The best application for house churches is in persecuted, resistant contexts because persecution forced the early church to meet in homes
Not only in persecuted countries
The best application for house churches is in persecuted, resistant contexts because persecution forced the early church to meet in homes—not because this was the preferred setting for the church. Yet, the authors of Home Cell Groups and House Churches make a valid point:
It is a mistaken notion to conclude that the apostolic community developed house churches because it was a persecuted minority and, therefore, could not go public in its institutional expression. The early church was quite public in its witness, despite the fact that it was persecuted
I still believe that the most rapid growth in the house church movement is in restricted access areas like China, Asia, and North Africa. I attended one mission gathering and heard a missionary representative for China talk about house churches springing up like wildfire. The representative spoke of one Chinese leader who had planted 30,000 churches—all house churches. This Chinese leader trains people, and within three weeks, they are expected to plant a church.
This type of church planting doesn’t take place in many contexts. There is no doubt. However, that house church ministry has become increasingly popular and accepted. Larry Kreider, the co-author of Starting a House Church, writes:
Within the next ten to fifteen years, I believe these new house church networks will dot the landscape of North America just as they already do in other nations of the world. Places like China, Central Asia, Latin America, India, and Cambodia have experienced tremendous growth through house churches and disciple and empower each member to “be the church.”
Simple structure
Ed Stetzer says, “My attraction to the house church springs from its simplicity and faith. I have been a part of large church starts. . . . Each involved more and more money. In my heart, I often feel that church planting should be simpler.”
The idea behind home churches is not to grow one church larger but to keep the church intimate while reproducing other intimate fellowships in different locales.
Many New Testament church practices cannot function effectively in large, impersonal groups. Home churches form communities of believers who get to know each other in all aspects of life. They share their spiritual gifts to edify the body. Authentic Christianity has a greater chance of emerging in the lives of individuals and families because intimacy and accountability are built into the church.
The goal of each house church is to reproduce other new churches. Bob Fitts Sr. says:
Our goal is not just to start a church. Our goal is to start a church planting movement. We believe this can best be done by focusing on the simplest and most reproducible form of church planting. The house church meets that need (note 8).
One reason why house churches are reproducible is that they lack a hierarchical structure. The house church movement focuses on simple, reproducible strategies that release common Christians for uncommon work. They celebrate evangelism and reproduction that is natural and spontaneous. This reproduction occurs at every level and in every unit of church life. New interdependent churches are formed as people are released into ministry (note 9).
Professor Nancy T. Ammerman, a sociologist of religion at Hartford Seminary, writes:
This development [house church] shows people looking for faith’s essence. They are no longer willing to finance huge buildings, a large staff, insurance policies, advertising campaigns, and the leaking church roof because it all seems simply irrelevant.
No special buildings
House churches meet in ordinary homes or other places free from rent or payments. Maintenance and overhead related to a church building are eliminated. Larry Kreider writes:
The Chinese house church movement has committed to the Lord concerning how the church will exist even when they are freed from communism in the future. They have already made a decision that they will build no buildings. They want to keep their method of training and sending intact and not focus on constructing buildings but on building people (note 15).
The house church movement—more than any other strategy—is building-proof. Therefore, money is not spent on buildings and maintenance.