WHAT'S A HOUSE CHURCH?
AND WHY DO I WANT TO BE PART OF ONE?
". . . They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."
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Acts 2:46b-47
ON THIS PAGE:
In this short video, you'll visit churches around the world and see the beautiful diversity in how different people engage in church meetings.
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House churches are not the "only" way or even the "right" way for Christians to meet. But house churches are how we have decided to gather for worship, relationships, and spiritual growth.
WHAT IS A HOUSE CHURCH?
A Roots "house church" is an intimate gathering of about five to twenty Christians who meet in homes. Here we worship God, study the Bible, sing, pray, and minister to one another.
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Unlike a lot of churches where small groups are supplemental to the main church experience in a big building, each of our small groups is a complete expression of "church" on its own. Each house church has a pastor. They conduct baptisms and take communion together. They plan fun outings, care for each other, and evangelize together.
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House churches are the context in which the New Testament was written. It’s how the church began, first meeting all together in one house (Acts 2:1–2) and then in many houses (Acts 2:46). Church buildings as we might think of them didn’t become common until a few centuries later. That doesn’t make such buildings “wrong,” but it also doesn’t mean house churches are outdated or ineffective.
We base our meetings primarily off of three Scripture passages:
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Hebrews 10:24-25 – And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (NIV)
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Acts 2:42 – They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (NIV)
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1 Corinthians 14:26 – What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. (NIV)
In other words, our meetings are highly interactive. We encourage each other, challenge each other, and share our lives with each other. We study the Bible together, eat together, pray together, and sing together. We teach, preach, prophesy, and discern. Everyone has a voice, and everyone has something the Holy Spirit wants to do through them to bless the rest of the church.
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Our house churches are a place to encounter God and grow in your faith with a small family of believers who love and care for each other. We would love to have you join us!
While we don't normally record any of our house church meetings, we did specially record this one so that you can experience what a house church meeting is like before you come.
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This is only a model. All of our house churches have their own unique culture and style. But here you'll see the components of interactivity and discussion that we value at Roots.
On the 1st and 3rd Sunday nights of every month, all the house churches in our local network come together for a big meeting in Canton, Michigan, that we call "Encounter Night." This is a great opportunity to experience God and connect with what He is doing in our larger family here at Roots.
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If you're already friends with someone in our house church network, you can go to their house church with them. But if you don't yet know anyone, this is a great place to start. We would love to have you join us at our next Encounter Night!