Expert: Pastor Don Carpenter - 11/19/2007

Question
Hi Pastor Don,

Thank you for all the trouble you have taken to answer many of my questions. You have been very kind and generous in doing so.

I have heard a lot about house churches, where people meet together in someone's house and one of the people act as a minister. What is your feeling about such a church? It is a big movement in the United States.

Jesus said if two or more are gathered in his name then he is in their midst. So if 2 or more people meet, sing songs of praise, read the bible, give an esposition on the Bible, and then have a communion service, would that be okay? What is there in the Bible which says that something like this is okay or not okay?

When Paul established Churches in the Roman Empire they were all house churches and often times only had a few members, none of which were full time pastors in the early days. Makes me wonder where the tithe went in such cases.

-Josh

Answer
Hi Josh,

Thanks for this question.  Churches met both in houses and in other buildings in the New Testament.  Some pastors were suported by teh church, but some had to work other jobs as well.  It is the responsability of the church to suport their pastor if they can.

1 Timothy 5:17-18
17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. 18 For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.
The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

Double honor there means double pay.  Some churches that did not have a full time pastor would send their $ to help other churches during times of famine and political unrest.

I know of churches of various denominations that have church in a home because they cannot find a better or cheaper meeting place.  There is no Biblical problem with that.  There are however, some of these house churches that teach that there should not be a pastor and that one can lose his salvation.  I have a problem with these folks, not because they meet in a house, but because of their doctrine.

I hope that this helps.

In Christ
Pastor Don