How to Have Church at Home

Do you feel you're not getting real with God in your current church setting? With the modernization movement, many churches have gotten away from the biblical worship model. You can establish church in your private home with your family and friends. Prepare to be amazed with what can happen, for "Wherever two or three are gathered in His name, there I am with him." Matthew 18:20

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Have the right reasons. Having church at home should not be viewed as an opportunity to bash your local church or the church universal. It should be a worship opportunity for your family and friends that closely follows the instructions given by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:26-40.
2. Let everything that is said or done edify the church, and conduct yourselves in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord.
3. Designate a meeting place in your home. The largest room will be best if you are planning to invite others. Don't imitate the set up of the church -- if your room allows, set up chairs in a circle to encourage all to participate.
4. Share a meal together. It can be a potluck type of Sunday dinner, a sandwich bar, a breakfast or something else. It doesn't matter -- the fellowship with other believers is most important. Have a separate time of Communion in which you remember what Jesus accomplished on the cross.
5. Follow a loose format, but be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit. A home church group that meets in Austin, Texas, eats as a group, then forms small groups to pray. Someone then reads a Scripture and presents a teaching that they have prepared.
6. Don't forget about the music. Praise God together as a group through song, lifting your voices to Him. If someone can accompany on guitar or another instrument, great. If not, sing a capella and praise the Lord in the way you feel most comfortable.
7. Build a community of believers. As your group spends more time together, support each other. If someone in the group has a need, work together to fill it. Find a mission project that you can work on together. Help start other small home churches to further the spread of the gospel.

Tips & Warnings

• Weigh carefully what is said in your church setting, and beware of false teaching that does not agree with the gospel. (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21.)