How to Have Participatory House Church Meetings

Frank Viola
Chapter 45 in Nexus: The World House Church Movement Reader, Rad Zdero
(ed.), William Carey Library, 2007.
To order Nexus: The World House Church Movement Reader go to:
www.missionbooks.org
Frank Viola is an internationally known speaker, a house church planter, and the author of six
highly acclaimed books on radical church restoration, including Rethinking the Wineskin, Who
is Your Covering?, Pagan Christianity, and The Untold Story of the New Testament Church.
Frank lives in Gainesville, Florida, USA. You can visit him at www.frankviola.com.
INTRODUCTION
In this chapter, we will explore how to have a life-giving participatory house church meeting.
The theology, biblical merit, and spiritual benefits of the first century-styled open meeting are
discussed elsewhere.1 The evolution of when and why the open church meeting became extinct
in church history and how the performance-spectator, Sunday morning, fixed order of worship
replaced it are also examined in detail elsewhere.2 Presently, rather, we will look at the subject
very practically. What follows is what I have discovered over the last 18 years of participating in
house church meetings. This chapter is intended to help a new house church learn how to
function as a community of believers without a traditional-type pastor or preplanned order of
service.3 The aim is to equip everyone to participate, share, and use their spiritual gifts in the
meetings.
TRADITIONAL CHURCH SERVICES VS. HOUSE CHURCH MEETINGS
Let us start by saying a few words about the language we have been conditioned to use. It will
take some time for a house church to remove these concepts from its thinking and adjust its
vocabulary. There are two phrases that we will want to forever strip out of our vocabulary. They
are church service (or the service) and going to church. First, services belong to
institutions. They are ritualistic, performance-based ceremonies. The early Christians never had
services in which an active few performed for a passive audience. Instead, they had meetings
that were spontaneous, interactive, participatory, and Spirit-led. Meeting is the word that is
employed throughout the New Testament when the early Christians came together to display
Christ.4 Second, we are no longer going to church. The church, or ekklesia, is the Body of
Christ which assembles together. It is not a place to go. It is not an edifice. We are going to a
meeting, and we are part of the church.

Frank Viola (2001), Rethinking the Wineskin: The Practice of the New Testament Church, Present Testimony Ministry.
Frank Viola (2003), Pagan Christianity: The Origins of Our Modern Church Practices, Present Testimony Ministry.
3
Frank Viola (2006), Gathering in Homes: Volume 1Beginning, Present Testimony Ministry.
4
Also called assembling or coming together (Acts 4:31; 1 Cor 14:23, 26; Heb 10:25).
2

PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF HOSTING A HOUSE CHURCH MEETING

Let us now move on to practical arrangements for hosting a house church. Some of these issues
will be obvious, though some may not be. These suggestions are meant to create an atmosphere
conducive to having a participatory meeting with minimal distraction.
Find a Host Home
Hopefully, the person who has the largest living room will be willing to host the meetings. If the
person lives 50 miles away from everyone, however, that will not work. It is important to find a
home that is central to where most of the group lives. Note also that the person or couple who
hosts the meetings understands that they do not own the church, nor are they necessarily
automatically the leaders of the group. However, those who are hosting the meetings have the
prerogative to lay down some basic house rules about shoes, parking, rooms that are not to be
used, etc. And it is important that the group respects these rules. If you have several people who
are willing to host the meetings, you may want to rotate homes.
Decide on Time and Frequency of Meetings
First, it is suggested that the house church meet at least once weekly. Everyone should
participate in the decision of when and how often to meet, so that everyone is most often
available for at least several hours. The group may wish to revisit and negotiate the time and day
of the meetings as the group gets larger or based on other issues like child care.
Second, be respectful of the agreed upon times of when a meeting will start or end. Otherwise,
people will stop coming to your meetings. Institutional churches can get away with persistent
late-comers. But not so with house churches. Open participatory meetings require everyone to be
on time. If the meetings always start on time, even among a few, it will provoke most of the
others who may have the habit of being late to change their ways. But if the group waits until
everyone shows up, people will get the idea that it is acceptable to be late.
Third, announce the time and place of the next meeting. For house churches that rotate time
and place, if such an announcement is not made, some people will not show up. The best time to
make this announcement is at the end of the meeting with everyone present. House churches that
have a regular time and place will, obviously, not need to worry about this factor.
Temperature, Lighting, and Noise
Be aware that once the group shows up, the room will heat up due to body heat and adjustments
may need to be made. Also be aware of adequate lighting required if the group will be reading
Scripture or watching something on video. Additionally, the hosts may wish to ensure that no
noisy distractions occur during the meeting. It is also a good idea for everyone to turn their cell
phones off or to set them to vibrate.
Arrange Chairs to Promote Open Sharing
Rather than setting up chairs in rows, chairs can be arranged in a circle or square, which will
invite face-to-face communication and bring everyone as close as possible. Those who enjoy
sitting on the floor can conveniently sit in the middle of the chairs on top of pillows and/or
blankets.

Dress Informally
Dress modestly, but informally, for the house church meetings. Ritualistic services where one
watches, listens, and is very minimally involved are not to characterize the meetings. We are
through with spectator church. We are learning how to participate in an interactive and informal
gathering of Gods people. Dressing like we do in our own homes can add to the authentic
atmosphere of the group.
Everyone Should Clean Up
If a person is hosting the meetings in their home, the burden of clean-up after the meeting should
not fall upon their shoulders exclusively. Instead, the rest of the group should carry the clean-up
burden. Everyone can participate in clean-up, or a rotating schedule can be agreed on ahead of
time. This would include taking down the chairs, vacuuming the rug, sweeping the floor,
cleaning up the kitchen, etc.
Welcome Visitors
If the house church has visitors, someone in the group should ask them to share who they are,
where they are from, and what brought them to the gathering. It is also encouraged that house
churches follow-up with your visitors. Have someone greet them at the end of the meeting. Get
their contact information. Give them a call during the week. Ask them how they liked the
meeting, and invite them back. It is essential that you make visitors not only feel welcome, but
wanted. If not, you are headed toward devolving into an us-four-and-no-more clique! House
churches who suffer from that disease end up losing more members than they gain.
WHAT TO DO IN A PARTICIPATORY MEETING
It is suggested that the content of house church participatory meetings contain seven key
elements, namely singing, sharing, eating, playing, praying, handling Scripture, and releasing
everyones spiritual gifts. Every element does not have to be present in every meeting. Rather,
the goal is that each element will find its way into the meetings in a spontaneous, natural,
interactive, and participatory way as the house church learns to allow the Holy Spirit to lead the
gatherings.
Sing Together
Learn to sing as a corporate group of believers. It may be helpful in the first few months of a
house church that people learn to sing as the Body of Christ without a song leader, music
director, a preplanned order of songs, or any musical instruments. Instead, learn to sing together
acapella. Why? Because for centuries we Christians have been conditioned to let instruments
control our singing. We sit and we wait for an instrument to tell us when to begin singing and
when to stop. A song leader can actually distract from corporate singing. By removing
instruments and singing acapella, we are winning back singing into the hands of all of Gods
people! Once the house church owns its own singing where there is no song leader present, then
musical instruments may be reintroduced without inhibiting Body functioning. Those playing
instruments should learn to follow the singing rather than lead it. Musicians should consider the
possibility that the Lord would desire for them to lay down their talent at his cross for a season
so that his people could rise to their calling of singing corporately. The goal is that you will learn

to sing as the Body of Christ without reliance on any props or song leaders, though they might
act as a beneficial supplement later on.
Share Together
An important aspect of meeting together is to learn how to share our thoughts, feelings, ideas,
concerns, and victories readily with one another. What follows are several exercises that a house
church might try. The exercises below may be temporarily used for, say, the initial six months of
a house church and are never meant to become a rigid liturgy for the meetings on a long-term
basis. The goal is to use them until the house church becomes accustomed to sharing quite
naturally and easily with one another, after which such planned exercises will not be necessary
and should be dispensed with altogether.
Exercise 1Share a Teaching. According to the New Testament, churches were planted by
the preaching of Jesus Christ. They were typically founded by the speaking of the word of God
by a church planter. The word of Christ has incredible community-forming properties that
cannot be explained rationally. In the beginning, it is best to invite a church planter to share the
riches of Christ with the new house church. This was the New Testament pattern.5 If this is not
possible, get a hold of some good, Christ-centered teaching tape, CD, DVD, or book that the
group can agree upon. Each time you come together listen, watch, or read the material. Share
with one another what you received from the message. Stay away from asking complex
theological questions. Instead, share what ministered to you, what touched you, what stirred you,
or what new insight you discovered or saw about the Lord and his church.
Exercise 2Share Your Story. Each time you come together, several of you can tell your lifestory. This will include the story of your entire life, your testimony of how you came to Christ,
the story of your Christian life up until the present day, your personal aspirations, and what
brought you to gather with the present group of believers. Be creative if you like. Include songs,
poems, photographs, photo slides, video clips, or anything you wish that will help you to
communicate your story. At the beginning stage of a house church, it is not wise to tell
unnecessary details about extremely personal matters from your past. Use discernment. Do this
every week until everyone has told their story.
Exercise 3Share a Song. Each week, several people will bring to the meeting one song that
has special value to them. The song can be either by a Christian or a non-Christian artist. They
will share how they saw the Lord through the song. They will either play the song for the group
or sing it for them, or both. They will then take as much time as they need to share how the lyrics
and/or the music have special value to them. Namely, how does the song minister the Lord to
them? The sharing will be open for group participation and interaction. Everyone in the group is
encouraged to comment on each persons song and what they saw through it.
Exercise 4Share a Scripture. Each week, several people can bring to the meeting a few of
their favorite passages from the Bible. They will explain what they understand the passages to
mean. They will then encourage the group with why it has special meaning for them. The sharing
will be open for group participation and interaction. At this point, we should stay away from
complex theological discourses. Sharing should be personal and from the heart.

Frank Viola (2003) So You Want to Start a House Church?: First-Century Styled Church Planting For Today, Present
Testimony Ministry.

Eat Together
This is a pillar upon which Body life is built. Have a common meal either before or after your
sharing time. If you eat first, some people may have difficulty keeping their eyes open during the
sharing. On the other hand, eating before the sharing time allows everyone to socially interact as
soon as the meeting begins. The host family may decide to prepare the meal, or everyone can
bring something. If you have people in your group who are desperately poor and cannot
contribute by bringing food, ask them to help cook some of the meal. Encourage them to
contribute in some way instead of continually coming empty handed. Eating is a family activity.
It helps to build solidarity among family members. People feel much freer and less inhibited to
share their lives and thoughts over a meal. There is a mysterious element in a meal that binds
people together in an uncommon way. For this reason, the early Christians ate together
frequently. They understood themselves to be the household or family of God.
Play Together
Making play a part of our church life is an indispensable ingredient for success. One of the most
important things we can learn is how to avoid being overly religious or serious. We are
discovering how to be authentic with one another and how to cultivate a feeling of safety with
one other. We are also learning to change years of traditional mindsets. Often, whenever
Christians meet together in a church setting, it is exceedingly difficult for them to be anything
but serious and formal. We hide behind a mask. Our vocabulary, our style of speaking, and our
praying all changes when we get together with others for a Christian meeting. The early church
was born in an atmosphere of informality. The Body of Christ breathes the air of informality. It
is void of ritualism, legalism, professionalism, and religiosity. By learning to get to know one
another in an informal, non-religious atmosphere, we are providing a womb for authentic Body
life to be born. Religiosity is not spirituality. The former will bring death to a group of
Christians. Therefore, learn how to appropriately have fun, tell jokes, share stories, and play with
any children in the group.
Pray Together
In the beginning of the house church experience, it is recommended that prayer come slowly and
naturally. Many people have learned very poor habits of prayer. Consequently, it is vital that we
rediscover prayer from the ground up.6 We do not want to bring into the new house church
experience old modes of traditional praying that are counterproductive, lifeless, and artificial.
Let us discover prayer anew and afresh.
Handle Scripture Together
Another aspect of healthy Body life is learning how to discover and apply the message of the
Bible together in a living way. The message of the Bible is Jesus Christ.7 Believers can discover
how to know Christ through their handling of Scripture together. Unfortunately, many Christians
have only learned to approach Scripture one way, namely from a rationalistic perspective. This
has caused much division and harm to the Body of Christ. Using the Scripture can either bring
death or life. It can divide or unify. It can reveal Jesus Christ or it can give dead information.
6
7

Rosalind Rinker (1992), Learning Conversational Prayer, Liturgical Press.

Luke 24:22; John 5:39. Pauls entire message was Christ. He consistently used the Scriptures to unveil the Lord.

The use of Scripture should primarily be done devotionally. Learn to use it as a vehicle for
discovering the Lord. In many of todays house churches, much of the time this will happen in a
quite natural way as someone spontaneously shares with the group what they have learned from
the Scripture recently about the Lord. Occasionally, there may be someone in the group that has
a teaching gift who will provide some insights from the Bible in a more directive fashion from
time to time. In both cases, the house church meeting should be flexible enough so that plenty of
response and interactive discussion from all present can happen. Make your focus Jesus Christ
and seek to discover him in Scripture. This is the secret to finding life and fostering unity by
using the Bible.
Release All Spiritual Gifts
Some final remarks should be made here about the idea of spiritual gifts (i.e. Greek =
charismata). The early church recognized that every believer had a skill or capacity that they had
the privilege and responsibility of bringing to church meetings.8 In addition to those already
discussed above, they included more dramatic things like supernatural utterances, prophecy,
words of wisdom, words of knowledge, miracles, distinguishing of spirits, etc. These were
incorporated into the meetings in a way that was rather spontaneous as the Spirit of God
directed. Todays house churches are encouraged not to fall prey to the extremes of rejecting
these genuine manifestations of the Spirits work (i.e. charisphobia), nor of equating genuine
Christian maturity exclusively with dramatic displays of these gifts (i.e. charismania). Rather,
let us be open to how God would lead our house church. Keep in mind that the Holy Spirit has
come to testify of Jesus Christ. So, authentic spiritual gifts will make Christ, and not the Holy
Spirit, the gifts, nor the gifted person, the focus and the center of our meetings.
CONCLUSIONS
We have examined briefly some of the key ingredients necessary for a healthy and thriving
participatory church meeting, as well as some practical suggestions for hosting such gatherings.
The elements of singing, sharing, eating, playing, praying, handling Scripture, and releasing gifts
should find their way into the participatory meetings in a spontaneous, interactive, participatory,
and Spirit-led manner.
STUDY QUESTIONS
1. Which traditional church practices or mindsets do you perhaps have that will be difficult to

leave behind as you start a house church?

2. Which aspect of participatory meetings is most exciting to you? Most challenging?
3. How can you practically ensure that the group does not drift towards having a fixed order of
service?

1 Cor 12:1-12, 14:26

NEXUS: THE WORLD HOUSE CHURCH MOVEMENT READER

NEW

# 500 PAGES # 60 CHAPTERS

# 40 AUTHORS # 20 COUNTRIES
# 1 PURPOSE
# EDITOR: RAD ZDERO
# FOREWORD BY: DR. RALPH NEIGHBOUR
# PUBLISHER: WILLIAM CAREY LIBRARY

SECURE ONLINE ORDERING

WWW.MISSIONBOOKS.ORG

CONTENTS
DEDICATION AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ........................................3
FOREWORD BY RALPH NEIGHBOUR ..............................................5
WELCOME TO THE NEXUS ! ..............................................................7
PART 1. GODS PASSION FOR THE WORLD

1. The Great Commission: Basic Vision,

Basic Tasks, and Basic Changes
Victor Choudhrie
.........................................................................19
2. The Promises of God and Spiritual Generations
Ross Rains
...................................................................................27
3. The Need for World Revival
Nate Krupp
..................................................................................38
PART 2. THE NEW TESTAMENT ORIGINS OF HOUSE CHURCHES

4. A Survey of the New Testament House Churches

Del Birkey
....................................................................................49
5. The Nature and Function of the Early House Churches
Rad Zdero
....................................................................................70
6. Corporate Functioning Through Personal
Giftedness in the Early House Churches
Del Birkey

....................................................................................84
7. Local Leadership in the Early House Churches
Rad Zdero
....................................................................................93
8. The Mission and the Churches
Robert Banks
.............................................................................102
9. The Five-Fold Ministry and the Foundations of the Early Church
Willie Joubert
............................................................................111
10. Apostolic Strategies for Growing and
Connecting the Early House Churches
Rad Zdero
..................................................................................119
11. Ecclesiological and Missional Significance
of the Early House Churches
Roger W. Gehring .....................................................................130
12. Were Persecution, Poverty, and Progression the
Real Reasons for First-Century House Churches?
Steve Atkerson
...........................................................................143
13. The Authority of Apostolic Tradition in the New Testament Era
Steve Atkerson
...........................................................................151
PART 3. HOUSE CHURCH AND SMALL GROUP MOVEMENTS
THROUGH THE AGES

An Alternative History of the Christian Movement

14. Why Do House Churches and Small Groups
Persist Throughout Church History?

15.

16.

17.

18.

Mike Barnett
..............................................................................161
The Fall and Rise of the Church:
The Principle of Restoration
Nate Krupp with Janice Woodrum
............................................167
The Early Church Fathers and House Churches:
The Subtle Shift Towards Formalism (AD 100300)
Beresford Job
............................................................................173
Constantines Revolution: The Shift from House Churches
to the Cathedral Church (AD 300 and Beyond)
Rad Zdero
..................................................................................182
Church Revitalization Movements using
House Churches and Small Groups (AD 1501500)
Nate Krupp with Janice Woodrum

............................................194
19. Church Revitalization Movements using
House Churches and Small Groups (AD 15001800)
Peter Bunton
..............................................................................202
Christian Pioneers in Their Own Words
20. A Body Knit Together

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

Tertullian
...................................................................................221
Confession
Patrick of Ireland
......................................................................225
The Testament
Francis of Assisi
........................................................................237
Yet the Lords Power Went Over All
George Fox
................................................................................240
A Plain Account of the People Called Methodists
John Wesley
...............................................................................246
Why So Few Revivals?
Charles Finney
..........................................................................262

PART 4. HOUSES CHURCH MOVEMENTS ON THE

SCENE TODAY

WORLD

26. The 10 Universal Factors in

Church Planting Movements Today
David Garrison .........................................................................269
27. 40 Trends that are Reshaping the Church Today
Robert Fitts, Sr.
.........................................................................273
The Eastern Hemisphere
28. Case Study (China):
Chinas House Church Movement
Paul Hattaway
...........................................................................294
29. Case Study (India):
How 100,000 House Churches were Started in Five Years
Victor Choudhrie
.......................................................................304
30. Case Study (Philippines):
From Traditional Pastor to House Church Planter
Eman Abrea
...............................................................................310
31. Case Study (Philippines):
The WandererUnplanned House Church Planting
Romulos Molong Nacua

.........................................................315
32. Case Study (Cambodia):
A House Church Explosion in the Wake of the Khmer Rouge
David Garrison .........................................................................320
33. Case Study (Myanmar):
Planting House Churches in a Buddhist Country
Ram Khaw Lian
.........................................................................323
34. Case Study (Ethiopia):
How an Underground Church Survived Persecution
Vision Video / Gateway Films
...................................................329
35. Case Study (Russia):
The House Church Movement of Mother Russia
Harold Zimmerman
...................................................................338
36. Case Study (Britain):
A Retrospective on the British
House Church Movement of the 1970s
John Noble
.................................................................................341
The Western Hemisphere
37. Case Study (USA):
The Story of Church Multiplication Associates
From California to Chiang Mai in Seven Years
Neil Cole
....................................................................................346
38. Case Study (USA):
A City of House Church Networks
Tony and Felicity Dale
..............................................................352
39. Case Study (Canada):
House Churches and University Students
Rad Zdero
..................................................................................357
40. Case Study (Cuba):
How Fidel Castro Launched 10,000 House Churches
Mindy Belz
.................................................................................362
41. Case Study (Brazil):
A House Church Movement Becomes Visible
Daniel Allen
...............................................................................365
42. Case Study (Ecuador):
The Story and Strategy of The Church in Your House
Guy Muse
...................................................................................370
43. Case Study (Latin America):

House Churches in a Roman Catholic Context

John Driver
...............................................................................376
PART 5. PRACTICAL LESSONS IN STARTING
A HOUSE CHURCH NETWORK

44. How to Start a House Church

Frank Viola
...............................................................................385
45. How to Have Participatory House Church Meetings
Frank Viola
...............................................................................394
46. True Community: Doing Life Together as a House Church
Rad Zdero
..................................................................................401
47. The Lords Supper: Feast or Famine?
Steve Atkerson
...........................................................................408
48. Multiplying and Networking House Churches
that Saturate Neighborhoods and Nations
Neil Cole
....................................................................................415
49. House Churches and Evangelism
Rad Zdero
..................................................................................424
50. The Five-Fold Ministry: Gods Resource
for Multiplying House Churches
Wolfgang Simson
.......................................................................430
51. The Types and Qualifications of House Church Leaders
Victor Choudhrie
.......................................................................439
52. The Training of House Church Leaders
Victor Choudhrie
.......................................................................443
53. The Financial Support of House Church Leaders
Rad Zdero
..................................................................................447
PART 6. STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS FOR LAUNCHING

HOUSE CHURCH MOVEMENTS

54. New Culture, New Church: How Cultural Changes in

Western Society are Challenging the Church to
Rethink its Strategy
Rick Shrout
................................................................................457
55. Saturation House Church Planting
Robert Fitts, Sr.
.........................................................................465
56. The Spontaneous Expansion of House Church Movements
John White
.................................................................................472
57. Can House Churches Be Part of the Regional Church?
Larry Kreider
............................................................................481
58. Can Denominations and Mission Agencies
Help the House Church Movement?
Rad Zdero
..................................................................................486
59. Case Study:
Can a Traditional Church Transition
to a House Church Network?
Jerry Steingard
..........................................................................495
60. Case Study:
Can a Traditional Pastor Transition to House Churches?
Dan Williams
.............................................................................499
61. Case Study:
Creating Networking Opportunities
for House Churches in Canada
Grace Wiebe
..............................................................................503
62. Case Study:
Creating Networking Opportunities
for House Churches in Australia
Bessie Pereira ...........................................................................509
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES ........................................................515
SUBJECT INDEX .............................................................................517
AUTHOR INDEX
..............................................................................520
ABOUT THE EDITOR
.......................................................................521