The following is a revision of a short piece I wrote and posted last year here on SI. I revised it because since then I have changed some of my views on this issue. I believe I had a divisive attitude which highly favored the house church movemement during that time.
"This short article is intended to encourage Christians regarding the importance of meeting in small groups with other believers for mutual edification. It is not intended to promote the current "house church" or "cell church" movements, though I am not opposed to those movements either, as long as those within those movements remain within the pale of biblical Christianity in doctrine and practice. Whether it is a church that meets in a building that encourages small groups, or a church that meets in a home, a park, etc., the point is that small groups are important for the spiritual growth of Christians. So here are 7 reasons for meeting in small groups:
Christ's Pattern:
The Lord Jesus Christ left us a clear example of gathering in homes regularly for fellowship. Throughout the Gospels we see that He often taught, preached, and healed people in homes (Matt.9:10; Matt.26:18; Mk.2:1-2; Lk.10:38-39). Also, we know from the Gospels that He often taught the twelve apostles privately, in a small group setting.
The Reality of the Spiritual Temple of God:
The Bible teaches that all true Christians are the Temple of God (1Cor.3:16-17; 1Cor.6:19; Eph.2:20-22; 1Pet.2:5). As the Temple of God, we can gather in small groups, whether in a building or home or elswhere and function as His Temple and as a real church, just like the first Christians did.
Functioning as God's Family:
The Scriptures clearly teach that all true Christians are children of God and belong to the family of God (Jn.1:12; 1Jn.3:1; Eph.2:19; Gal.6:10). Gathering in small goups fosters our functioning as God’s family. It allows us to be closely knit together in love (Col.2:2), praying for one another and looking out for each other’s needs.
Participation from the Whole Body:
First century church meetings allowed much participation from the believers present (1Cor.14:26-33; Heb.10:24-25; Eph.5:19-20; Col.3:16). Each believer was able to contribute to the gatherings and share something with the church, whether a teaching, a song, an exhortation, a prayer, etc. Small-sized meetings facilitate that kind of participation.
Community, Accountability, and Maintaining Church Discipline:
Those are very important aspects of church life (Matt.18:15-20; 1Cor.5; James 5:16). Meeting in small groups fosters that kind of close community and accountability.
Partaking of the Lord's Supper as a Full Meal:
The Lord’s Supper was originally celebrated as a full fellowship meal or Agape Feast (1Cor.11:21; Jude 1:12), the one loaf of bread and cup of blessing being the main part of the meal (1Cor.10:16-17). Gathering in small groups facilitates celebrating the Lord’s Supper in this manner.
The Early Church's Pattern:
Along with our Lord Jesus Christ, the early church also left us a clear pattern of having regular church meetings in homes (Acts 2:1-2; Acts 2:46; Acts 5:42; Acts 10; Rom.16:3-5; Col.4:15; Philemon 1:2).
Special church buildings did not begin to be erected until about 200 years after the Apostles went to be with the Lord. Again, that is not to say that there is anything wrong with meeting in a special church building, but only to say that meeting in a special building is not absolutely necessary for us to have biblical church meetings and function fully as a church. We can meet in a building, a home, a park, etc. and "be" the church we were called to be(see Acts 7:47-50).
I believe we as Christians need to get away from viewing a building as a "church" because it tends to get us away from the real meaning of the word "church". The Church is the Body of Christ, the family of God, it is not the location we meet in. We can call that location a "church building", a "meeting house", etc., but let us not keep calling it a "church". Amen?"
by Oracio Sandoval