CityGroup Sundays – the first and third Sundays of each month CityGroups will meet in homes all around Central Arkansas. Worship gatherings on our campus will continue all other Sundays at 10:00 am.
South City Church resides in Southwest Little Rock on Interstate 30, or does it? For hundreds of years now, especially in America, the church has been associated with a central meeting place (a church building), even though biblically, we know that a church is a people, not a building. The truth is that South City Church lives life all over central Arkansas in Southwest Little Rock, West Little Rock, Bryant, Benton, Hot Springs, Conway, Maumelle, and neighborhoods all in between.
Typically, you might see new church plants meeting in a home. They may have just a few people to start, and buying or renting a large space wouldn’t be reasonable. But, when a well-established church that owns a building says we intend to begin meeting in homes more regularly, questions are asked. Is this even biblical? Yes, it is!
Here are a few reasons why South City is moving in this direction:
1. The early church met in homes
Philemon 1:2 ESV, 1 Corinthians 16:19 ESV, Acts 2:46 ESV, Romans 16:5 ESV, Acts 20:20 ESV,
Acts 5:42 ESV, Romans 16:1-27 ESV, Colossians 4:15 ESV, Acts 5:42 ESV, Acts 2:42-47 ESV,
Acts 12:12 NIV, Acts 16:40 NIV
We don’t believe there’s a mandate for every Christian to worship exclusively in homes, but we do see a model God used to birth His church and spread the Gospel to the world. This does not mean that we think churches that meet otherwise are wrong, but only that South City believes God has led us to move in the direction of meeting this way more consistently. Our gathering rhythms will include both; CityGroups in homes as well as Worship Gatherings at our campus.
History tells us that for the first 300 years following Jesus’ death, the early church expanded tremendously, gathering in homes and for a short season in the Temple (before its destruction in 70AD – Acts 2). Because of the smaller and familial aspect of the home, the church was more relational and missional as it was lived out among the community in this way. The influence of Christianity eventually reached Caesar himself, and around 300 AD, Constantine (emperor of Rome) made Christianity the official religion of Rome. He started building church buildings to gather in. Before long, he created a separation between those who served in the church as “ministers” and the “laity” who had no roles in the church other than to attend. Though there’s nothing wrong with worshipping in a building, the implication became that one must go to a church building to worship. To gather, it must be done at a building. To do ministry was to be done in a building or at a service. But the truth is that God has called us to worship sacrificially with our lives every day of the week wherever we find ourselves (Rom. 12:1-2). God has also called us to gather with one another regularly in real relationships (Acts 2). And God has called every follower of Jesus into ministry (2 Cor. 5) to make Him known, not just “professional Christians.” God has called us to be “salt and light” in the darkness of the world around us, and we have to leave the “safety” of the building to join Jesus on His mission to make disciples (Matt. 28:18-20). Where better to start this mission than in our neighborhoods and homes?
2. The Church is a PEOPLE
“Church” isn’t something that you go to – an event or service. We’re not assigning seats in a large crowd so a “gifted” group of people can perform on stage for us every week. The church is the body of Christ, called into a community in which every person is equally important and needed. We want to be disciples who make disciples for the glory of God and the good of the city. We’re excited to begin this change to help us demonstrate that in a more significant, practical way in our lives. We believe this change will remind us that he’s called us to live as a family in genuine relationships and in accountability, committed to loving one another, caring for one another, and being on mission with Jesus.
God created people to be in relationship with one another, just as He is as the Trinity. It is part of our DNA to be hungry for deeper connections and be a part of a family. Homes are naturally the place for family life, as we’ve already experienced in our CityGroups. We already enjoy eating together or drinking coffee in the living room while reading scripture, praying for one another, and sharing our lives outside a Sunday service. We think this model will help relationships to grow deeper and more quickly. We believe this model will lead to a healthier church family where you can be known, loved, and shepherded to become more like Christ more intentionally.
3. It will help us steward our resources
Our church building has been for sale for two years, even before we considered meeting in homes more regularly. With its size, age, and condition, building operations and repair consume 52% of our offerings (appr. $200,000/year. Typically, this should be 20-30%). This significantly inhibits other areas of our ministry. When it sells, it will be great to see the entire campus used daily to make our southwest community brighter. We plan to rent back portions of our current space for use on most Sundays. We’re also excited to better utilize homes as existing resources and help our partners engage in the current “mission field” of their neighborhoods. Instead of spending more money on buildings, we would be able to direct more of our resources to developing leaders and expanding the Kingdom. We won’t neglect to gather together as the entire body regularly, and there will always be costs associated with gathering, no matter the location. Still, they are going to be minimal compared to the expenses necessary for the current maintenance of the entire campus.
4. Expansion + persecution
Churches all over the world are being persecuted. It’s promised in scripture that we can expect this to happen more and more as the day approaches when Jesus returns. There may be a coming day in America where we aren’t allowed to own a church building or gather publicly, or it won’t be safe to do so. We’ve already seen a foreshadowing of this possibility over the last few years (with COVID restrictions). As we begin to decentralize, we want to be prepared and ready. Typically in scripture, we see persecution is often paired with the expansion of the church. We believe that homes are a vital tool when multiplication happens. It allows for expansion while at the same time maintaining an ideal setting for intimate fellowship.
5. We’re NOT alone!
God is moving all around the world in this way. Many churches are seeking to find ways to be more focused on discipleship and home groups. The fastest growing discipleship movements worldwide are underground (secret) churches meeting in homes in Iran and China. There are also churches all over the United States, considering how they might move towards being more incarnational and missional while doing so in smaller, more relational expressions of the church. Even in Central AR, God is moving through many larger churches in the area and church plants that want to look more like networks of smaller churches or expressions of the church. We are blessed to be in community with them, praying for this movement of Jesus in our city.
After COVID, many believers and non-believers have opted out of meeting corporately. If they connect with other believers, it’s through a live stream of a service, likely not even in their area. On top of that, our country is at an all-time high for being a “post-Christian” nation. Many people don’t trust the church, authority, or organizational leadership. But God has made us all relational people. As we find ways to be a blessing to the world around us (neighbors, co-workers, etc.), we pray that we will have opportunities to share the Gospel of Jesus and make disciples for His glory. There is no doubt that the Spirit of the living God is moving all over the world in His church to be more effective in disciple-making, and like the first-century church, we believe that life together in our homes is the best place to do that.
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All that being said, we will still GATHER corporately on campus. We will not ONLY meet in homes…we will continue to meet for our worship gatherings at 10:00 am on the 2nd, 4th and 5th Sundays of each month.
Ultimately, God will build His church regardless of meeting location or model. And we get to be a part of it!
