The small group leader par excellence in the history of the Christian community was Jesus Christ. His small group was made up of 12 men with whom he worked continually throughout his ministry. Though crowds of hundreds might flock to him for attention, teaching and healing; Jesus did not stay for long with the crowds. His primary intention was to nurture the apostles into a group of men who were stable, well-grounded, level-headed, knowledgeable, and spiritually dependent on no one except the Father.
Home Church group meetings provide the locale in which people can discover many of the gifts and talents God has given each one. As they stretch to fill needs in the HC group setting (doing things “somebody else” would do in the large group setting), they often find they are developing capabilities, spiritual gifts, leadership talents, and other abilities which they might never have surfaced without the small group experience. They are then encouraged to use these new-found gifts for the common good (Hebrews 10:24; 1 Corinthians 12:14).
Our goal is to help new members to become assimilated into the congregation. Statistics show clearly that a person who has made 5-7 new friends within the first months of coming into a local congregation will stay to become an active, involved member. Home Churches provide an ideal context for building Christian friendships and closing the “back door.”
The “back door phenomenon” in a church refers to the scandal in which new people—whether converts or transferees—come into the church through the ‘front door’ by baptism or transfer of membership, move around among the church members and structures for a few weeks, find no particular niche that entices them to stay and gradually drift to the periphery and eventually out the “back door” never to be seen again.
It is becoming more and more difficult to get the unchurched to attend activities at a church facility. They are, however, more open to visiting a friend’s home and participating in a relaxed and informal group meeting. Our Home Church groups have the goal of inviting the unchurched person to participate in a non-threatening group activity. The objective is best seen as pre-evangelism. Friendship and acceptance is given to the visitor. Other time, after trust and friendship is built, a one-on-one evangelistic Bible study is established in order to encourage a decision from the unchurched guest.
Home Churches also offer something for our own members. During a Sunday morning service people do not have time to really make time for good fellowship, involvement and a host of other values which have surfaced from this ministry. Perhaps the most significant discovery is the area of spiritual development. HC’s are proving to be the best method for stimulating growth and commitment among God’s people. People are recognizing a need for experiences family, belonging, acceptance, and community. HC’s are proving to be the ministry tool to regain these divine blessings.
