MODULE 3: SUCCESSFUL HOUSE FELLOWSHIP DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM

Contents

Module Introduction Objectives and Pre - Test

Session One Types of House Fellowship System
Session Two Planting The House Fellowship Department
Session Three The House Church (Home Cell Groups or House Fellowship System) In The New
Testament
Session Four Qualities of The House Fellowship Leaders
Session Five The Pastor And The Home Cell Leaders
Session Six The Advantages of The House Fellowship System
Conclusion Post Test
Bibliography

INTRODUCTION
The Apostolic Age was an explosive period of Church Growth. The New Testament Believers met in
houses that people lived in, and opened up a meeting place for the church.

House Churches (Home Cell Groups or House Fellowship Centers) are easy to start; they are relaxed
and informal; they are evangelistic tools, facilitate training of Pastors and leaders, economical and
can solve the problem of growth.

OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this module, you should be able to:

1. Describe the various types of House Fellowship.

2. Recognize how House Fellowship Centers are Effective tools for Evangelism.
3. Discuss the specific types of commitments to make the House Fellowship System become a
reality in your Parish/Ministry.
4. Explain the relationship between the Pastor and the House Fellowship Leaders.
5. State the qualities of the House Fellowship Leader.
6. List the Advantages of the House Fellowship System.
7. Distinguish between effective and efficient House Fellowship.

PRE-TEST
1. Read the following Scriptural passages
Romans 16:3-5; Corinthians 16:19; Colossians 4:15, Philemon 1:2
2. Discuss the roles of House Fellowship in the explosive growth of the new Testament Church.
3. How can House Fellowship System result in Church Growth?
4. How can Churches grow in countries where church buildings are not allowed?
 SESSION ONE
TYPES OF HOUSE FELLOWSHIP SYSTEM

We can identify two major types of Home Cell Groups (or House Fellowship System). These are
Geographical and Homogenous Home Cells.

Geography is the science of the earth’s surface, physical features, divisions, climate, products,
population, etc. The Geographical Home Cells are house churches (or House Fellowship Centres)
which are established in sequel to a good acquaintance with the geography of a particular locality.
This will include getting acquired with the names of different regions in the locality, locations of the
regions, configurations (shape or outline, method of arrangement) of the regions; elevations of
regions including mountains, rivers, seas and lakes, the distribution of the inhabitants of the locality
where the home cells are to be established including the location of the region on a map are immense
importance to the establishment of Geographical Home Cell Groups.

There are two approaches to the establishment of the Geographical type of Home Cells Groups. These
are age group classification –children, teenagers, adults in their twenties and thirties, elders – and
other approach is the proximity approach – members of the same household, neighbours and
friends within the same community.

There is some relationship between the age group classification and the proximity approach.
Specifically, the proximity approach facilitates the age group classification and vice versa. Both are
inter-related.

In addition to the Geographical Home Cells Group already discussed, church growth experts have
identified what they call the Homogenous Home Cell Groups – peasant farmers in each area, lawyers,
medical doctors, ex-drug addicts, ex-prostitutes, single parents, etc.

Homogeneity is a quality of being the same kind. There are three approaches to the Homogenous
Home Cells Groups. These are Professional – Group Approach – lawyers, medical doctors, engineers,
bankers, accountants, lecturers, Architects, etc. Profession is an occupation, especially on requiring
advanced education and special training. People with the same profession find it easy to relate
together among themselves than with people of different professions. The second approach is the
People – Group Approach – Yorubas, Igbos, Efiks, Hausas, Tivs etc. A people- group is a group in which
the people share the same culture and language. According to missionary leaders there are about six
thousand people groups that still do not have a church.
The easiest way to disciple a nation or people group is by establishing many Homogenous House
Fellowship Centres, Homogenous House Churches or Homogenous Home Cell Groups.

The third approach is the Problem – Based Approach – ex-convicts, ex-drug addicts, sicklers, single
parents, ex-prostitutes, etc. Unless people with similar problems are allowed to relate together,
smooth fellowship might be difficult to attain.

SESSION TWO
ESTABLISHING THE HOUSE FELLOWSHIP DEPARTMENT

The following excerpt is taken from ACTS magazine July-August 1995. It is an excerpt from the Caleb
report in the 1990 issue of MINISTRIES MAGAZINE. The report, according to the ACTS MAGAZINE,
was given by Loren Cunningham, founder and president of YOUTH WITH A MISSION.

“More than 22,000 Chinese are Coming to Christ each Day”

“According to U.S. centre for World Mission, more than 22,000 Chinese are coming to Christ each day.
That is the equivalent of seven days of Pentecost every 24 hours. It is happening right now. Most of
this explosion of new belief is coming from China’s rural communities where 80% of the population
of China lives”.

Jonathan Chao, founder of the Chinese Church Research Centre, told me how the Chinese revival is
being spread by young people. They are mostly ages 15 to 19. The teenagers go to villages and share
the gospel where it has never been heard before.

“As converts are organized into small groups, the teens call for the elders’ (believers in their twenties)
to come and teach the newly formed home church. At the same time the teenagers go on to reach the
next village.

By this simple means, the good news is leaping across the fields and mountains of China.

Establishing the House Fellowship Department in a Church

1. Involve Lay People: Laymen should be actively involved in the establishment of House
Fellowship Department. Lay people should be enlisted to lead House Fellowship Centres.

2. Train Lay People for Leadership Work: Begin to train the lay people for leadership work
by assigning them an area of the city/locality or community. Then give them a few families to
start a House Fellowship Centre or House Church in that community or section of the city.
 3. The lay people should be given in-house workers/ministerial training: The best way to
multiply house churches is by developing unpaid lay leaders. This can be done through the
Apprentice System. This is for training lay people for the ministry. This plan calls for each
pastor to oversee the personal training of each lay man/woman (the apprentice). The
apprentice will be given assignment to pastor a small group of people meeting in a house or
in some groups in other places.

4. Give the Trainees Special Assignments: From time to time the apprentice will receive
special assignments from the sponsoring pastors. These assignments are tasks such as
reading certain books, listening to tapes attending meetings or participating in seminars.
Week by week the apprentice will fulfill the assignment given by his pastor/teacher.

5. Encourage Each Trainee to Sponsor the Training of Another Lay Person: The vision for
multiplication develops as each apprentice is trained and motivated to sponsor the training
of another man out of his/her own congregation.

6. Take Cognizance of the Environment: A house church or home cell group should be
established in a place where non-Christians can come with the greatest ease. The
congregation should meet in the most natural surroundings and coverts should be
encouraged to carry on the service themselves.

7. The House Fellowship Department Should be under an efficient Leader: To set up House
Fellowship, as a department of the church, it must be under an efficient leader who can be
trusted with the responsibility to oversee the day to day running of the House Fellowship
System. Rules and regulations guiding the House Fellowship System of the Church must be
related to the felt needs of the people.

8. Let the System Operate Under Standard Organization Structure: The House Fellowship
System in a church should be made to operate under standard organization structure. House
Fellowship Leaders report to the Parish Coordinator of House Fellowship, the Parish
Coordinator reports to the Area Coordinator, the Area Coordinator of House Fellowship,
reports to Zonal Coordinator, the Zonal Coordinator reports to the Provincial Coordinator,
the Provincial Coordinator reports to the Regional Coordinator, the Regional Coordinator
reports to the National Coordinator, etc.

SESSION THREE
THE HOUSE CHURCH (HOME CELL GROUPS OR THE HOUSE FELLOWSHIP SYSTEM) IN THE
NEW TESTAMENT

During the life time of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, common ordinary houses (dwelling) were
used for spreading the Gospel and for disciplining.

A critical analysis of the Gospel reveals the following;

1. The Home Cell is a house where Jesus worshipped – Matt. 2:11.

 2. The Home Cell is a house suitable for preaching, healing and deliverance meetings – Matt.
8:14-16.

3. The home cell is worthy of Holy Communion Service. The first Holy Communion Service was
held in a house – Matt. 26:18.

4. Jesus preached to crowds assembled in houses – Mark 2:1

Ordinary dwelling houses were used during the Acts of the Apostles also for preaching the gospel
and for disciplining new converts.

Examples:
1. Pentecost came to a House Church – Acts 2:1, 2; 2:46.
2. Saul, the persecutor attacked the people of the way (Christians) in House Churches – Acts
8:3.
3. Prayers of brethren in a House Church delivered Peter from prison – Acts 12:5, 124.
4. It was a House Church that opened the Gospel to the nations – Acts 10:24-27.
5. Lydia’s House was Europe’s first Church – Acts 16:40
6. In Rome, Paul used his own rented house for spreading the good news – Acts 28:30-31

SESSION FOUR
QUALITIES OF THE HOUSE FELLOWSHIP LEADERS

Certain commitments are essential in the life of every House Fellowship Leader. These
commitments always result in positive growth.

1. Commitment to Continuous Evangelism. Every unreached and un churched soul should be

seen as lost, desperate and in need of a Saviour, while house Fellowship leaders should see
themselves as the channel of hope for them.

2. Commitment to Evangelism with a Definite Strategy: A House Fellowship leader is a man of

burning vision with a definite strategy for meeting the felt needs of the people.

3. Commitment to a Broader view of Evangelism which allows for more Sustained Outreached:
A House Fellowship Leader does not see evangelism as confrontational, as simply to “corner”
somebody and lead him/her to a decision for Christ. He sees evangelism as including building
relationships, and initial disciplining process of spending time with people and identifying
and understanding people’s problems so that they could be carefully led and established into
the kingdom.

4. Commitment to Evangelism Permeated with Sensitivity: A House Fellowship Leader should

be ready to spend time with the unbeliever, finding out what his personal needs are, praying
for him and gently leading him to become a part of his House Fellowship Center. A House
Fellowship Leader desires much more than a decision; he desires to help make disciples.

5. Commitment to Use the Gifts of the Spirit toward Outreach rather than Inward focus.
 6. Commitment to Follow Through and Reach all Members of a Family: A House Fellowship
Leader baths himself in prayer, seeks for the spirit’s direction and goes about with a heart
believing that God would save an entire household.

7. Commitment to Allow the Members of House Fellowship to Multiply: A House Fellowship

Leader must have a ready willingness to multiple the groups when their group’s sizes become
so large that they cannot minister to people. It is ideal for a group to give birth to another
group when it reaches sixteen members.

8. Commitment to Evangelism in the House Fellowship, which is a Vital Link to the Context of
the Local Church: There should be no conflict between the Home Cell Groups and the local
church, which should joyfully be considered by the leaders as part of a large whole.

SESSION FIVE
THE PASTOR AND THE HOUSE FELLOWSHIP LEADERS

There should be a close friendly relationship between the Pastor and the Home Cell Leaders.

The Pastor should organize periodic meeting with House Fellowship Leaders where he shares his
vision for House Fellowship, Evangelism Church Planting and Church Growth with them. In addition,
In-House Workers/Ministerial Training (Induction Course) should be organized from time to time
for the House Fellowship Leaders to ensure improvement in their Christian living and ministerial
administration. Such courses should cover among others things goal setting, goal getting and
leadership reproduction.

SESSION SIX
ADVANTAGES OF THE HOUSE FELLOWSHIP SYSTEM

1. The House Fellowship, House Church or Home Cell Group is capable of meeting the
needs of the members in a way the large congregation will not be able to do. Since the
number of people in a House Fellowship is relatively few, the immediate as well as
intimate needs of the members can easily be met.

2. The House Fellowship creates a sense of membership among the people. Each
member sees him/herself as belonging to the centre as a unit and the church as a
whole. This sense of belonging enhances growth.

3. It breeds unity in the church. It does this by creating unity among the cell members.

4. Neighbourhood evangelism is made easier through the House Fellowship System,

especially the people group and proximity approaches.

5. The House Fellowship does not cost as much to run as a full-fledged church building,
yet it consistently proves to be more efficient.
 6. A well-organized House Fellowship System eliminates clique formation and informal
groups. This elimination is possible because the number of members in Home Cells is
kept to the barest minimum.

7. Evangelism of church programmes can easily be done through interaction with House
Fellowship Members.

SUMMARY

The New Testament believers met in house churches, House Fellowship Centres or Home Cell Groups.
The House Fellowship, Home Cell Groups are classified as geographical and homogeneous House
Fellowship.

The two approaches to the establishment of geographical House Fellowship are age group
classification and proximity approach, while the homogeneous House Fellowship can be established
through the professional group approach, the people group approach and the problem based
approach. House Fellowship Centres can be established by enlisting, training and motivating lay
people. They are also highly advantageous.

POST-TEST

1. List and describe the major types of House Fellowship.

2. In how many ways can the various types of House Fellowship be established?
3. How will you plant the House Fellowship Department for your church/organization?
4. Give a critical analysis of the House Fellowship System in the New Testament.
5. State and discuss eight (8) qualities of the House Fellowship Leaders.
6. Give an explanation of the relationship that should exist between the Pastor and the House
Fellowship Leaders.
7. Mention seven (7) advantages of the House Fellowship.
 REFERENCES

Anderson, Andy, ‘Where Action Is’. Nashville: Broadham, 1976.

Fitts, Bob, Saturation Church Planting – Multiplying Congregations Through House Churches, World
Map 1419 North San FernaldoVlvd. Burbark CA 91504-4194

Gangel, Kenneth O. ‘You and Your Spiritual Gifts’, Chicago: Moody, 1975.

Gerber, Vergil, ‘God’s Way To Keep a Church Going &Growing’, Glendale, Calif: Regal, 1973.

Henrichs, Walter G. ‘Disciples Are Made – Not Born’, Wheaton III: Victor, 1975.
Mc. Eaurun, Donald A., and Arn, Win. ‘How To Grow A Church’, Glendale, Calif: Regal, 1973

Wagner, C. Peter, ‘Your Church Can Grow’, Glendale, Calif.: Regal 1976.

Werning, Waldo J. ‘Vision and Strategy for Church Growth’, Chicago: Moody 1977.