"Whenever two or more are gathered in my name, there I will be also."
-- Jesus Christ
Our precious Lord said so many important things. In our way of doing church, which is simple and smaller, these words he spoke have special meaning and relevance.
There is a type of security and comfort that comes with the traditions, facilities, staff, and programs, associated with the traditional institutional church. While those things are comforting, they are also enormously expensive. They create objects of power that cause some to stumble and lose their way, and have ultimately proved to be inefficient, for America continues on a path of moral decline as a post-Christian, hedonistic nation, in which the traditional, institutional church has very little impact.
In breaking free of the traditional model, we in our church are left with very little that we can actually see and touch. With no building and no staff, we are left as individuals and small groups that no longer have the busy-ness of church activities to distract us from the battle at hand. Our sole purpose is to become the people God wants us to be, to face the problems in our own hearts, in our families, at work, with our neighbors, with each other, and to resolve those problems with love, humility, and sacrifice. Without the distractions of recruiting Sunday School teachers, finding a Youth pastor, chairing the worship committee, revising the budget, fixing the sprinkler system (the list goes on and on), all we have to focus on is our commitment to follow the Lord, our fellowship and the love under Christ that binds us together in that pursuit, and perhaps a few modest traditions like meeting together weekly and sharing meals together.
If you are new to home churching, it is worth preparing yourself for the impact of the new focus that comes with smaller groups: Your walk with God. There are so many things to distract one's attention from the battle waging in one's own heart on a typical Sunday morning in an insitutional church. The sanctuary/auditorium/worship center is usually a place brimming with visual interest. There is the bulletin to read, beautiful music playing, and plenty of people to watch. There is much to take comfort in while avoiding one's own issues. Much effort is expended by pastors and worship leaders to help people break free of those distractions. Lighting is adjusted, the music is altered, candles are used, emotional appeals may be made. All of this is done to help the participants break free of distraction and focus on their own hearts, their own commitment to God, their battles within.
In Small Group settings, it is not necessary to do any of that. On a Sunday morning, you go to a friend's house, sit on the couch in their living room, and there awaiting you is, well, nothing much. You are there to do church, not to have it done for you. It is a small group of people, perhaps as few as six, all in the same boat, people struggling to live the Christian life. So there you sit, and it's time to do church.
But what a glorious time it becomes once you get started. Like tender shoots pushing up through the soil, once you know that it all depends on you, you respond. You will see new things in Scripture that you have not seen before. You will value the opinions of others in ways that you have not before. You dive in, knowing one thing: That you are seeking Christ and he will not forsake you. Knowing that the quality of the church experience truly depends on you changes everything. It's like this: You can go to a wedding, or you can get married. You can watch a play, or you can be the one on stage. You can pace in the waiting room, or you can be the surgeon. It is a similar difference between being a passive participant in an institutional church service compared to being an active participant in a home church meeting. The difference is profound and profoundly rewarding, but you can expect to experience a period of adjustment.
The process of "Getting used to Small" starts with oneself. A person who is intent on following God, understanding their frailties, and becoming more Christlike need not care about how big the group is. Even two people meeting over lunch is enough to provide valuable encouragement. A group of six singing, praying, laughing, and studying together becomes a warm experience. And a Large Group meeting, which may only consist of 20 or 30 people, is more than enough to be encouraged. But again, for all that to work, focus has to shift away from the notion that we are building some kind of great organization to ourselves, as individuals, and our individual walks with God.
For those with children, the process of "Getting used to Small" may result in a wonderful change of focus in their family. It is one thing for Mom and Dad to get the kids dressed and to an institutional church in time for the 9:30 Sunday School, then sit quietly through a service, and then drive back home for lunch. It is something entirely different to be at a friend's house where the children play quietly with a toy while they hear Mom and Dad discuss the Bible and to pray out loud in a small group of committed Christians. Mom and Dad themselves will feel the impact of the Christian message more acutely as they become propagators of it in the Small Group. Their children will respect them and ask more questions of them as a result of what is said in the Small Group. But also, families can be challenged and disrupted as their own hypocrisy becomes evident in the parents' and the childrens' hearts. "Getting used to Small" for a family also will help them "Become more Real". That transformation can be difficult for some families, but it is an extremely valuable transformation that can be life changing, especially for the children.