Depends on what’s going on inside.  If they’re teaching from Bible, it would be very inviting.  If they are teaching from another book rather than the Bible, as many churches and small groups do, I’ll pass.

Looks much like small group within a large church, except that people don’t have to make room in their lives for two things (church AND small group).  I know a number of people who have opted for this kind of “home church,” including quite a few seminary professors. 

Advantages:  The obvious, intimacy and relationships.  Instead of having to give ministry time to keep church programs running, members could all be really released to significant ministry time in the community (para-church, schools, hospitals, homeless shelters, etc.).  And, if there were 20 giving units who tithed to the home church, it seems that they should at least be able to support a bi-vocational pastor.

Disadvantages and cautions: I’m not one to insist on a seminary education for everyone in vocational ministry, but if no one in the group has biblical or theological training, how is orthodoxy protected?  And . . . while church programming can take over ones life, there are advantages to what a large church can offer which would be missing in a micro church.  For example, I could go to AA for recovery, but then I’d be told to recognize “the God of my understanding.” Christian recovery programs, just to name one type of specialized ministry, are very valuable.  Plus, these offer natural tools for outreach. 

I have a friend (actually my vet) who has been part of a home church for 5 years.  It has grown now to 25 families.  When I asked him about outreach, he indicated (as he cleaned my dogs teeth) that no one who was a new Christian or non-Christians has ever joined them.  He admitted that they were really made up of Christians who had become fed up with the institutional church.  Becoming ingrown is enough of a temptation in large churches, I think it might be more so for home churches.

Kent – I have a question, really I’m curious and don’t mean to criticize.  Why do you (and others) always seem to add “like so many churches today . . . “?  I’d understand your point completely if you just said “I’d be interested if this was a Bible study and not a book study.” Why isn’t that enough?  It makes some of us want to jump in and defend – which is what often gets us off track (and that is our fault – not yours).

There are 400 churches in my community and having worked for years in para-church, I know many of the pastors quite well.  I’ve been to many of the churches once or twice.  It would never occur to me to assume the overall focus and direction of teaching and ministry unless I could attend for a least a couple of months consecutively.  Generalizations seem presumptuous, critical and a bit arrogant – at least when I read the words through my computer screen.  I’m doubting that you mean to come across that way.

So just wondering . . .

I could not play the video it would not allow me to. Can anyone help me here? Are they talking about Micro managing or are calling it MicroChurch movement because people are gathered in their homes to have Bible study.
Well any way… If it is the later then I reckon I am wrong, because we are starting this on Sat…
Kent, do you all use Sunday School books at your church or not? Oh yea, you better watch out, you better pout, you better cry I’m telling you why, Cause Jesus Christ is coming soon. He just may hang a sign around your neck for all eternity my friend that reads, “Kent, he does not play well with others.”

Jeff,

Brother that was totally uncalled for my friend. I can relate to what Kent is talking about because I too have been and have seen close friends who were ostracized from churches for holding strong to their defense of the Bible. There is a call to be submissive to the pastor as the leader of the flock, which I am 100% in agreement with - unless it contradicts the scriptures which is the case in so many Evangelical churches today who have gone PD or WCA or Emergent. They are ignoring the Biblical mandate for a church to be for edifying and equipping the saints and have turned them into evangelistic churches with a weekday minor in discipleship. Therein lies the problem many have with the PD movement and the WCA mini-reformation of church services.

As for Micro-Church - I happen to be a member of 2 churches and my primary church is a micro-church that saw a membership of 70-100 drop to a remnant of 6 with regular visitation of around 8 to 14 others. I have to tell you there is no comparison between the presence of the Holy Spirit among the small remnant and that of my former church which is a WCA church and has a mambership that numbers in the thousands. I assemble the worship for this small group but there is nothing that comes close to the intimacy and presence of the Holy Spirit when you have a group in 100% accord with the will of God. You see the fragmenting was God’s work much like Gideon’s army was a fragment of his initial numbers. When you are obedient to the call of God at all times and at all costs you will lose members - but that is what God calls us to - obedience. When you have that mindset about your relationship with God, obedience above all else, then you have no problems with even the harshest commands of our Lord Jesus.

As for the other church I am a member of it is around 100 current members and both churches share the same facilities at present. Both pastors are preachers or the Word, not simply pastors who “can work a crowd” as I saw recently in an article about Willow Creek and other mega-churches. I grieve for those who spend their life sipping on milk when we are called to grow in our faith and knowledge of Him and His word. I know the experience of sitting in services where there is no solid preaching of the word and I always walk away with knots in my stomach as if I’ve been starved of the feeding of the word of God. Once you’ve experienced the difference you’ll understand its impact on your life.

Anyway, that’s my 2 cents on Micro-churches from one who is a part of one.

BTW the pastor of the smaller church is a Pastoral Minister at a medium sized church during the week and we meet on Sunday nights and Thursday nights. The Thursday night Bible Study being some of the best Bible studying time I’ve ever experienced.

In Christ,
Bill

As for

Jeff,

If that sign you refer to is caused by not being a friend “Of the World” or for not tolerating the “Slaughering of Truth” for self gain, well, then I’ll where the sign with honour.

Jeff,

Have you ever heard the phrase “Love means never having to say you’re sorry!”? Well that is because love considers the impact of words before saying them rather than saying them and having to apologize for them afterwards.

What was said above was an exhibition of the Proverbs 11:12 A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue. or Proverbs 10:19 When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.

Consider what you’re saying before you say it. This forum offers you the chance to re-read what you’re posting before you post it and when there are serious discussions going on, indicate your jesting by identifying it rather than leaving it out there to cause offense.

Food for thought.

In Christ,
Bill

Just for discussion sake, which church do you believe is more likely to speak the “whole truth” before a Sunday morning congregation, the large church or the small church?

I personally am a member of a 500+ church, yet the pastor is not afraid of speaking Truth, even when it is culturally or politically incorrect.  I believe a large church “can do this”, but find it harder for the flesh to do so, when you they are woried about losing their crowd.

Wendi, I assume you are a part of a large church?  For just an example of Biblical Truth that runs against the grain of our culture and is often silent in today’s church, when was the last time your Pastor taught that women were to be submissive and obedient to their own husbands?

Kent,

Why would size have anything to do with truth?  A small church could be heretical and a large church sound in its doctrine.

Yes, I’m part of a large church which MY HUSBAND and I find it to be orthodox, biblical sound with truth proclaimed as a regular part of the preaching and teaching.  You wouldn’t agree with us (we did 40-Days of Purpose and sponsored the Willowcreek Summit), but that’s fine, cause we wouldn’t be comfortable as part of your church either.  There is room for all types and sizes.  Our pastors could preach a different sermon every Sunday for 5 years, and never cover all the breadth of “truth.”

Want me to have my husband log in to tell you if I’m submissive?  That was a low blow, and after what I thought was a respectful discussion - I’m surprised at you.

Micro-church is just church in most areas of the world. Mega church? uniquely American, except maybe for ye olde cathedral concept. Like big cars, big shopping malls, etc. In the future, just as in societies that have no middle class, I can imagine middle-sized churches disappearing. Having been in a Jesus community years ago after some disappointing experiences in institutional churches, I believe that small group community offers a better environment for spiritual formation and disciple-making. I enjoy megachurch gatherings from time to time, but I sometimes wonder what first century church leaders would make of our variation adaptations. They sang psalms: if only they had the original audio-tracks (digitalized). They packed the Temple courts, then huddled in homes to break bread and pray. So micro-church or mega-church might’ve been less novel to them than I suppose.

Bill - I don’t recall bringing up the issue of women in ministry, it was Kent who chose to ask me particularly about the last time my pastor preached about women submitting to their husbands. And I don’t think Todd would appreciate us going there on a post about micro-churches - so out of respect for this forum you’ll get no answer from me on that one. 

And don’t worry about us, we know how narrow the gate is.  But please, this post is not about PD or the WCA - and I’m very sorry to have told about my churches participation in both.  If my comment led to hijacking I’m sorry.

Kent - come on . . . do you think I’m stupid and unsubmissive.  You asked whether big or small churches are more likely to preach truth and I responded.  Of all the thousands of rich and wonderful elements of grace and truth a pastor could preach about, you picked women submitting as a sermon topic you wondered if my pastor was preaching.  Why would you ask that . . . in a post about micro churches?

for crying out loud…

The topic, folks, is micro-churches.

Let’s face it, if micro-churches tick somebody off; half the church leaves. 

I think it’s foolish to pair truth-telling with church-size.

Todd

Todd: I think it’s foolish to pair truth-telling with church-size.

Kent: Todd, you seriously don’t see any connection to the way human beings generally deal with large crowds versus smal ones when having to lay out unpopulur issues?

I had determined not to respond further . . . but

I enjoy this discussion generally but know that I have been guilty of adding to the ridiculousness of side roads by trying to make unmakable points.  I’d determined to offer some thoughts today about what I saw as the potential advantages and disadvantages of the original post – MICRO CHURCHES.  I asked for this I guess, by asking you Kent, why such frequent generalization “like most churches today . . .”

But for the life of me, I don’t see how my comments could possibly have led logically to “truth” in my church being gauged by how frequently my pastor preaches on submission or my own orthodoxy being gauged by my position on a women in senior leadership in the church.  Nor do I see how my pastor’s choice of sermon topics or my position on women in ministry is connected with the news clip about micro churches.  I’m not trying to gauge any of your orthodoxy, why are you trying to gauge mine?  Please go back and read my post about pros and cons of micro churches – and offer some feedback about that.

But for the record – my circle of orthodoxy includes only those things which are connected to salvation by grace, through faith – so it is a very small circle.  Those of us inside that circle will enjoy eternity together, and while on earth, we will have held a myriad of different positions on other points of doctrine, including women in ministry.

Beyond that, you’ll have to guess.