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There may be something to this decentrilization (the Church at Rome appears to have been made up of house churches), but I don't believe that decentralization should be disconnection either. The early church seems to have cooperated in various ministries and even came together for various reasons (such as the Judaizing issue). I believe the largest church in the world is in Soeul, and is made up of what Youngi-Cho (the minister) refers to as "Cell Groups." It seems that there should be a healthy balance in all of this though. I read Young-Cho's book a few years ago on Cell Groups. One of the main issues with a church that is made up of small groups (as opposed to having small groups) is the issue of leadership. There needs to be theologically, biblically, spiritually, and emotionally grounded leadership. The Bible calls them elders, overseers, and shepherds/pastors, or even Deacons (as in the case of Acts 6). In order for this to work, there needs to be an abundance of mature leadership.
From what I have been reading, the house church movement has been growing like wild-fire. The house churches that I have been reading about are usually connected to a larger church and has the benefit of spiritually mature leadership and mentoring, but share most of their life and ministry in the context of their neighborhood.
I think the biggest lesson for me is that in order to have any sort of meaningful "iron-sharpens-iron" relationships where we can enjoy them rather than feel like it is a duty, is to invest ourselves in the relationship. Like so many other things, we get out of it what we put into it. Minimal investment in a small group will result in minimal impact. I doubt there would be any meaninful ministry or growth with only a loose attendance commitment.
Is there some way we can engage in more ministry in small groups that goes beyond just meeting to doing something meaninful by way of service, ministry, etc.?
I would love to hear some more feedback from the others in the group.
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