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House Church Now: Rediscovering Christianity's First Form
Throughout the centuries people have met in homes for a simple meal and conversation. In fact, during the first three centuries of our history, this described the earliest form of the church. In this book I ask you to reconsider the pure simplicity of this form that God used to bring healing and hope to a very divided world. In a world where real community and honest dialogue seem like ancient relics, perhaps it is time to remember and rediscover the vitality that was so evident in those early years.
259 pages, Paperback
Published March 18, 2023
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January 15, 2026
Rex Whitman makes a case for a house church model rather than the modern Western church by first pointing out the common problems within the Western church and showing how the New Testament house church avoids these problems. He also walks through the history of the church, showing how many of her most pivotal moments coincide with a house church-style congregation.
While I find Whitman’s case for the house church to be both accurate and compelling, I can’t help but feel that the problems with the modern church that he points out could be solved by the church without changing to an entirely different model. Furthermore, while the author does discuss the cultural advantages that the historical “house” had for cultivating a church within its walls, he does not address the corresponding disadvantages that the modern “house” has for housing a church. Put simply, since culture has changed and the modern “house” now looks and acts completely differently than the New Testament “house”, can the same model still apply now?
The most important way this book was helpful was that it forced me to think through my ecclesiology. For instance, it challenged the way I think about wise church planting. Whitman correctly points out that modern church planting usually takes years and a significant amount of finances upfront. Could this not be improved by first planting what would look like a New Testament house church, then evolving either into a modern Western church or a network of house churches, however the congregation sees fit?
While I find Whitman’s case for the house church to be both accurate and compelling, I can’t help but feel that the problems with the modern church that he points out could be solved by the church without changing to an entirely different model. Furthermore, while the author does discuss the cultural advantages that the historical “house” had for cultivating a church within its walls, he does not address the corresponding disadvantages that the modern “house” has for housing a church. Put simply, since culture has changed and the modern “house” now looks and acts completely differently than the New Testament “house”, can the same model still apply now?
The most important way this book was helpful was that it forced me to think through my ecclesiology. For instance, it challenged the way I think about wise church planting. Whitman correctly points out that modern church planting usually takes years and a significant amount of finances upfront. Could this not be improved by first planting what would look like a New Testament house church, then evolving either into a modern Western church or a network of house churches, however the congregation sees fit?
Displaying 1 of 1 review