Requiem for a House Church

Requiem for a Church
August 2002 – July 2008

“I feel like we are 10 months pregnant!”

That is how I described the state of the house church at a recent meeting of the core group of the house church. Admittedly, an odd analogy. But just like the parables of Jesus, if you are careful not to over analyze the details, the main point is obvious. Our time has come.

Six years ago, a group of six of us began realizing the spiritual framework we had been brought up with had some inconsistencies. In the spirit of honest inquiry, we realized that we needed a safe place to understand and explore these apparent inconsistencies, while also seeking the simplicity of New Testament Christianity. In the process, we were able to grow in our understanding. We also were blessed with a variety of friendships and relationships along the journey.

But the church that was formed, slowly, at times painfully, was formed with a specific purpose, with a specific background and with unique baggage. It was also formed under the default leadership of Jared and myself.

In the Spring of 2006, we had our first reassessment, of sorts, of our form and function. Some of us felt that the structure and traditions that we had created had prepared us to move into a new direction; others felt that there was still healing to be done. In the process of wrestling with this, we made new friends and our group grew in numbers. Yet, we had never addressed some of the core issues.

Then, at the beginning of 2008, Jared shared his realization that he could no longer share our faith journey. And a pillar of the community that had formed around our shared history and baggage was removed. It caused the group to evaluate, once again, our form and function.

And it become clear, for the first time, that the house church that was formed six years ago had served its purpose. It had provided a safe place to grow and explore our walk with God. It was not designed for perpetual growth and existence; it could not have been designed as such. We realized that it was time to celebrate the house church for having accomplished its purpose. What better measurement of success could there be?

Many will look upon this as a natural result of a flawed enterprise. Of course, I completely disagree. Unlike many churches who feel they must simply exist and survive to be successful, I measure success against the purpose for which this community was built. Others will be hurt, and feel devastated that this is coming to an end. But the apostle Paul realized that faith communities, even whole nations, existed to serve a purpose, and when it was completed, it was time to bring that chapter to a close. In Galatians Chapter 3, Paul reminds us:

23But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed.
24Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.
25But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

The Law of Moses, and ultimately the nation of Israel that were the keepers of the Law, served a vital role of leading people to Christ. When Christ came, and the Law did its job, its role was complete, and therefore it was time for it to be set aside.

And that brings us to my initial comment above. The house church has served its purpose. It provided a safe place to grow and explore. But now, the structure and traditions that had initially provided safety and a nurturing environment, were constricting, and preventing growth, just like being pregnant for ten months would start constricting the growth of the child.

The time of this particular house church, in this particular setting, and with the baggage and traditions of this particular faith community, has come to an end. For that, we celebrate. We celebrate the successes, and the losses, the lessons learned, and the scars earned.

The exciting thing is, while a birth is the end of a pregnancy, it is more importantly the beginning of a brand new adventure, with even more rapid and exciting growth. We praise God for the journey we have had, and the journey yet to come.