’s household (Ep 2:19, Ga 6:10). Let us strive to faithfully follow the example of Christ and the apostles in our churches and ministries today. Learn Practical Tips on Ministering in Smaller Churches. Believers are children of God (1Jn 3:1) who have been born into his family (Jn 1:12-13). 4. Based on archeological findings in Corinth, it is very unlikely that Paul is addressing a Church of more than 50 people. “How Much Does It Cost To Start A Church?”, MissionalChallenge.com, accessed September 1, 2016. For example, a Barna Group’s study on why small churches don’t grow revealed that people with children are often looking for a church that offers an impressive children’s ministry, which in turn requires the funding for first-class facilities and to hire competent personnel, something smaller churches have financial difficulty doing. Instead, they began to build churches of their own. Profit        Smaller settings foster the intimacy, unity, love and accountability that characterized the early church. How many people were involved in an early house church? For all their scandalous behavior, we are grateful to have Paul’s response to the Corinthians. Early Christians were never fascinated with the power of the Roman military; rather, they clung to the rhythm of the cross, where evil is conquered not by swords and spears but by suffering and love. This would seat between 60 and 80 people. Look into renting an apartment clubhouse, dance academy, storefront, school cafeteria or community center. Why might the apostles have laid down a purposeful pattern of small churches? The larger the congregation, the less family-like and the more impersonal the Lord’s Supper as a true meal becomes. Early churches meeting in Roman villas typically consisted of scores of people, perhaps over a hundred, but not hundreds and certainly not thousands. The sisters and brothers were available to each other, liable for each other and accountable to each other. Though Scripture never states such, it is quite likely that churches also met in tenement housing called insula and which were not nearly as large as a Roman villa. The overwhelming majority of churches today, however, do not provide the context in which brothers and sisters can encourage, admonish and disciple each other. Jim Henry, pastor of First Baptist Church of Orlando estimated, “Our two church plants are going to cost us about $2,450,000 over a three-year period.”, In light of these staggering figures, as your small church starts new small churches, be creative in finding places to meet that are cost efficient. Instead of getting bigger and bigger, purpose to maintain the New Testament example of Roman-villa-sized churches. The Dura-Europos church, located in Dura-Europos in Syria about 232, is the earliest identified Christian house church and one of the earliest surviving Christian churches. Throughout the Roman Empire, wherever the name of Christ was proclaimed and believers united with him through baptism, the Eucharist was also celebrated as an encounter with his passion and resurrection. Participatory Worship: Early church meetings were clearly participatory. New leaders should be continually trained from within to go out and start new works. When one rejoiced, they all rejoiced (1 Cor. It might have been even smaller. . 2; 2 Jn. What should be done in a situation where a home is simply too small to host a church meeting? Achieving consensus is possible in a church where everyone knows each other, loves each other, bears with one another, is patient with one another and is committed to each other. So, in 1 Corinthians 16:19, “The churches of Asia send you greetings. House churches could be considered the first churches ever established under the name of God starting with Jesus. In this final article in the series, we explore not one set place, but the myriad locales in which the passion and resurrection of our Lord became the focus of Christian worship. . Yet even in the absence of persecution, might the apostles have intended to lay down a purposeful strategy of smaller congregations? Are we to believe that having smaller congregations was a purely incidental aspect of the blueprint for church life or was it purposeful? J. D. Douglas, ed. Kingdom minded older congregations may be willing to let you use their building after their services are over. Though it is a simple step, without prayer and God's leading, we invite trouble. 8. This was probably because of the large size of the home and the financial ability of the host to provide much of the food for the love feast. It could, according to the Yale archaeologists who excavated it, seat 65 to 70 people. Scripture indicates that the early church met in the private homes of its more affluent members. Early house churches were able to support qualified widows and elders, which would have required more than just a handful of believers (1Ti 5:3-16). 10. 5. The impluvium had been tiled over and benches were added around the walls. Graydon Snyder of Chicago Theological Seminary observed that “the New Testament Church began as a small group house church (Col. 4:15), and it remained so until the middle or end of the third century. Spacious living rooms were often built off this courtyard. 3. Once leadership is in place, send out a sizable portion of the original church to jump start a new small church. The sisters and brothers were available to each other, liable for each other and accountable to each other. Meeting in a smaller setting would have a practical effect on one’s church life. The legacy of a faithful small church will outlast a larger, entertainment-oriented congregation. 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