What's this House Church thing?

House church stands at the center of everything we do at Steamtown. It is the hub around which the wheel spins. Every function of the church- teaching, worship, ministry, evangelism-happens in this setting. Other expressions of the church reinforce and build on this foundation. Weekly corporate gatherings (i.e. Sunday morning worship) promote unity and excitement, as the church worships and celebrates the resurrection together. During these gatherings, the elders cast a vision for the church and preserve the Apostolic faith. Corporate prayer gatherings allow for the body to dive to deeper places of intimacy and intercession for the church in the world she is on mission to reach. Corporate outreach and marketing get the word out that Steamtown is a safe place to seek truth and create an atmosphere that is conducive to individual relation based evangelism. Biblical counseling helps people apply biblical principles to break free from addiction and bondage. Helps ministries demonstrate God's love for the community and exemplified true Christianity by caring for single moms and orphans (Jas 1:27). Together both decentralized and centralized the church can most effectively accomplish the mission to which she has been called, making disciples.

House church is the single most important thing we do at Steamtown. Why? Well, we believe that life isn’t meant to be done alone. That’s why one of our core values is being Connected. In the Bible we find that the church was like a family. They met in homes daily; eating, praying, loving, and living together (Acts 2). In the Gathering we learn truth; in house church we live truth. House church allows us to "work out" our faith in practical ways. As a community we worship God together, pray for one another, study the Bible together, and care for one another. We’re not serious all the time though, we also spend a lot of time, eating, talking, laughing, and just doing life. As fallen people all of us have issues, house church provides the encouraging, affirming, strengthening atmosphere where we can learn, grow, and change. We are so convinced that this is vital to our spiritual health, we've built our entire ministry around house church! Join a house church at Steamtown and experience life in community.   

The Nuts & Bolts 

How does House Church work?

        House churches are made up of 8-20 people who join together to help one another follow Jesus and do life. These groups are organized around a weekly meeting which includes conversation, Bible study, worship, prayer, service, and usually food. Meetings run an hour and a half and generally discuss the message from the previous Sunday’s Gathering. There are no expectations for perfection—just real people doing life together!

WHERE & WHEN DO THEY MEET?

        Steamtown's house churches meet all over the city and surrounding area on various nights through the week so there's probably one near you. House churches meet in cycles with start and end dates. Each cycle lasts roughly 13 weeks. This gives people a chance to keep the commitment manageable and allows people to change groups if they'd like to be part of a particular study. Of course, you can always join multiple groups too.

WHAT DO HOUSE CHURCHES DISCUSS?

        House churches cover all sorts of topics related to the Christian life. Most house churches unpack and apply the Sunday message but some study the book of the Bible or deal with specific issues and topics. House churches are designed to meet your needs, no matter where you are. 

        Of course, the study is only one part of a house church.  Time is also set aside for sharing and conversational prayer (and in some groups, worship).  Also, each group gets together at least once a quarter for a social event to build stronger relationships, and there will be two weeks for a missional activity to be involved in some form of outreach or service project, meeting needs in our community.

        We learn how to care for one another in practical ways - especially during times of sickness, disaster, and special needs.  This might involve any number of things, from offering financial support, to providing meals after surgery, to helping someone with their daughter's wedding!

WHAT DOES IT COST?

        Few things in life are free, and house church no exception! The cost of being in a House Church is the cost of commitment.  Since your house church is your immediate church community, we ask participants to attend faithfully and be ready to share and grow. 

        For some, joining a house church will also require some financial sacrifice - the cost of childcare.  While some families share a sitter, or swap child care with another family, most end up paying for their own baby sitter.  We realize this adds up.  (Most of our leaders have kids too!)  But, we also believe it's one of the best investments you can make in your child's future. There's nothing more important to your child's spiritual growth than to see you as a parent growing and making spiritual commitments a top priority.

HOW DO I SIGN UP?

        To join a group, look for the sign–up sheets at the information tables or fill out the Join a Group request.  Look for a Group that will accommodate your schedule.  It's that simple! 

IMPORTANT SIGN-UP TIPS:

1. Look over the sign up sheets and try and speak to the Shepherd or Host at the Gathering.
2. Find out more about the house church, including who's leading, when they're meeting, where the meet, and what they're studying on the page This Cycle

ONE FINAL THING.

        As always, each period's groups will be filled on a "first-come, first-served" basis and space is sometimes limited. So, don't put off your decision too long.  If you're new to Steamtown and have other questions or need some extra help finding the right group, please let us know by filling out our Join a Group request. We'll be happy to help you!