"House Churches are More Satisfying to Attenders Than Conventional Churches". This is the title of an article released today by George Barna. Not really news for those of us doing this for a while, but its always good to see the larger picture.
George has statistics of exactly how SATISFYING these people felt which, to be honest, is not a question that i ask of people nor of myself. Really . . . who goes to church to feel satisfied??? Where is Slice when we need them??? We like house churches because everyone is able to share their gift in an environment conducive to sharing gifts, connecting with God, eating with each other, and taking time to pray and connect with each other and our neighbors. And while its true that living-room carpet is more comfortable that a wooden pew, lets not turn the house church movement into a consumers paradise.
From My Gripes About House Church, Andrew Jones, 2002
What I found most interesting about Barna's info was the newness of the movement. I posted recently that house churches had gone from 1% to 9%. But now Barna tells us more:
"The rapid growth in house church activity is evident in the fact that half of the people (54%) currently engaged in an independent home fellowship have been participating for less than three months. In total, three out of every four house church participants (75%) have been active in their current gathering for a year or less. One out of every five adults has been in their house church for three years or more." Barna
And in case you were wondering about how our mapping the house church scene and putting up a decent web resource is coming along .. . well . . it is still coming along. I am putting something together with Joomla and Richard is working on other site. But it is coming along. Thanks to those of you who are emailing us to let us know about your house church and missional cells. Like Cathryn this morning, who not only sent me news of Barna's research but is also starting a house church of sorts. Hi Cathryn!!
Related: Tiny is the New Small
Also: Brian Orme interviewed George Barna a few weeks ago.
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