So you wanna start a house church?

Don’t!

In Matthew 16, Jesus said that He would build His church …

Not us.

Instead, in Matthew 28, He said we are to go and make disciples.

Yet we keep trying to do it backwards, and wonder why neither works.

The simple fact of the matter is that the New Testament never commands us to go and make churches – whether in a living room or in a dedicated building adorned with a cross.

Lately, I’ve been coming to understand the importance of that distinction between making disciples and making churches.

Looking back on my own experiences, every simple participatory church that has emerged among us where I live arose from effective discipleship.

In contrast, institutional churches typically start with “church” and hope that effective discipleship will follow.

It almost never does.

As a result, many have asked me how to start a simple participatory church where they live.

But that’s the wrong question.

The right question is this:

How do we build up one another to become disciples together?

In God’s providence, we can’t get to “ be the church” the way the New Testament commands it …

If we neglect to make and be disciples first.

Consider this:

Most of us aren’t called to apostolically go and make disciples in far away lands.

Instead, we’re called to go and simply make disciples one with another in our own communities.

How?

By going and connecting with others where we live – in living rooms, workplaces, coffee houses, or other places where life and relationships naturally happen.

As we do that, however, the New Testament doesn’t say that our focus should be on starting or building up a church …

But on building up one another.

Big difference!

Fortunately, the New Testament repeatedly tells us how to do this:

By gathering together for ministry one to another – out of the diverse gifts and abilities God distributes among us – so we all grow into mature disciples together.

So go and gather with others, even if it’s with only two or three to start …

Not to make a church, but to mutually encourage each other to become better disciples together.

Simple, right?

If we do that and it’s God’s will for us to progress further, in my experience we can trust Christ to begin building us into a fully functioning local church …

And we’ll increasingly become a diverse, multi-gifted, multi-part, multi-functional expression of the Body of Christ – which is able to demonstrate and represent the fullness of Christ – in our own locale.

If we let Him, He will add the right people, with the right gifts …

And the right functions, with the right focus …

Along with the right interconnections, one with another …

When and how He deems appropriate.

If we do it backwards, however, and assume the role of building His church rather than mutually building up each other …

We will end up with just another “church” that’s built around – and focused on – our own vision, concepts, motives, and abilities.

Because here’s the thing:

Every healthy, simple participatory church I’ve seen emerge among us where I live looks very different than every other …

Because Christ expresses Himself differently in different people, settings, communities, and cultures.

Yup, the core precepts are the same, but how they are expressed varies greatly.

Ignoring this reality by promoting your cookie-cutter “simple” or “micro” church organizational masterplan on those seeking authentic faith and fellowship …

Is doomed to ultimately fail.

Oh, it will grow rapidly at first, but then it will bump up against your own limits and eventually wither away.

During my nearly 60 years of walking with the Lord, I’ve seen it time and again.

That’s because your concepts of what to do when you gather, and how to do them in order to be a “church,” are just that …

Your concepts.

That’s why our purpose in gathering isn’t to follow some script about how, when and whether to worship, pray, study Scripture, share communion, or anything else.

Our only focus is learning how to mutual build up each other in the Lord.

Of course, that means there will be times when we sing God’s praises together, pray together, study God’s Word together, and share the Lord’s Supper together …

Not as our primary focus, but simply as needed under the leading of the Holy Spirit to build up one another.

And there also will be times when we set those aside to alternately focus on transparently talking and relating and laughing and weeping and sharing our joys and burdens together, one with another.

Because that’s also how we build up each other in the Lord.

So throw away your blueprint on how to be the church and focus instead on discipleship by building up one another …

Nothing more, nothing less.

And let Christ worry about the rest.

Do that, and He will start knitting you up together as His functional church where you live …

But His way, not yours.