The Church in China has taken varied forms in different historical ages, such as congregational, institutional, family-based, and small-group models. Recently, Rev. Li Tao (pseudonym) from a city in North China shared some of his thoughts and observations. He believed that the Church of China was likely moving towards a family-based church model.
Li mentioned that many people believe the believers of the early church practiced their faith life in synagogues. However, the primary gathering place at that time was actually in the homes of believers.
According to researchers in the history of Christianity, the first Jewish church was in the home of Mark, commonly known as the Upper Room. The Apostle Peter founded the first church of the Gentiles in Cornelius' home. The churches during the apostolic era were primarily established in people's homes. Due to persecution in Jerusalem, believers dispersed throughout diverse places in Judea and Samaria, with many turning their homes into churches.
The gatherings in family-based churches had some distinct features, like involving a lot of interaction among attendees. While many traditional churches today still revolve around one person preaching while others listen, in the New Testament Scriptures, the Greek word for "preaching" is 'dialegomai,' meaning dialogue between two people.
In today's churches, the pastor delivers the sermon at the altar, and the audience listens. Once the sermon is done, the service usually ends. However, in the churches during the apostolic era, the gatherings were diverse, including but not limited to songs, teachings, revelations (prophecies), tongues and interpretation, love feasts, praises, and testimonies. Moreover, a variety of ministries were established at that time to enable every believer to dedicate.
Finally, Li suggested that the ideal state of the church is a combination of traditional and family-based models. Big churches have a worshipful environment, high attendances, larger spaces, and professional pastoral care, but they face difficulties in building relationships among believers. Family-based churches, on the other hand, are warm, interactive, and conducive to spiritual growth, allowing for mutual prayer, thereby compensating for the shortcomings of churches with traditional pastoral care.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
