House Church

I have been in Dallas for six years now and the entire time I have been here I have failed to find a church home that has really felt right to me. I have visited numerous congregations and some I have visited for extended periods of times. Yet Dallas has been such a struggle for me. When I was in Lubbock, I attended the Central church, and for those of you who were there when Leonard Jarman was there know what a dynamic place it was. That was a church that was truly missional to its community and neighborhood and where anyone from any walk of life could come in and be at home. But then I came to Dallas and it has really been a struggle. Dallas is known for its very materialistic culture, and this has definitely carried over into its religious sector. I've been in huge beautiful buildings with all the best stuff. I've been in congregations that have a million and one programs and outreaches and ministries. But I haven't been in one that I felt in my heart was truly following after the simplicity of the New Testament church. Not just in doctrine but in design. As a result, I had become somewhat disillusioned and almost just going through the motions. I knew what I was looking for but I just couldn't find it and kind of gave up on finding it.

Well, a couple of weeks ago, Tricia invited me to a "house church" in Uptown. This was a refreshing experience. There is a group of young people who have committed to a new kind of church planting vision that is supported by a couple of larger congregations in the area. They have begun meeting in homes every Sunday, sharing a meal, Bible study, and communion. Once a group gets too large for one home, they form another group in another home, but still come together once a month for a joint worship time together and other things throughout the week. I visited again Sunday and truly enjoyed the simplicity and sincerity of the group. For the first time in my life I felt like I was participating in something that was actually reflecting in the purest sense of what we read of in the New Testament. By not spending zillions of dollars on buildings and fancy stuff (most of which is targeted toward ourselves rather than others), the group's resources can go right into the community around them. It has really caused me to think hard about our "institution" of church. It has caused me to think really hard about our man-made traditions and expectations and the "church" culture we have created. There is so much stuff that I don't understand how we justify if we're using the New Testament as our standard. But this group has stripped away all the "institution" and just left the heart of what "church" is meant to be. I am truly excited to learn more about this group and perhaps begin rebuilding the connections and relationships that have been missing for six years.

I encourage every one to stop and just re-examine what the church was initially and what we have made it over time. The institution is not appealing to this generation...but the simplicity of God's original design will always be timeless.