House Churches

We know there are a lot of churches in Lansdale and the surrounding areas and many of those churches are doing good things.

We’re convinced Lansdale doesn’t need another church. But we are absolutely convinced what Lansdale needs is fresh expressions and fresh extensions of God’s kingdom.

That’s the vision behind Renew.

But striving to engage in fresh expressions and fresh extension of God’s kingdom isn’t intended to happen just on a Sunday. Nor does it “just happen.” It takes great intentionality and purpose.

It’s meant to be pursued and experienced throughout the week, in our everyday, ordinary lives. In the boardroom, the classroom, the living room and the play room.

For many of us we are intrigued by Jesus, but turned off by organized religion. We find Jesus to be interesting, but we are left skeptical, cynical and turned off by the compartmentalized and small nature of religion. We long to be involved with a group of people who want to experience hope and a promise of renewal in the midst of a lot of our own brokenness.

Instead of simply attending church, we’re called to something much bigger, must more holistic. Jesus invited people to be his followers, to enter into a way of life – a life that shows physical evidence of love, generosity, forgiveness, compassion, celebration and hope. He offered the promise of giving life to the absolute fullest measure.

And his still invites people like you and me into that hope-filled reality today. And we’re not in isolation, nor were we ever intended to be. We’re called to live in that way of life with others, in Jesus communities.

Together with others we yearn to see God at work in the world and to partner together, joining with him in seeing values such as love, generosity, forgiveness, compassion, celebration and hope be a real, evident, tangible way of life.

[Q]: What is a house church?

It is a bit like asking, “What is a family?” There are no two house churches that are exactly alike. House churches come in all sizes and shapes. It can be six people or twenty five. It can be made up of singles, young families, grandparents, college students or a diverse collection of everybody.

The essence of house churches is a gathering of people who are committed to doing life together. A place for people to know and be known, to celebrate and be celebrated, to love and be loved. It’s not about perfect people that have everything together. It’s for those who know that they still need to grow, who need a place to ask the tough questions and who need others to help us when we mess up.

A place to gather regularly in order to learn together of what it means to follow Jesus. It’s a place to study the Scriptures together, to figure out together what it means to love our neighbors and care for the poor. A group of people who work together to figure out what it means to carry each other’s burdens, confess sins to one another and perhaps even share possessions together. A place to eat, play, connect and rest.

No one has yet to figure out how to do it perfectly. The beauty of a house church is that it is simple. We journey through life together, we find the community that we long for – even when it is not perfect.

House Church Values

We desire to provide broad guidelines to each house church in order to live on mission and operate within Renew’s vision. We desire for each house church to develop it’s own unique expression within these guidelines in whatever shape or form it might take.

[1] House churches are Jesus Communities: We desire for people to see and experience Jesus so that life formation and transformation occurs. We recognize that Jesus is Lord, believing He is the only way to a relationship with God. We submit ourselves fully to His authority and desire to be shaped to be more like Him in all we do.

[2] House churches strive to be safe environments where people are able to come as they are – and move in the direction God wants them to be. What results is authenticity and honesty that honors God and one another with the purpose of being shaped to be more like Jesus.

[3] House churches focus within (to be transformed to become more like Jesus), amongst (to participate in Christian community) and around (to contribute to the world by joining God’s mission of renewal). Each individual and house church seeks to intentionally cultivate their oikos (Greek: sphere of influence), which  is vital to living in mission. House churches espouse the values of kingdom life, which are expressed uniquely in three tangible ways:

-exploring and discovering the ways of Jesus – through Scripture, prayer and story

-celebrating life together – with those inside and outside our house church

-serving beyond ourselves – with an outward focus to bless a hurting world

[4] House churches are one part of the dual expression of church.

House churches are expected to develop their own unique identity and expression of God’s mission at work in their context, while still operating within the overall mission and vision of Renew. We are convinced that a robust and healthy rhythm of Renew is when we purposefully participate with both gathering (our public gatherings) and scattering (our house churches).

[5] House churches have an ethos of shared ownership.

We all have a role to play – big and small, directly and indirectly, children and adults. We recognize the gifts God has given to each person and desire to see those gifts utilized appropriately. Part of that ownership involves discerning together, along with Renew leadership, 1-2 people with the gift of leadership who will meet regularly with other Renew leaders for encouragement and direction in order to provide oversight, leadership and guidance for their house church.

[6] House churches strive for health and reproduction.

We desire for house churches to be healthy. Healthy organisms reproduce naturally. Therefore, we believe that healthy house churches will multiply and reproduce. We are not simply in the numbers game, but believe that if we are praying that God brings people to himself and we are living out the values listed above, house churches will experience natural opportunities to reproduce other house churches.

If you would like more information or you would like to be part of a Renew house church, please email Tracy at tracycommons@renewcommunity.org