For nearly three hundred years, early Christians met almost exclusively in private homes initially built only for domestic use. In this study, Roger Gehring investigates the missional significance of house churches from the time of Jesus through Paul in light of both theological and socio-historical considerations. All church structures take shape in the tension between preestablished theological requirements and the concrete social situation. Even in the New Testament, the emergence of separate house churches involved the potential danger of splintering the Christian movement. Nevertheless their essential family-based foundation has proven to be the life-generating cell and fundamental core of the missional church. The development of early Christian ethics, the emergence of leadership structures, and the growth of ecclesiological concepts were all noticeably influenced by the households in which believers lived and gathered. In the last twenty-five years the house church phenomenon has generated a great deal of interest among New Testament scholars and church practitioners. Research has focused primarily on the architecture of these homes and on its corresponding social and theological implications. House Church and Mission offers scholars the first comprehensive summary of evidence concerning home churches in the New Testament and supplies pastors and lay leaders with a well-crafted discussion of the nature of "church" that explores the practical implications of house churches on outreach.

The Church in the House a Return to Simplicity The most rapid expansion of Christianity in history took place in the first two hundred fifty years of the Churchs historyuntil recently. Something has been happening for the past twenty-five years in China that is growing even faster. What is remarkable is that both of these explosive Church growth movements have something in common besides a multitude of on fire Christians led by the Holy Spirit. Both are house-church movements. The most dramatic Church growth in history in ancient and in modern times has occurred where there were no church buildingsjust believers multiplying from house to house. This book looks at the philosophy and practicality of home church for today. It is must reading for any believer interested in seeing the Great Commission fulfilled in our time. Here is a fine tool for those concerned about planting churches as the basic building block in reaching the worlds remaining unreached peoples. Dr. Ralph Winter, Founder and President of the U.S. Center for World Mission Robert Fitts, Sr., is a man with a passion to saturate the world with local churches. This zeal comes through clearly as a mandate in his book The Church in the House. This is truly a strategy to fast-track discipleship that is desperately needed right now as millions have been turning to Christ in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. Loren Cunningham, Founder and President, Youth With A Mission Robert Fitts is one of Gods growing number of voices today on the subject of House Church. He has been a man in preparation for many years. The Church in the House gives a compelling presentation for the very simple, biblical approach to church life. We can see the Great Commission fulfilled quickly if we will follow this approach to church planting and church life. May God use this book around the world to awaken His people to His plan for His church. Nate Krupp, home church author and publisher

There's a new way of doing church and it's taking North America by storm! Here a recognized authority on the house church movement and a popular speaker and pastor share their expertise in starting and maintaining a healthy house church. Together they look at current and future trends in the house church movement and provide best practice models for planting and leading house churches. Also, they explore how house churches are not always the same as simple cell-groups or small groups, especially in the areas of leadership and money. Readers will discover all the information they need to begin a house church in their community.

This book provides a significant new interpretation of China's rapid urbanization by analyzing its impact on the spread of Protestant Christianity in the People's Republic. Demonstrating how the transition from rural to urban churches has led to the creation of nationwide Christian networks, the author focuses on Linyi in Shandong Province. Using her unparalleled access as both an anthropologist and member of the congregation, she presents a much-needed insider's view of the development, organization, operation and transformation of the region's unregistered house churches. Whilst most studies are concerned with the opposition of church and state, this work, by contrast, shows that in Linyi there is no clear-cut distinction between the official TSPM church and house churches. Rather, it is the urbanization of religion that is worthy of note and detailed analysis, an approach which the author also employs in investigating the role played by Christianity in Beijing. What she uncovers is the impact of newly-acquired urban aspirations for material goods, success and status on the reshaping of local Christian beliefs, practices and rites of passage. In doing so, she creates a thought-provoking account of religious life in China that will appeal to social anthropologists, sociologists, theologians and scholars of China and its society.

David Garrison, PhD University of Chicago, defines Church Planting Movements as rapidly multiplying indigenous churches planting churches that sweep across a people group or population segment. Garrison's Church Planting Movements: How God Is Redeeming a Lost World signaled a breakthrough in missionary church planting. After the publication of Garrison's book in 2004 it became impossible to talk about missions without referencing Church Planting Movements. Church Planting Movements examines more than two-dozen movements of multiplying churches on five continents. After presenting these case studies, Garrison identifies ten universal elements present in each movement. He then broadens the circle of examination to identify a further ten common characteristics, factors identified in most, but not all, of the movements. He concludes his examination with a list of "Seven Deadly Sins," i.e. harmful practices that stifle or impede Church Planting Movements. Important for evangelical readers, the author returns to his findings to see how they stand up to the light of Scripture. What he discovers is that Church Planting Movements are much more consistent with the New Testament lay-led house-church movements that swept rapidly through the Mediterranean world in the face of hostile opposition than today's more sedentary professional institutionalized Christianity. Learn more about Church Planting Movements from the book's website: www.ChurchPlantingMovements.com.

In a world where the church is being ignored, it is time to bring the church to the people, and not the people to the church, says researcher and church strategy consultant Wolfgang Simson. His book Houses that Change the World (originally published in the UK) is widely recognized as a classic of the house church movement. Now revised as The House Church Book, this definitive work offers a comprehensive understanding of the past, present, and future of the house church movement—and the vital role of “ordinary” people in saturating the world with God’s truth.

BASIC.We Are ChurchA Small Group ExperienceFRANCIS CHAN In this bold new interactive 9-session small group study, Francis Chan takes on the practical aspects of the church, distilling the reality of God's design for the church into foundational truths that will challenge Christians to become the church described in Scripture. Features the final four BASIC films on DVD, each enhanced with two exclusive study sessions found only in this small group experience.- BASIC.Fellowship DVD- BASIC.Teaching DVD- BASIC.Prayer DVD- BASIC.Communion DVD- Six (6) We Are Church Follower's Guides, corresponding to the interactive DVD studies- Resource DVD with video clips, trailers, and poster for church use, sermon outlines for pastors, tips for leaders, and more.

In our modern dislocated society many are searching for a church experience that offers true Christian sharing, nurturing, and discipleship, in addition to teaching and worship. For many such people the answer is found in the home church: a small, committed group of often diverse people who meet together in homes to pray, eat, sing, study, and share their lives. The Church Comes Home is a handbook for those interested in home churches. It is both visionary and practical. It describes how home churches can be formed, how they should grow, and how networks of home churches can develop. It examines issues--for example, how to make decisions; how to determine doctrine; how to include children, singles, elders; and how to reach out to the community at large--and offers practical suggestions for their resolution.

“The families of Christians should be little Churches: or, Wherever we have a house, God should have a Church in it.” The Rev. Matthew Henry is most well-known for the timeless and practical expositions found in his commentaries on the Old and New Testaments. What most people don’t know, however, is that Henry was a model husband and father who believed that a properly organized home life includes as a necessity a strong spiritual foundation. Henry believed that while the home is not meant to replace the church, it is meant by God to be a place of spiritual growth and renewal. In that vein, A Church in the House is a manual of sorts, showing us that effective ministry inside the home is just as important as ministry done on the outside.