Editor’s note: This article was written by an elderly Christian who is a regular member of a registered church in north China. Through his years of observation, it analyzes why some believers choose to meet in a house church, the type of church with Chinese characteristics.
The house church is called a family gathering. It is commonly known as “the meeting point” that some Christians regularly meet in a believer’s house, engaged in prayer, Bible reading, and other religious activities, according to the Dictionary of Christianity published by the Commercial Press in 2005. A small fixed religious group is formed without any explicit leader, but a convener spontaneously emerges in religious activities that last a certain time.
The house church is one of the characteristics of Chinese Christianity. Without legality, the group is not affiliated with CCC&TSPM. The family meeting point I know can accommodate 1,500 people at most. In some certain places, the number of house church congregations can exceed those of large TSPM churches. The house church is categorized into four types: one owned by or subordinate to the TSPM church, meeting points of different denominations, family gatherings, and heretical meeting points. We talk here about orthodox house churches, without regard to any heretical meetings.
Let’s analyze eight reasons why some believers choose to meet in house churches.
1. The house church presents strong affinity.
In urban areas, the house church is comprised of neighbors and community owners who are familiar with one another; in the countryside, the members are village members and even believers with ties of kinship.
With a family atmosphere, rural Christians meet at the convener’s private house or even on a heatable brick bed (kang) which is popular in northern China.
Compared to large, solemn registered churches that set many rules with strict management, the house church has a more relaxed style. After meetings, the congregation chats with each other, particularly among elderly women. As some churches offer free lunches, people cook, eat, and drink together. The home atmosphere adds intimacy, comfort, and happiness to those who lack family love.
2. The house church’s cell groups are attractive.
The house church forms neighbors and community residents in cities or villagers, fellow mountain residents, and subdistrict believers into several cell groups.
The biggest feature of the groups is the familiarity between members to such an extent that personal details such as where they live, how many family members they have, their health conditions, family incomes, and even about their children are transparent. If someone is absent from a meeting, the cell group leader will immediately know and respond to it. For example, one of my relatives used to gather in a registered church, but she lives alone with multiple kinds of diseases.
Without her child around her, she relies her daily life on the help of a believer who lives in the same community. If there is any problem with the plumbing, her cell group members come to repair it. A large church with thousands of people cannot do that.
3. The location is close to the homes of believers.
According to consumer psychology, people prefer to shop on the way or in close places.
A house church is in the vicinity of the neighborhood. Sometimes a home church sits only tens of meters away from believers’ families or up to a ten-minute ride. After casual talks, members arrive at their church. However, one has to take a bus to a remote large registered church; after church services, mass believers rush to the bus, which may disgust other passengers.
Particularly in the winter in north China, a Christian has to spend about one hour transferring to another bus on the way to his megachurch. If there is heavy snow causing traffic inconvenience, some believers will walk as much as more than two hours to their churches, let alone the possible risk of slips and the consent of their family members.
4. Unbinding from religious policies and laws, the house church is without restraint.
Free from the government administration and religious policies and laws, the house church is basically without restraint and can even do as it pleases. For example, regarding the baptism of seekers, the house church can immediately baptize anyone at their request without going through the formalities that take up a lot of time. While minors are forbidden to enter religious sites, some house churches can receive children since some believers have the duty of babysitting. If children are not permitted to enter the church, they would rather not go there.
The biggest problem is the suspension of in-person meetings in TSPM churches during the COVID-19 pandemic, but house meeting points have never ceased gathering. Some Christians who have formed a decades-long habit of going to church naturally move to house churches.
5. The house church has strong mutual help.
First of all, the house church offers mutual help in materials and funds among one another. Funding at a low cost is for daily necessities and disease treatment. Some house churches with foreign affiliations are sufficient with money.
Secondly, its members share reciprocal household chores. Believers can offer door-to-door cleaning services and daily supplies purchase for the elderly, sick, and disabled as well as babysitting for churchgoers at all times.
Thirdly, counseling, assistance, and stress relief about mental health and families can be given to congregations at any time. Some will even listen to nagging about domestic trivia and offer sympathy and comfort to one another. These kinds of mutual help and fraternity make believers feel at home.
6. Pastoral care may be unrefined but down-to-earth.
We should admit that most rural house churches offer “unrefined” pastoral care and even some pastors have never received any theological training. They preach very common words in sermons, and some interpret the Bible through human will or share chicken soup for the soul stuff. Knowing the specific situation of every member, house church pastors can preach down-to-earth and speak directly on the right topics based on the listener’s circumstances so that their words can be more readily received by them. Even some storytelling or chatting styles are popular among congregations. These preaching styles have an advantage over “formal speeches” by official churches.
7. Some house churches are made up of elites.
“Elite” house churches have two types. The first kind is formed by expatriates and returnee students, including leading intellectuals in different fields and many who have joined foreign denominations before returning to China. Back home, they hold bilingual services in Chinese and their foreign languages. Pastoring and maintaining the church by themselves, those congregations do not absorb members as readily. They gather at a place with good surroundings and preach sermons systematically. On festivals like Christmas, they would come to official churches. Those churches are pleased to take in young and mid-aged intellectuals and some TSPM churches introduce some members into their churches.
The second type is composed of businesspeople. Bosses and entrepreneurs gather in a distinct way: tea parties, exchange meetings, treating one another to big meals in turns at noon, or formal services in a small church. This type of group is called “business fellowships” or “entrepreneurship fellowships”.
8. There is little power or interest struggle in rural house churches.
There is no power organization such as a church administrative board or deacon board nor the position of senior pastor, president of the local Christian council, or chairman of TSPM in a rural house church. As a result, there is little power or interest struggle. What’s more, the convener has the spirit of self-devotion.
An old sister who runs a business purchased four commercial apartments in a first-tier city for the meeting place. She never accepts any offering from Christians. This avoids corruption and scheme against each other.
One of the best examples of how a registered church deals with unregistered is Beihai Church in Guangxi Province. The megachurch is not in charge of its subordinate family meeting site which is responsible for its finance by itself. It solves the greatest obstacle of an underground church affiliated with an official church.
Can we absorb the virtue and resist the dark side of the Chinese church to preach the gospel, including forming the “united front” of the house church and the meeting point?
May God bless us and be with us!
- Translated by Karen Luo
家庭教会也称家庭聚会。“俗称‘聚会点’，指一部分基督徒因经常聚集在其中某一个教徒的家中，从事祈祷研读《圣经》及其他宗教活动而形成的较为固定的宗教小团体，它没有明确的领导人，但在一定时间的宗教活动中，自发地产生一个召集人。”（商务印书馆：《基督教词典》修订版第238页）家庭教会是中国基督教的一个特色之一，而且这个群体有的甚至不亚于有合法手续的、隶属于基督教两会的教会。我所知道的家庭聚会点，最多的达到1,500人左右，个别的地方甚至家庭教会的人数比有合法手续的“大教会”还要强一些。
家庭教会大致分为四种类型：隶属于基督教两会的，也叫作“以堂带点”；基督教不同宗派的聚会点；家族式的聚会点；异端的聚会点。我们今天主要说还算是“正常”的家庭教会，不讨论具有异端性质的聚会点。
教会（Church）并不是指建筑物或教派机构，而是指相信耶稣基督，委身于他的信仰团体。按照希腊文的字义，教会是被呼召出来的一群人，他们为了共同的目的，聚集在一起。在新约里，教会有时指某一城市所有的信徒，有时则指整个基督徒团体。（参见中国基督教两会：《圣经简明词典》）
那么，我们不可否认，家庭教会也是教会。我们今天从八个方面来分析为什么我们有的信徒，喜欢到家庭教会、聚会点去聚会。
第一，家庭教会亲和力比较强.
家庭教会在城镇一般都是街坊邻居、小区业主，“低头不见抬头见”，大家比较都熟悉的人；在乡村，则是乡里乡亲的，甚至是有亲属关系的信徒。这样的家庭教会比起几千人的“大教会”来说，非常比较有亲和力。因为大家都比较熟，或者是互相引荐的人，也是有比较密切的关系，有一种亲切感、贴紧感，而且家庭教会的氛围也比较好，一般都是在召集人的家庭里，农村甚至就是在炕头上。比较起“大教会”那种庄严肃穆、甚至是传道人高高在上，不好接近、教会规矩较多，管理严格，家庭教会虽有制度，也是比较随和，甚至聚会之后，就是弟兄姊妹，特别是老姊妹互相聊天的时间。有的中午还有免费的午餐，大家一起高兴的做饭菜、吃喝，其乐融融。这些对于那些缺少家庭关爱、缺少子女关怀的弟兄姊妹来说，家庭教会的这种“家”的氛围他们感觉到很贴心、很舒服、很开心。
第二、家庭教会细胞小组比较吸引人.
细胞小组是一种形容，实际就是借鉴以生物学中的繁殖，感染和再造等方法，展开信仰活动的一种最小的组织形式，一般是在十人左右，大的细胞小组有的是五、六十人。这种牧养方式，在一些“大教会”也有，有的叫做小组、有的叫做“小禾场”等。而家庭教会在这方面做的更为细致和周到。他们会把楼上楼下、小区里的弟兄姊妹，或农村乡镇一个村里的人、一个山沟里的信徒、一个行政村组的信徒组织成若干个细胞小组。这种细胞小组的最大特点就是细胞小组里的信徒之间熟，“甚至熟到你在哪里住？第几个楼门？家里门从哪面开？家里有多少人、你的身体状况，包括有什么病，你的家庭收入、你的子女情况等等都非常清楚。这样便于召集人或聚会点的负责人掌握，大家形成互相帮助、互相爱护。如果有人不来聚会，细胞小组马上就会知道，并且快速做出反应。
比如我们的一个亲属本来就是在“大教会”，但是她有多种疾病，孩子也不在身边，就是一个人。有病，靠一个单元的肢体帮助、买菜，靠肢体帮助，家里自来水什么的有问题也要细胞小组的肢体来帮助维修，总之，她离不开家庭教会，如果离开了就担心没有人来帮助她、关心她。因为这些是我们拥有数千人的“大教会”无法做到的。
第三，家庭教会的距离信徒比较近，方便聚会.
在消费心理学有一种“就近消费心理”，就是人们喜欢到顺路、距离近的地方去消费。家庭教会解决了这方面的问题，尤其是一个家庭教会距离信徒的家，少则几十米米，多则十分钟八分钟的路程，聚会的时候大家说说笑笑就到了。而到“大教会”一般路途比较远，需要挤公交车，特别是聚会结束后，会出现大量信徒蜂拥而至上公交车的现象，还引起不信主乘客的反感。尤其是北方的冬季，天寒地冻，如果遇到下大雪的时候，一个信徒平时到“大教会”聚会，有的需要倒两段车约一个小时，如果下大雪，车不通，有的信徒则走了两个多小时才到教会，而且有滑倒的风险，家里人也不同意。
第四，家庭教会是游离于宗教政策法规之外，几乎是没有约束。
那些游离于政府宗教部门管理之外，游离于宗教政策法规之外的家庭教会，却是基本不受限制甚至是比较随便。比如慕道友受洗，家庭教会没有诸多的手续和较长的时间，甚至是有要求即可受洗。还有未成年人进入宗教场所的限制，一些家庭教会就是可以带孩子，因为有的信徒的“任务”就是带孩子，如果受限制，他们就不去了。
最大的问题就是疫情期间，各大教会“双暂停”，线下实地聚会不可以了。而恰恰相反的是，这些家庭聚会点有的压根也没有停止聚会。有的信徒不甘心、或已经形成了十几年、几十年的习惯，到教会去聚会。如果“大教会”不能聚会，那些家庭聚会点伸出“橄榄枝”，他们自然就到家庭教会去了。
第五家庭教会互助性比较强。
家庭教会的互助性，比起“大教会”有些优势主要体现在以下三个方面：
一是能够提供物资和资金方面的互助，而且门槛低，包括柴米油盐和因病需要资金。一些有境外背景的所谓家庭教会，在资金方面更是非常充足。
二是，能够提供家务方面的互助。比如上门帮助老弱病残打扫家庭卫生，购买家庭所需要的物资，帮助到聚会点来聚会的带小孩子等等，而且是随时随地的互助。
三是，能够随时提供信徒心灵和家庭、家事方面的咨询、帮助、解忧等，有的甚至是倾听家庭琐事的唠叨，给与抚慰和安慰。
这些互助、帮助使信徒感觉到真的是在家里一样，很乐意到家庭教会来。
第六，家庭教会的牧养虽然“土”，但接地气。
我们应该承认，大多数农村（传统）的家庭教会确实在牧养方面素质不是太高，还有些“土”，有的传道人甚至连起码的神学基础都没有。讲道也是一些普通的话，有的是以人意解经，再就是心灵鸡汤一类的东西，但是就是这样，也是受欢迎的。特别是家庭教会的传道人，他们了解每个信徒的情况，会结合每个信徒的情况来讲道，就是有针对性的说到信徒的实际和心里、接地气，使信徒能够接受。甚至是像讲故事一样把信徒身边的事情讲出来，有的像聊天一样。但是就是这种讲道的方式，比起大教会的那种台上的人侃侃而谈，有一定的优势。
第七，有的家庭教会不乏精英，是特定的一群人的聚会点。
有的家庭教会和聚会点，也是有精英的，主要是两种类型。
一是海外归侨、海外归来的学子，他们当中了有的是高级知识分子，很多人是在国外就已经加入了基督教不同的宗派组织，但是确实也是基督徒。归国之后，他们又聚集在一起，有的外语与汉语的双语聚会。他们属于那种自牧自养的类型，不是随意吸收信徒的。聚会场所比较好、环境好，没有那种嘈杂的环境，讲道也是比较“与众不同”，有的只是在圣诞节到“大教会”。也有的这类家庭教会乐意吸收“大教会”过来的具有一定知识的中青年人，一些“大教会”的人甚至会拉自己熟悉的人到他们的聚会点来。
二是商界的人士。他们是一些大老板、小老板，具有一定的经济实力，聚会方式也“与众不同”：有的是茶话会的方式、有的事互动式的方式，当然也有的是在一个小教堂里很正规的聚会；有的中午还互相轮流请吃大餐。这个群体在有的“大教会”被称为“工商界团契”或“企业家团契”。
这也是一些“特定”的信徒从“大教会”消失的一个原因。
第八，家庭教会相对来说比较和谐和睦。
由于农村家庭教会的特殊情况，在这里基本上没有什么权力之争和利益之争。比如没有堂委会、没有执事会等权力组织，也没有主任牧师，更没有人争个什么两会的主席，会长等职务，大多数也没有诗班之类的团契。这样就基本上没有了纷争。
而且有的农村家庭教会召集人本身确实有一种奉献精神。我知道的一位老姊妹是做生意的，她在一线城市买了四间商品房，作为家庭聚会点的活动场所，而且不收信徒的任何奉献款。这就避免了因为金钱、物质方面的贪腐，在其它个别教会存在的勾心斗角。
对待家庭教会和聚会点，笔者所接触的、做得比较好的是广西壮族自治区北海市基督教堂。他们的做法中国基督教两会杂志《天风》有经验介绍。我所了解的其中最主要的一条就是包容，然后是对家庭教会和聚会点最关心的财务问题即资金，他们是不统管的，由家庭教会或聚会点，自主管理、自主支配。这样。就解除了“以堂带点”的一个最大障碍。
为福音的广传、为教会的兴盛，我们是否应该取其精华、弃其糟粕，合一的组成基督教个宗派，包括对家庭教会和聚会点的“统一战线”呢？
以上是笔者的管见，个人观点，仅供参考。
愿上帝赐福与我们同在！
为什么有的信徒乐意到家庭教会？
Editor’s note: This article was written by an elderly Christian who is a regular member of a registered church in north China. Through his years of observation, it analyzes why some believers choose to meet in a house church, the type of church with Chinese characteristics.
The house church is called a family gathering. It is commonly known as “the meeting point” that some Christians regularly meet in a believer’s house, engaged in prayer, Bible reading, and other religious activities, according to the Dictionary of Christianity published by the Commercial Press in 2005. A small fixed religious group is formed without any explicit leader, but a convener spontaneously emerges in religious activities that last a certain time.
The house church is one of the characteristics of Chinese Christianity. Without legality, the group is not affiliated with CCC&TSPM. The family meeting point I know can accommodate 1,500 people at most. In some certain places, the number of house church congregations can exceed those of large TSPM churches. The house church is categorized into four types: one owned by or subordinate to the TSPM church, meeting points of different denominations, family gatherings, and heretical meeting points. We talk here about orthodox house churches, without regard to any heretical meetings.
Let’s analyze eight reasons why some believers choose to meet in house churches.
1. The house church presents strong affinity.
In urban areas, the house church is comprised of neighbors and community owners who are familiar with one another; in the countryside, the members are village members and even believers with ties of kinship.
With a family atmosphere, rural Christians meet at the convener’s private house or even on a heatable brick bed (kang) which is popular in northern China.
Compared to large, solemn registered churches that set many rules with strict management, the house church has a more relaxed style. After meetings, the congregation chats with each other, particularly among elderly women. As some churches offer free lunches, people cook, eat, and drink together. The home atmosphere adds intimacy, comfort, and happiness to those who lack family love.
2. The house church’s cell groups are attractive.
The house church forms neighbors and community residents in cities or villagers, fellow mountain residents, and subdistrict believers into several cell groups.
The biggest feature of the groups is the familiarity between members to such an extent that personal details such as where they live, how many family members they have, their health conditions, family incomes, and even about their children are transparent. If someone is absent from a meeting, the cell group leader will immediately know and respond to it. For example, one of my relatives used to gather in a registered church, but she lives alone with multiple kinds of diseases.
Without her child around her, she relies her daily life on the help of a believer who lives in the same community. If there is any problem with the plumbing, her cell group members come to repair it. A large church with thousands of people cannot do that.
3. The location is close to the homes of believers.
According to consumer psychology, people prefer to shop on the way or in close places.
A house church is in the vicinity of the neighborhood. Sometimes a home church sits only tens of meters away from believers’ families or up to a ten-minute ride. After casual talks, members arrive at their church. However, one has to take a bus to a remote large registered church; after church services, mass believers rush to the bus, which may disgust other passengers.
Particularly in the winter in north China, a Christian has to spend about one hour transferring to another bus on the way to his megachurch. If there is heavy snow causing traffic inconvenience, some believers will walk as much as more than two hours to their churches, let alone the possible risk of slips and the consent of their family members.
4. Unbinding from religious policies and laws, the house church is without restraint.
Free from the government administration and religious policies and laws, the house church is basically without restraint and can even do as it pleases. For example, regarding the baptism of seekers, the house church can immediately baptize anyone at their request without going through the formalities that take up a lot of time. While minors are forbidden to enter religious sites, some house churches can receive children since some believers have the duty of babysitting. If children are not permitted to enter the church, they would rather not go there.
The biggest problem is the suspension of in-person meetings in TSPM churches during the COVID-19 pandemic, but house meeting points have never ceased gathering. Some Christians who have formed a decades-long habit of going to church naturally move to house churches.
5. The house church has strong mutual help.
First of all, the house church offers mutual help in materials and funds among one another. Funding at a low cost is for daily necessities and disease treatment. Some house churches with foreign affiliations are sufficient with money.
Secondly, its members share reciprocal household chores. Believers can offer door-to-door cleaning services and daily supplies purchase for the elderly, sick, and disabled as well as babysitting for churchgoers at all times.
Thirdly, counseling, assistance, and stress relief about mental health and families can be given to congregations at any time. Some will even listen to nagging about domestic trivia and offer sympathy and comfort to one another. These kinds of mutual help and fraternity make believers feel at home.
6. Pastoral care may be unrefined but down-to-earth.
We should admit that most rural house churches offer “unrefined” pastoral care and even some pastors have never received any theological training. They preach very common words in sermons, and some interpret the Bible through human will or share chicken soup for the soul stuff. Knowing the specific situation of every member, house church pastors can preach down-to-earth and speak directly on the right topics based on the listener’s circumstances so that their words can be more readily received by them. Even some storytelling or chatting styles are popular among congregations. These preaching styles have an advantage over “formal speeches” by official churches.
7. Some house churches are made up of elites.
“Elite” house churches have two types. The first kind is formed by expatriates and returnee students, including leading intellectuals in different fields and many who have joined foreign denominations before returning to China. Back home, they hold bilingual services in Chinese and their foreign languages. Pastoring and maintaining the church by themselves, those congregations do not absorb members as readily. They gather at a place with good surroundings and preach sermons systematically. On festivals like Christmas, they would come to official churches. Those churches are pleased to take in young and mid-aged intellectuals and some TSPM churches introduce some members into their churches.
The second type is composed of businesspeople. Bosses and entrepreneurs gather in a distinct way: tea parties, exchange meetings, treating one another to big meals in turns at noon, or formal services in a small church. This type of group is called “business fellowships” or “entrepreneurship fellowships”.
8. There is little power or interest struggle in rural house churches.
There is no power organization such as a church administrative board or deacon board nor the position of senior pastor, president of the local Christian council, or chairman of TSPM in a rural house church. As a result, there is little power or interest struggle. What’s more, the convener has the spirit of self-devotion.
An old sister who runs a business purchased four commercial apartments in a first-tier city for the meeting place. She never accepts any offering from Christians. This avoids corruption and scheme against each other.
One of the best examples of how a registered church deals with unregistered is Beihai Church in Guangxi Province. The megachurch is not in charge of its subordinate family meeting site which is responsible for its finance by itself. It solves the greatest obstacle of an underground church affiliated with an official church.
Can we absorb the virtue and resist the dark side of the Chinese church to preach the gospel, including forming the “united front” of the house church and the meeting point?
May God bless us and be with us!
- Translated by Karen Luo
Why Do Some Believers Choose House Church?
