The house church movement

• What is the house church movement?

  It views secularisation as largely hostile to the church, and sees parallels with the circumstances of Christianity in the first centuries of its existence (when it suffered persecution)
• during this persecution in the first centuries of Christianitys existence…?

  Christian’s met in private houses, the house church movement seeks to replicate this practice
• it is a movement away from…?

  meeting in conventional church buildings with all formality associated with them
• what is the focus of the house church movement?

  on community and healing, new individuals are welcomes into groups of people to share Christian values and teaching, believing that community can focus the power to heal
• in some ways, how is it a secular experience?

  it is separated from the control, structures and doctrines of organised churches, there is some focus on religious teachings but those teachings are acted out in the context of the activities of the community
• Within the evangelical and house church traditions what is there emphasis on?

  The transforming power of the Christian gospel, individual lives are changed by becoming Christian and adopting Christian beliefs and values
• The HCM was started by…?

  Those who wanted to free themselves from the structures of conventional churches, and return to the practices of early church
• an early split in the ham led to what?

  the establishment of the British New Church Movement, which was associated particularly with the growth of charismatic worship