Those of us who have been in the house church movement for awhile sometimes bristle at someone referring to a building as a “church.” We all know that the building is just a building; it is the saints gathered there who are the church. We don’t need to obsess about this strategic and theological slip-up, but we don’t need to replicate it either.

Here is how we can replicate the error. We can believe that any church which meets in a house is a “house church.” That is not necessarily so. The “house” of house church refers to the oikos. Oikos, in ancient Greek, without getting too technical, does mean the building we commonly call a house. But more importantly, it refers to the people who convene there. It is the family, extended family and their emotionally connected contacts which would naturally gather together around the people who live in that building. The oikos is principally the people not the building. The building is called the oikos due to the people who gather there, not the other way around.

Our individualistic, materialistic, suburban dominated Western culture tends to cause us to focus on the physical building, which, in my opinion, causes us to completely miss the point. This has leaked over into our modern English translations. So, when we read Luke 10:5-7 as it is translated into English, we are principally thinking about a building.

 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. (Lk.10:5-7 NIV)

Read it again. Now, when you see the word “house” think about the group of people who are so relationally connected to one of the significant people (the person of peace) who lives there, that they would naturally hang out in this building called a house. See how it changes the dynamic? It would sound something like this:

“When you enter among a relationally connected group, first say, ‘Peace to this group.’ If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. Stay among that group, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from group to group.

We plant the church among the people, not in the building. Some of the oikoi (the plural of oikos) of our culture hang out at school. Some hang out at a pizza parlor. Some congregate at Starbucks or a bar. Some live under a bridge and others stand on a street corner waiting for work.

For more posts on Jesus centered apostolic ministry and church planting see: Cesar, Man of Peace, Jesus as the Cornerstone, Building on the Right Foundation, Starting on the Wrong Foot, Making Mistakes with Jesus, Integrity and Ministry with Jesus as Lord.

  • How can thinking of the oikos as the people change our missional behavior?
  • What would Jesus have you do to start churches among the oikoi you are in contact with?
  • When the Lord of the Harvest leads you to a person of peace and their “household” shouldn’t you ask him/her where they think it is best for the people to meet?
  • Is the location our choice or better left to Jesus and the household itself?
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