"This letter is to you and to the church that meets in your home." (Philemon 2)
Like most things, church history shows that some things tend to cycle. Bill Easum and Bill Tenny-Brittian have noted in their upcoming book, Under the Radar: Expression of the American Emerging Church:
"Before Constantine's proclamation in 312 A.D., there is no evidence that the church had a single building. According to scriptures, people met in houses, though for a time they would show up at the Temple or in the synagogues, but that was pretty short-lived. There are some who have suggested that Paul rented a community building for worship, but as the Roman persecution of Christians increased, any sort of Christian gathering was outlawed and it became too risky to set aside a building for a church. Thus, for over two-hundred years the church had no physical location. And we might add that the Christian movement did quite well during that time.
But after Constantine pronounced Christianity as the state religion, the cathedrals, church buildings and chapels began to emerge through the Empire. The image and understanding of "church" began to change as the years went by. Seventeen hundred years later, when we hear the word church, we immediately visualize a building with a steeple where we go to practice our Christianity."
With that mind-set, we have tried to make our church building and church campuses places of hospitality. We have worship service "hosts," parking lot attendants and guest welcome centers. All these are potentially effective ministries, but to what level can we show true hospitality in these settings?
Today there seems to be a shift toward the church coming back to homes and other nontraditional church-type buildings. In many places in the world, this is a necessity driven by persecution or other factors.
In places like North America, it seems the contemporary small group movement is part of the shift toward taking church back to the homes, workplaces and neighborhoods. Why, we might ask, has this shift happened? There are probably many factors, too many to tackle in this article, but I believe at least one factor is the Holy Spirit's work to reinstitute some of the lost ministry of hospitality.
Small groups can and do meet anywhere: in homes, in offices, in dorm rooms, in restaurants, and even in church buildings. While some environments are more optimal for creating a warm, safe environment than others, the goal is for our small groups to be places of acceptance and hospitality. We have been given clear evidence from the New Testament that hospitality was considered a very important gift to give. Whether hosting or leading your small group, or even just participating in a group, the ministry of hospitality can be uniquely and perhaps best practiced in the homes.
But at the same time, hosting in our homes has barriers also.
For some, the church building seems so convenient. And, after all, we've invested our resources in that church building, so we feel we should use it! It's interesting though, I have tried church-building and on-campus small groups where I brought in area rugs, coffee tables, and lamps to make the classroom seem like a living room. And while it helped, it still did not create the authentic atmosphere of life in the home.
And then there's another issue—hosting a small group in the home or having folks over comes easier for some than for others. "It's a mess!" or "It isn't as nice as many people's homes" are common statements made by potential hosts. While that may or may not be true, it is important for potential group hosts to realize that most people come to visit them, not to look at their house. While tidying up may be necessary if your small group needs a place to sit or a path to walk or distraction minimized, most people do not expect perfection. Remember, if your house looks differently when guests are over than it does when they are not, you may be falling into the deception that you should look a certain way for certain people. Jesus called this hypocrisy, not hospitality. I love what Ralph Neighbour says. "It's hard for people really to believe we want them in heaven if we don't want them in our living room."
Here's the bottom line for me: I have been in small groups that met in homes that were nothing more than single-room efficiency apartments, and I have met in homes whose value approaches $1 million. All I can tell you is that showing hospitality in your home is one of the most strategic ministries you can have.
Regardless of your home type or home size, if people really embrace the value of having Christian brothers and sisters over for dessert or inviting unchurched neighbors over for dinner, it would have a tremendous impact on small group growth and on church growth.
"They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved." (Acts 2:46, 47)
