Tips for How to House Church
When are we going to start services again? When can we get together face-to-face? How long are we going to be dispersed? There are great challenges for the church to overcome to have large gatherings that are safe while also being inspirational and God-honoring. One option that could fit your church for a season is a turn towards meeting in houses in smaller groups or house churches. My wife and I hosted a house church in our home for 7 years before entering district work and we learned a few things over the years that can help turn these house gatherings from awkward-second-best gathering points to true highlights of one’s participation with the church. If you move towards house meetings here are a few tips that might help:
Clarity is Key: Make sure people know the expectations before they arrive. Will there be food and drinks? Who is responsible for that? Are we going to social distance? Will we wear masks? What should we do with our kids? These are all issues that need to be talked about openly. You must have clear expectations before people show up at a house. This way you protect vulnerable people from being put into an uncomfortable or dangerous position and you allow others who are less susceptible to live under the restrictions they are comfortable with.
Leverage Hospitality: When people get together in houses, there are times when awkward and uncomfortable things happen. Minor disagreements flare up. Stuff gets broken accidentally. Boundaries aren’t honored. We found that the best way to break through the awkward circumstances is to give over the top hospitality. Find ways to make sure people know they are truly welcome in the home. Keep a keen eye for anyone who is being left out of conversation and find a way to include them. When accidents happen or things break, just roll with it. People are always more important than things. Hospitality is the secret sauce that breaks through the awkwardness.
Shorter Meetings Longer Lingering: The “official” part of a house church gathering doesn’t have to be long. We found an hour to be a good time to shoot for. The benefit of not going too long is that it gives more time for people to linger. I think the best discipleship and pastoral care that happened at our house church happened after people started leaving and others lingered. They lingered to talk about their struggles, their questions, and their pain. If the meeting is too long, people will feel rushed to leave. If it is too short, it won’t feel like it was worthwhile to attend. However, if you can find the right time frame, it will feel worthwhile and allow for lingering conversations.
Logistically, we never ran a house church during a pandemic, but we did learn a lot from our years doing this ministry. If your church is interested in a season of house church ministry and would like to consult with me, just reach out and I’d be happy to talk through the logistics of what it would look like to explore a new model for this season.
Kyle Magstadt
Associate Superintendent for Church Multiplication
North Central District of The C&MA