Church at the Table

There are many reasons that motivate people to start a micro or house church. For us, there are a few core elements that drive us.

1. It’s Biblical – This is not to say it’s the only model that should be done. However, when the church of the New Testament is studied, you quickly realize the majority of churches did not meet in buildings, but rather in people’s homes. It was not until many centuries later that a building became the major place where a church met.
2. Finances – The majority of New Testament verses discussing giving focus on giving to the poor and needy. Sadly, due to operational costs of a building, only a small fraction of the average church's budget actually goes towards helping the poor, the needy, or missions. In the early church, this was not the case. Churches met in homes, which cost nothing. As a result, the tithes and offerings went toward freeing slaves, raising abandoned babies, and feeding the poor. We don't pass a plate or take up an offering in our church, but rather encourage our people to give to the poor, the needy, or missions in ways they believe the Holy Spirit is leading them.
3. Community is Built In – Getting to know people takes time and communication. The New Testament church did this by regularly sharing meals (the Lord’s Supper) together. Meeting in houses enables us to incorporate meals into every church gathering. Before or after every service, we have a meal together as a church to dine together and connect. This provides a setting for relationships to naturally occur. In those naturally occurring relationships, we experience the church caring for one another and building relationships outside of the once-weekly worship gathering.
4. Highly Reproducible – The average church plant today requires hundreds of thousands of dollars to plant a single church for the first few years. Is that really necessary? The entry criteria for planting a church can be as simple as an individual with a calling from God and an area or home to meet. Think of house churches as the AirBnB version of the hotel industry. It lowers the overhead and enables more people to feel able to plant a church.
5. Empowers People to Use Their Gifts – The large church model usually has 2 people use their gifts during a Sunday service: the pastor and the worship leader. In smaller house church settings, we don’t aim for “a flawless service” that only allows highly experienced people to participate. Instead, we aim to provide opportunities for younger people in the faith and our special needs friends to contribute and to be equipped in their ministry. A smaller setting is really what is needed to allow people to use their gifts, as Paul directs in 1st Corinthians 14:26. This helps create an atmosphere where church leaders can equip the church to do the work of the ministry, as commanded in Ephesians 4:11-13. A biblical leader should be developing new leaders and sending them out rather than gathering more and more people under them (see 2nd Timothy 2:2). Our "Table Church" model is focused on long-term leader development and replication. We have come to believe that "slow and steady wins the race" in church leadership development, as in so many other areas of life and growth.