House church model can save struggling churches

In my last op-ed, I suggested that struggling churches should merge with healthy churches or be adopted by them to help them survive. I have been thinking about what can be done to encourage these churches to continue reaching the few people who are depending on them for their spiritual growth.

It’s true that many healthy churches would not want to be associated with struggling churches, and many of the struggling churches might not be comfortable working under the authority of bigger churches. Some will prefer to close down instead of submitting to another leadership.

If that prescription doesn’t work, can the concept of house church save struggling churches from closing down?

Unfortunately, many pastors work very hard to build mega-churches. The quest for fame and wealth among ministers of the Gospel has driven the idea of house churches to the sidelines.

This aberration and abuse are the results of widespread ignorance of the Bible. In the New Testament, there were groups of believers meeting regularly in a home instead of a church building. This house church was a fellowship organized in the house of members of the group. There was one in the house of Aquila and Priscilla (1 Corinthians 16:19), one in the house of Philemon (Philemon 1, 2), and another in the house of Nympha in Laodicea (Col. 4:15). There was also a house Church in the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark (Acts 12:12).

The major reason why churches struggle is because of a lack of attendance and funds. I strongly believe that adopting the house church model by struggling churches can take care of these challenges. House Churches do not need crowds to attend, and they are not expensive either.

I believe that the house church model does not give room for church closures as long as there are family units with homes that make up the church. Salaries and rental payments are unnecessary because the host homes take care of the accommodations.

“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Mathew 18:20). These are the exact word of Christ and why many of us do not believe Him is surprising. Many Christians today believe that it is only mega-churches where Christ can be found and that struggling churches have been forsaken by Him.

If the pastors of thousands of churches that have closed on an annual basis understood this concept, their churches would have survived and thrived in love with Christ, wonderfully manifesting His presence. How many of us believe that any pastor who after his journey here on earth takes two or three persons along with himself to Heaven has fulfilled his ministry?

What should be our concern is what we do with the few ones that God has given us to shepherd. Are we preparing them for eternity or are we teaching them worldly principles on how to become very successful here on earth? Successful ministry is not about the size of crowds but about the impact on humanity and God’s kingdom. We should avoid the use of worldly parameters to evaluate ministerial work because God does not see the way man sees.

My candid advice to genuine pastors that are struggling is to emulate the early Christians. A lot of needless frustration can be avoided this way.

Genuine pastors should take the few persons that were given to them by God to Heaven — regardless of how large their congregations might be. Any pastor who does all he can do and has assurance in his spirit that he has done his best without compromise can boldly speak like the Apostle Paul: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).