Microchurches

What is a microchurch?

A microchurch is the most basic expression of the church -- a small family of typically geographically proximate disciples of Jesus who have covenanted to live life together (Acts 2:42-47) in order to worship the LORD (gathered and scattered), to embody authentic, transformational Christian community, and to pursue the missio Dei, the establishment of the Kingdom of God in their neighborhoods, in fulfillment of the Great Commission (i.e., to make disciples who make disciples, among all nations).  In other words, microchurches are about Worship, Transformation, Community, and Mission.  

While microchurches certainly gather together regularly in obedience to Scripture (Heb 10:25) for liturgies of worship, edification, partaking of the sacraments, and ministry to one another's needs under the oversight of biblically qualified elders (generally, but not necessarily in homes), for microchurches the "Sunday service" isn't the main event.  The main event is communal life together, a life of perpetual, worship, prayer, service, and shared mission - being formed together in Christ, in and through all of life's rhythms (Rom 12:1-2; 1 Cor 10:31), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days per year.   Microchurches are interconnected and networked together with other geographically proximate microchurches in an area (we call these "hubs"), and gather together semi-regularly (perhaps monthly or quarterly) to worship the LORD, to share and to rejoice in the work God is doing through His body, to share resources, and to intercede on behalf of the geographical areas represented, to whom God has called those present to minister (Acts 17:26).  Microchurches fulfill all of the typical functions of what we in the West have begun to see as "regular church" (though arguably, historically and globally speaking, microchurches have been/are more the norm) -- liturgy, worship, sacraments, preaching/teaching, prayer, singing, giving, evangelism, discipleship, etc., though they are typically much more effective at actually making disciples of Jesus in obedience to the Great Commission, which can only truly happen in the context of intimate, Christ-centered community.

Why microchurches? 

Though most of Christianity through the ages has agreed on the basic content of the Great Commission, that Christ's followers are to MAKE DISCIPLES of all nations, baptizing them in the triune name and teaching them to obey all of His commands, recent research suggests that the Western church, particularly as it has generally grown larger and more consumer driven in recent decades (i.e., the church growth, megachurch movement), has done and continues to do a very, very poor job of this.  The experience of countless believers, pastors, laypeople, believers, unbelievers, and ex-believers sadly testifies in agreement.  This is not to say that large churches are inherently evil, or that there is only one legitimate form church life can take -- but it is to take seriously that the forms we adopt and the structures we establish are not neutral, but deeply impact everything with regard to our spiritual formation -- the medium is the message, so to speak.  This is simply unavoidable.  It is virtually impossible that we should expect to see people being deeply formed into the image of Christ, growing in manifesting His power and presence, His character and mission, ready to suffer and even to die for His sake and for the sake of His gospel, as we invite thousands to sit passively consuming spiritual goods in comfortable theater seating, not even knowing much less loving one another, having every felt need and desire for comfort met in a setting designed to look and to feel more like a shopping mall or a trendy burrito joint than a training center for martyrs and revolutionaries. 

Following the lead of the early church as described in the book of Acts, and with a view toward the examples of our brothers and sisters in the majority world, the movement of microchurch planting we are beginning to see take root in the West is an attempt to get back to basics, to focus on what really matters, and to be better stewards of our lives, money, and resources.  While for many, the idea of a "microchurch" or a "house church" sounds radical -- even quite strange -- there are many advantages to such a form and structure, which we would say align more closely with the heart of Jesus.

1. Authenticity vs. Anonymity: While it is quite easy to slip in and out of a church of hundreds or thousands, without ever truly being known by either the leadership or the community in general, in the context of a microchurch this is virtually impossible -- every one is known, and in being known every one can be truly loved, prayed for, ministered to, shepherded, held accountable, etc. It should be obvious, but unfortunately in our day it needs to be said: it is virtually impossible to disciple someone who you do not know, or to meet the spiritual needs of a virtual, anonymous flock.  If we are to make disciples who make disciples, we simply must know and be known.  Microchurches are structured in such a way as to make this unavoidable. 

2. Community vs. Sunday Performance: Related to the former, the ethos of the microchurch revolves not around pulling off the big Sunday show/performance (i.e., sound, lights, fog, band, video clips, polished oratory with just the right balance of humor, inspiration, and emotional appeal - and which also happens to take up the majority of all of the time and energy of the pastors and staff just to pull off every week, making it extremely difficult, if not impossible to spend much time shepherding people, not to mention building meaningful relationships with unbelievers), but on being a family that truly lives a Christ-centered life authentically and together in proximity.  Worshiping together through the mundane rhythms of life, bearing one another's burdens, celebrating together, playing together, serving together, watching each other's kids and helping to weed each other's gardens.  We are not trying to pull off an "excellent" weekly "service," "event," or "worship experience" that more and more feels curated, phony, and deeply disconnected from real life for growing numbers of us. Rather we are trying to abide in Christ in the midst of real life, together, warts and all, being formed by Him together in true community.

3. Participation vs. Passive Consumption: The structure of microchurch virtually requires every member of Christ's body to use their gifts for the building up of the community (1 Cor 12:1-31, 14:26; Eph 4:7-16).  Rather than the majority of God's people sitting passively in padded chairs sipping coffee while a very few, "gifted" people do all the talking and leading and the rest of us consume and critique (i.e., "How did you like the worship today?" "What did you think of the sermon?" "Maybe we should try that new church down the road sometime... I hear they have a great band!"), in a microchurch everyone must take responsibility, must use their gifts, must contribute, must lead in accordance with what each has been given, or else "church" simply doesn't happen.  While other church environments tend to encourage the passive consumption of spiritual goods, by design microchurches must take seriously and deploy the priesthood of all believers.  According to Scripture, the church only grows into maturity "as each part does its work" (Eph 4:16), we simply cannot become mature disciples of Christ equipped to disciple others by sitting in a theater seat watching/paying others to do ministry (or rather to perform for our enjoyment/consumption). 

4. Contextualization vs. McChurch: The form and structure of microchurch by design is deeply contextual to its core.  As it is made up of the people who are in the room, rooted in the specific context of a neighborhood, by design it must pay careful attention to the immediate context it exits within in order to effectively serve others in proximity and to translate the good news in intelligible ways for one's neighbors.  This is in contrast to the prevailing model, which tends to adapt by necessity a large scale, generic, shopping mall meets Starbucks/MacDonalds ethos and design, attempting to witness to, preach to, and disciple a relatively unknown, non-descript mass of people (i.e., target demographic), who simply cannot be known at any depth or reached in any specific, contextualized way.  While many churches have adapted a very consumer driven, attractional, "target demographic" based ministry, microchurch is deeply incarnational and deeply missional, and therefore deeply contextual.  We are able to be nimble and to adapt quickly as our surroundings and contexts change (which they do!) and to reach out to specific people, with specific stories, hurts, joys, and needs, rather than somewhat blindly aiming our ministries at disembodied "target audiences." Just as Jesus took on flesh and dwelt among us, so we are to take on flesh and to dwell among those to whom we are called to minister -- knowing them by name, looking into their eyes and speaking directly to them, laying hands on them, washing their feet, binding up their wounds -- "As the Father sent me, so I am sending you" (Jn 20:21). 

5. Kingdom Stewardship vs. Maintaining Monstrosities: By design microchurches are extremely low in overhead, requiring no debt, no budget, no salaries, no building -- none of the things that tend to suck up a majority of the energy, time, and financial resources of most typical, Western churches.  This being the case, microchurches are able to funnel basically 100% of their time, energy and resources toward discipleship and mission, and have virtually no need for endless meetings, endless administration, endless decision making about things that have no Kingdom impact and therefore no true significance.  Additionally, as microchurches by design are completely focused on discipleship and mission, there is not time or space for conflicts about the color of carpets, the look of the new sign out front, or any of the other time wasters and energy suckers that tend to dominate most board and congregational meetings.  We now have time to plan and to conspire together how to best bear witness to the gospel together in our neighborhoods, rather than trying to figure out if we have enough volunteers for our weekly doughnut and coffee fellowship hour. Can you imagine the Kingdom impact if billions of dollars and thousands of hours were reallocated from the upkeep of buildings, interest on pointless debt, and the maintaining of needless budgets and volunteer schedules -- how many missionaries could be sent, how many of the poor could be clothed, housed, and fed, how many hospitals, art camps, retreat centers, micro finance industries, employment opportunities, Christ-honoring businesses, etc. could be established in the name of Jesus?  Just perhaps if God's people were to reorient their "stewardship" priorities with a Kingdom mindset, rather than simply trying to maintain our unnecessarily unwieldy monuments and kingdoms unto ourselves and primarily for our own comfort/entertainment, etc., His Kingdom just might come and His will might just be done on earth as in heaven, and perhaps the Great Commission just might be completed in our lifetime.  

6. Large and Small: Lastly, microchurches, when networked together with other like-minded brothers and sisters in geographic proximity, have the advantage of being able to benefit from both the intimacy and incarnational contextualization of smaller church settings, as well the ability to share in and to benefit from the vast and diverse people resources of the greater, larger church without needing to sacrifice either.  Scripture tells us that we are a part of one large, global, body of Christ, that spans the globe through ages beyond our own.  At the same time, we are incarnated beings, limited by our creaturely boundaries and human capacities, who can only be in one place at one time.  Microchurch allows us to receive the gift and grace of both of these realities, to the glory of God and for establishment of His Kingdom in fulfillment of His Great Commission, on earth as in heaven.  Amen.