More people are talking about it
Recently more and more people are speaking about new ways of being a Church.
In some churches people are even more or less forced to think about it as they see their church getting more empty each year. It seems they somehow are not able to reach the different social groups in Holland in a relevant way.

Many people long for authentic, true and significant relationships
Without having high pretensions, we think that specially this brotherly love and authentic faith can be found in the home-churches. Of course we keep in mind that the (social) contacts although important, still only are a small part of being a church.

Also on conferences people speak about this
On the yearly conference of DAWN Europe in Switzerland people extensively spoke about cell-churches and home-churches. (DAWN = Discipling A Whole Nation, and is an international movement who stimulates building new churches.)
On the prophetic conference of Kana they were thinking on the matter of "new wine-bags". As every movement of God needs forms which will optimally facilitate what He wants to do.

On this page I want to show some advantages which cell-churches or home-churches have when compared to the congregational churches.

1. THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

A congregational church distinguishes itself by:

1. a church-building;
2. a special day to go to church (Sunday);
3. professional leadership (priests, preachers, ministers);
4. a special service with a ceremonial character;
5. a way to maintain themselves financially (tenths, offerings, church-tax).

Most churches in Holland have this type of organization.
BUT... We do not find this form in the New Testament!
Congregational assemblies were introduced in the days of Constantine the Great (4th century after Christ) and became the prevailing standard, and look somewhat like the Jewish synagogues.
The assemblies in the New Testament however were home-churches (or cell-churches).

2. THE DIFFERENCES

The congregational church as we know it today and the New Testament-church differ a lot from each other:

3. ADVANTAGES OF CELL-CHURCHES / HOME-CHURCHES
It is important that we realize that cell-churches or home-churches have some advantages when compared to the congregational churches. These advantages are:

1. Multiplication in discipleship.
Members of a home-church help each other to be "doers of the Word".
Discipleship come in on a natural way. And above that a Home-church is directed on multiplying itself.

2. A structure which is resistant against persecution.
Cell-churches are small and flexible and because of that better resistant against persecution. Just remember the home-churches in China.

3. Free from church-growth-barriers.
Cell-churches are functioning like organisms (not like an organization, like many congregational churches) and have a much larger growth-potential.
And what is the Body of Christ? An organism or an organization?
Research showed that the percentage of growth adds exponentially when the church becomes smaller. Many small churches are more effective in reaching people than a few big churches.
A cell-church has as ideal numbers a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 40 members. (This maximum limitation is also because usually a group of more than 40 persons will because of room not be comfortable in an ordinary home, and in a larger group also the personal contact is not as good as in smaller groups)

As soon as the limit of 40 members come near the Koinonia home-church will split in 2 groups of almost similar size, which each will continue independently. Most groups count 10 to 15 members.

4. More people are efficiently working.
In congregational churches is because of the programmed way of working (and also because people are not as involved as in smaller groups) 80 percent of the work done by 20 percent of the people.
In cell-churches every member is involved and can easily be asked for any work that has to be done. By this the general quality and well-being of the church is lifted to a higher level. God has given each person certain qualities and we like to use those to reach more people with the precious gospel.

5. It brakes the pastoral care-dilemma.
The larger the churches, the lower the quality of pastoral care. This because the pastor cannot be everywhere at the same time. Delegating to elders also is not always the best solution. Pastors know this from experience.
Cell-churches do not have this problem. Although because sometimes there may not be enough 'trained workers' sometimes they may have some problems (like the problems as the congregational assemblies may have to cope with when delegating to elders) in this area too

6. Provides a place to change lifestyle.
Congregational churches are hardly able to change the values and lifestyle of their members. Cell-churches are small involved groups more affective in this.

7. A home is an effective place for new Christians.
A living-room where people have contact in a natural way is much easier to enter for non-Christians than a church-building with a liturgy.
The goal of a cell-church is not get people inside the church but to get the church to the people. They are not focused on gaining 'members for their own club' but on winning souls for the Kingdom of God.

8. It solves the leaderships-crisis.
The tasks in a congregational church ask (because of the larger group of people) more capacities from the leaders than the functioning of a cell-church.
A cell-church is being led by an older / reaper / spiritually mature Christian, who functions like a spiritual father or mother. cell-churches are coached by people who function in the fivefold ministry. The cell-church also offers a more secure place for members to learn functioning and using their gifts.

9. Removes the difference between ministers and laymen.
Nowhere in the New Testament we can find ministers who lead congregations in a way as we consider to be 'normal' in our days. The congregational model often enlarges the separation from responsibilities, while in cell-churches the priesthood of all believers can function optimally.

10. It is more biblical.
Not the tradition, but Gods Word makes us free.
Cell-churches are in form basically more biblical than congregational churches. But we also recognize the danger of sectarism. within Koinonia we are very alert not to take a part of the truth and make it the the main-truth

11. It is much cheaper.
A congregational church could be defined as: a lot + building + pastor + salary + people + programs. A cell-church like: people + ordinary houses + faith + communion.
So a cell-church is much cheaper, which make money available for inter-community ministry, world-mission, and care for the poor.

12. It gives new life to the city-church.
The church in the New Testament was known by the place where it was meeting (the assembly at Nympha's home), not by denomination. Besides that it speaks of a city-church (the assembly in Laodicea). Cell-churches find their 'identity' more in the location (which is biblical) than in a denomination (theological ideas).

N.B.: house-churches or cell-churches are not similar to church-groups.
The first really function completely as (independent) congregations an have no more than once or twice a month a meeting together with other cell-churches. The second are a part of the 'program' of the congregational church, where actually the Sunday-service and the church-building have a central place.

The Koinonia Home-churches in Holland work completely independent and are only connected to help in case of any need and/or to be able to talk about, solve, and pray for problems with a larger group of Christians.

Contact ekklesia@bijbelnet.org with remarks and questions about this site. 
© Copyright, Koinonia Huisgemeenten, All rights reserved.