Looking for a house church in Brisbane, Ipswich, the Sunshine Coast or kingaroy-Murgon?

We are a church that is committed to equipping believers and reaching the unchurched through small home based churches.

Home churches meet weekly, with corporate celebrations on an average of once a month.A team of equipping leaders also work to train and
release believers into their full potential through our School of Ministry.

A home church consists of small groups of 8-12 Christians who meet for the purpose of edification, evangelism and pastoral care.

The principle of the home church is as old as the Bible itself.  It was in homes that the early Christians met to worship. (Rom. 16:5, 1 Cor. 16:19, Col.
4:15, Philemon 2).  The temple courts provided believers with a public witness but the love and care for each other was worked out in the home.

“Every day they continued to meet in the temple courts.  They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.”  (Acts 2:46)
                                                             
The apostle Paul’s ministry was both “public” and “house to house”. (Acts 20:20).
John Wesley, founder of the Methodist church, used meetings of twelve to disciple. “No circuit,” he said “ever did or ever will flourish unless there
are small groups in the large society.”

Martin Luther said, “Those who want to be Christians in earnest and who profess the gospel with hand and mouth, should sign their names and
meet alone in a house somewhere, to pray, to baptize, to receive the sacrament and to do other Christian works."

WHERE IS “CHURCH”?

Some people ask the question “Is the meeting in the home the church, or is it when they congregate together”?

Many people have become aware that “the church” is not the building,but rather the people of God gathered together.However,some have yet to
realize that the “church” is not restricted to a particular style or number of people.

Howard Snyder in his book “The Problem of Wine Skins” says the term church refers to “the people of God whenever, however or wherever they
meet together.”

The Bible shows us that groupings of “the people of God” occurred in numbers large and small.Moses appointed rulers over thousands, hundreds,
fifties and tens.  Families, clans and tribes were the basic social structure.

The instruction of the commandments would have been carried out in the family.Great gatherings of all “the people of God” were carried out a few
times a year at their feasts.

Jesus taught thousands at a time but His optimum number for His equipping ministry was twelve.Within His small group He had a closer
association with three.

We are told; “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there in the midst of them.”  (Matt. 18:20).

This is obviously one form of the “people of God” or “church” gathering together.

Next,we can then have a few families of the church gathering together in a neighbourhood home.  Hundreds of “the people of God” or “church” of a
suburb or district may meet together in a hall.  Following on, we can identify “the church” of a city or town, such as Brisbane or Tamworth, as each
grouping is a part of the church of Australia.  Finally of course, these are part of the entire church or people of God worldwide.

We can see that the term “church” cannot exclusively be used for the name of a local congregation but, as Howard Snyder puts it, they are “the
people of God, whenever, however or wherever they meet together.”


THE PURPOSE OF “CHURCH” GATHERINGS.

Why do we need all these different gatherings of the church?

The purpose of the gatherings will determine the number of people meeting.  Where intimacy, personal sharing and support are the primary focus,
the numbers need to be small.  Where teaching, proclamation, preaching and public expression of worship are the focus, the numbers will be larger
and could range up to thousands.

PERSONAL

2-3                           

Intimate personal sharing.

Can be the family or bonded friends.


NEIGHBORHOOD

Open sharing of life’s challenges and

successes.

Mutual care and personal support.

Practice of gifts of ministry.

Spontaneity.

Preferably all ages.

Praise, Communion.

Evangelism.

Equipping.


CONGREGATION & COMMUNITY.


Public declaration and celebration.
Teaching.
Hundreds.
Provides local identity.
Allows cell churches to see themselves as part of greater group.
Greater exposure to body ministries.


REGIONAL.

Thousands.

Campaigns; Rallies for the
denominational groups and entire body of Christ in a large city or region.


NATIONAL.

Public declaration of unity and solidarity.