House Church

Definition and Meaning

In the broad sense, a house church is a church that meets in a believer's home rather than in a church building. In Korean churches, however, the term is usually used in a narrower sense. It refers to the pastoral model begun by Pastor Young-Gi Chai of Seoul Baptist Church of Houston in the United States, in which each small group within a local church is treated and run as a small church in its own right. In this model, a small group is called a mokjang (literally "pasture"), and the lay leader of the group is called a mokja ("shepherd").

This concept differs from the house churches of China, which are churches that do not register with the government and meet outside the Three-Self Patriotic Movement. It also differs from the house church movement in the West, which refers to small, independent churches that meet without buildings.

Biblical and Historical Background

The house church movement appeals to the New Testament record that the early church met in homes. A representative passage is Acts 2:46, which describes believers "breaking bread from house to house." Also frequently cited are Romans 16:5, which mentions "the church that is in their house," referring to the home of Priscilla and Aquila, and Philemon 1:2, which mentions "the church in thy house." In addition, Ephesians 4:11-12, which teaches that pastors equip the saints while the saints do the work of service ("for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry"), is cited as the basis for sharing ministry between pastors and church members.

In modern times, the cell church movement emerged, treating the small group as the basic unit of the church. Korean churches have also long had small-group traditions such as district worship meetings and the Methodist class meeting (sokhoe). In the 1990s, Pastor Young-Gi Chai converted the existing district organization of Seoul Baptist Church of Houston into house churches, and as he presented this experience through books and seminars, the model became widely known in Korean churches.

Practice in Korean Churches

Churches that follow this model commonly organize their life around three kinds of gatherings:

• Mokjang meeting: Members gather in a home during the week to eat together, share about their lives and the Word, and pray for one another.
• Life study (salm gongbu): A Bible study course led by the pastor.
• Joint worship service: The Sunday worship service in which the whole church gathers together.

A central purpose of the mokjang is evangelism by inviting neighbors who do not attend church. Promotion of the movement and the hosting of seminars are handled by House Church Ministry International (Gajeong Gyohoe Sayeogwon).

Although the house church model began in Baptist churches, it has since been adopted by churches of various denominations. Churches that have a session and the office of elder, such as Presbyterian churches, reportedly either maintain their existing polity alongside the shepherd-centered structure or adjust the two to fit together.

Assessments of the model are mixed. Supporters point to its strengths: lay members actually take part in pastoral care, and evangelism is revitalized. On the other hand, the demands on shepherds' households in time and money, as well as the difficulty of transitioning from the existing district leader system, are cited as challenges.