Househ Churches Everywhere

Eastern Garden Some of the early converts to Christianity were God-fearers who were attracted to Judaism but had not become full proselytes. In Palestine, we have the example of Cornelius, a Roman centurion stationed in Caesarea, whom Luke describes as "a devout man who feared God with all his household; he gave alms generously to the people and prayed constantly to God. " ¹

As a result of Peter's vision and proclamation of the gospel ² a number of Gentiles, including Cornelius' household, were saved and baptized, ³ as Peter opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. Luke appears to reinforce the significance of this event by repeating it to the Jewish believers and. leaders in Jerusalem ⁴ and alluding to it again at the Jerusalem Council.

Peter reminded the council members that God had obliterated certain legal distinctions between Jews and Gentiles and that salvation was by faith and not by keeping the law. ⁵ Given Cornelius's piety, generosity and financial means, he no doubt opened his house to the believers in Caesarea. One wonders whether Philip's house in Caesarea was used in this way as well. ⁶ ⁷

Many Households in Many Places

Green Garden in Sunshine Other house churches are mentioned in the New Testament, with the names of the people in whose houses they met, e.g. at Philippi, ⁸ Corinth, ⁹ Rome, ¹⁰ Ephesus, ¹¹ Laodicea, ¹² Colossae. ¹³ Such phrases as "the brethren who are with them," "the saints" (i.e. fellow Christians) "who are with them" seem to mean "who are in their house church."

Several of these house churches, like the one in Jerusalem, were in the homes of women, probably widows. In some cases both husband and wife are named. Where other names are added, they probably represent grown-up members of the family. In one house church only men are mentioned. ⁷

Wealthy Overseers

Palm Trees and Pathway Detailed information is not available in other cases, but the fact that the first converts in certain places were wealthy or prominent persons who were baptized together with their households is significant for the way the movement spread. At Philippi it began with a pro-Jewish woman who was the business agent for the luxury textile industry based in Thyatira in Asia Minor. ¹⁴ The baptism of her household was followed by that of the city's jailor. ¹⁵

The first baptism at Corinth was of the household of one Stephanas, who earned a reputation as a benefactor of the Christians, ¹⁶ but the accession that attracted most attention at the time was that of the household of the chief ruler of the synagogue. ¹⁷ ¹⁸

Epaphras' Households

Blue Night Sky Paul's letters to the Colossians and to Philemon refer to several house churches in the cities of Colossae, Hierapolis and Laodicea - communities evangelized by Epaphras. Although Epaphras "worked hard" in Hierapolis ¹⁹, there is no evidence that Epaphras was successful in establishing a church there at this time.

With respect to Laodicea, Paul refers to a group "of brothers and sisters, and to Nympha and the church in her house." ²⁰ The natural reading of the text implies that two separate groups were meeting, one of them led by Nympha, the likely patron and leader. ²¹

Colossae appears to have had at least two house churches. A church in Philemon's house is mentioned explicitly. ²² The existence of a second house church is based on the assumption that all the "saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae" ²³ required additional homes for fellowship and worship.

Other house churches may be implied in situations where hospitality to itinerant teachers and evangelists is encouraged. In this situation, the leaders of a house may have decided who should and should not be taken in. ²⁴

Several Households in Each Place

Palm Tree in Sun The number of such household assemblies in each city will have varied from place to place and from time to time, but we may assume that there were ordinarily several in each place. Gaius, before he became "host . . . of the whole church," ²⁵ was probably host of one of the household groups. The household assembly in Philemon's house was apparently not the whole of the Colossian church. ²⁶

In Philippi, Paul and Silas encountered the merchant Lydia, who accepted baptism "with all her household" and prevailed upon Paul to accept her hospitality. ²⁷ Following their miraculous deliverance from prison, Paul and Silas were taken by the jailer into his house, where the whole household was assembled, preached to, and baptized in the middle of the night! ²⁸

Before leaving the city, Paul and Silas went back to Lydia's house, where a group of believers was already established. ²⁹ In Paul's final journey through Asia Minor, he paused in a Christian group gathered for the breaking of bread in an upper room, a gathering that turned into an all night discussion with a tragic accident miraculously righted. ³⁰ ⁷

Question for Discussion

1. The New Testament household exhibited a remarkable "open door policy." Does your Christian community hold to and practice the same beliefs?

Bibliography and Notes

¹ Acts 10:2 ¹ Acts 10:44-48 ³ Acts 11:1-18, esp. v. 14 ⁴ Acts 11:1-18 ⁵ Acts 15:7-11 ⁶ Acts 21:8-10 ⁷ Selections from "The First Advance - Church History 1: AD 29-500" by John Foster S. P. C. K, Copyright All rights reserved. ⁸ Acts 16.40 ⁹ Acts 18.7 ¹⁰ Romans 16.5; 16.14; 16.15 ¹¹ 1 Corinthians 16.19 ¹² Colossians 4.15 ¹³ Philemon 1 and 2 ¹⁴ Acts 16.15 ¹⁵ Acts 16.33 ¹⁶ 1 Corinthians 10.16, 16.2 ¹⁷ Acts 18.8 ¹⁸ Selections from "The Social Pattern of Christian Groups in the First Century" by E. A. Judge The Tyndale Press, London. Copyright All rights reserved. ¹⁹ Colossians 4:13 ²⁰ Colossians 4:15 ²¹Selections from "Families in the New Testament World - Households and House Churches" by Carolyn Osiek and David L. Balch John Knox Press, Kentucky Copyright 1997. All rights reserved. ²² Philemon 2 ²³ Colossians 1:2 ²⁴ Selections from "The Emergence of the Church - Context, Growth, Leadership and Worship" by Arthur G. Patzia. William B. Eerdmans Company, Grand Rapids Michigan Copyright. All rights reserved. ²⁵ Romans 16:23 ²⁶ Selections from "The First Urban Christians - The Social World of the Apostle Paul" by Wayne A. Meeks, Yale University Press, New Haven and London. Copyright 1983 All rights reserved. ²⁷ Acts 16:14-15 ²⁸ Acts 16:31-34. ²⁹ Acts 16:40 ³⁰ Acts 20:7-12 ³¹ Ephesians 2.19

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