• Directories
    • Business Directory
    • Church Directory
    • Organization Directory
  • Advertise
  • Donate
  • Help
  • Log In

MENUMENU
  • Learning
        • Leader’s Edge
          • Author Interviews
          • Book Summaries
        • Book Reviews
          • Book Look
          • EMQ Book Reviews
        • Publications
          • Anthology
          • Evangelical Missions Quarterly (EMQ)
          • Missiographics
        • Podcasts
          • The Mission Matters
          • Members Only Feed
          • Missions Podcast DirectoryNew
        • Topics
          • COVID-19 Resources
          • Diaspora Missions
          • Global Issues Updates
          • Member Highlights
          • Mobilization
          • Muslim Missions
          • Support Raising
          • UkraineNew
        • Media Library
          • Conferences
          • Global Issue Updates
          • On Mission
          • Thought Leader Briefings
          • Webinars
          • Workshop
          • View All
  • Programs
    • Accreditation
    • Bible Certificate
    • Church Missions Coaching
    • Cohorts
    • Cybersecurity
    • ImproveNew
    • Mission Jobs
    • Missions DataNew
    • Publish
    • RightNow Media
    • The Mission App
    • Women’s Development
  • Events
          • Calendar
          • In-Person Events
          • Virtual Events
          • Event Recordings
          • Awards
        • Premier Events
          • Mission Leaders Conference
          • On Mission
        • Upcoming Events

          • Webinar: An Introduction to the Theology and Practice of Cross-Cultural Risk
            Thu May 26 2022, 12:00pm EDT
          • Pocket Guide to Being a Missions Pastor: 5 Things Every Missions Pastor Needs to Know
            Wed Jun 1 2022, 01:00pm EDT
          • From Harlem to the World - the Local Church Mobilized for Global Missions
            Wed Aug 3 2022, 01:00pm EDT
        • View All Events
  • Research
          • Missions DataNew
          • Missiographics
          • Research Reports
        • Popular Research
          • Compensation Reports
          • COVID-19 Resources
          • Field Attrition Report
          • View All Reports
        • Contribute
          • Current Research Projects
          • Volunteer
  • About Us
        • Who We Are
          • Our Contribution
          • Meet the Team
          • Board Members
          • History (1917–present)
        • Our Beliefs
          • Statement of Faith
          • Community Standards
        • Awards
        • Partner with Us
          • Advertise
          • Donate
          • Sponsorships
          • Volunteer
        • Help
          • Contact Us
          • Advertising Specs
          • Branding Guidelines
  • Join
        • Learn
        • Learn what you cannot learn anywhere else.

        • Meet
        • Meet people you otherwise won’t meet.

        • Engage
        • Engage in a community like none other.

          • Benefits
          • Benefits for Churches
          • Pricing

Sponsored Content

Upcoming Events

  • Webinar: An Introduction to the Theology and Practice of Cross-Cultural Risk
    Thu May 26 2022, 12:00pm EDT
  • Pocket Guide to Being a Missions Pastor: 5 Things Every Missions Pastor Needs to Know
    Wed Jun 1 2022, 01:00pm EDT
  • From Harlem to the World - the Local Church Mobilized for Global Missions
    Wed Aug 3 2022, 01:00pm EDT
  • Innovation Leaders Discussion
    Mon Aug 8 2022, 01:00pm EDT
  • Peer 2 Peer for Communications and Marketing Staff: Communications and the Mission of God: Aligning organizational communications with God's purposes
    Thu Aug 18 2022, 01:00pm EDT

View all events »

Topics

author interview CEO Church Church Missions Church Mission Team Church Planting COVID-19 Cross Cultural Skills Diaspora Disciple Making Discipleship Focus Future Innovation Islam Justin Long Leadership Management Member Care Missiology Missionaries Mission Finance and Administration MLC2019 MLC2020 MLC2021 Mobilization muslim Muslim Diaspora Networks Partnership Podcast Presenter Pursuing Partnerships Series Research Risk Short-Term Missions Spirituality support raising Training Trends Unengaged Unreached Weekly Roundup Women Women in Leadership

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

House Church and Mission: the Importance of Household Structures in Early Christianity

Posted on October 1, 2005 by Ted EslerOctober 1, 2005

by Roger Gehring

Roger Gehring comes to the rescue of those in search of more than popular accounts of the rise of house churches.

Hendrickson Publishers, P.O. Box 3473, Peabody, MA, 01961, 2004, 408 pages, $30.00.

—Reviewed by Mike Barnett, professor of church planting and global Christianity, Columbia International University, Columbia, South Carolina and John Brady, regional leader of Northern Africa and the Middle East International Mission Board (IMB).

We are in the midst of a renaissance of house churches around the world. We cannot deny it, but how can we explain it?

Roger Gehring comes to the rescue of those in search of more than popular accounts of the rise of house churches. At last we have a readable, scholarly, in-depth analysis of the biblical reality and early history of house churches and their role in mission. Gehring’s gold mine of scholarly research identifies the house as a key component for the birth and expansion of the Christian faith. His thesis provides a “rock solid foundation” (311) for those who hold to the viability and vitality of house churches and small groups today.

The most avid house church advocate will be amazed at the biblical evidence for house church strategies. What role did houses play in the strategy of Jesus before and after the resurrection? How did Jesus’ model transfer to the first church in Jerusalem? What about Paul’s work among Gentiles? What went on within the house church? What archaeological evidence is there for the scope and scale of households of faith? These questions and more are carefully answered.

Gehring offers a fresh look at the pattern of mission used by Jesus himself. He systematically unpacks the context and text to reveal the link between the message and work of Christ and the oikos (house or home). He does not shy from controversial aspects of first-century life. He deals with the realities of slavery, the role of women and the absolute power of the householder over family. He relates these issues to both the gospel and the broader ecclesia (church). Positive and negative aspects of oikos culture are identified and changes prescribed in the household codes of Paul’s letters are highlighted.

Though house churches are seen as the “incubator and nucleus of the mission church,” Gehring proposes a balanced tension between house churches, the local church (whole church in one location) and the mission as essential for the health of the church universal (300).

House Church and Mission deserves a wide reading by the missions community. It joins solid, detailed, biblical research with questions of practical mission work. Though the study assumes the reader has some knowledge of Greek, the lay leader will benefit as well. Biblical scholars will likely cherish this volume as an important resource for years to come.

—–

Copyright © 2005 Evangelism and Missions Information Service (EMIS). All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced or copied in any form without written permission from EMIS. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced or copied in any form without written permission from EMIS.

�

GoToOlder PostNewer PostAll PostsBook ReviewsEMQSectionVolume 41 - Issue 4

Comments are closed.

Subscribe to Our Mailing List

Keep up to date with our community.

Menu

  • Home
  • Directories
  • Advertise
  • Donate
  • Contact Us

Join

  • Join
  • Benefits
  • Learn
  • Meet
  • Engage

Help

  • Contact Us
  • Terms
  • Cookies Policy

About Us

  • Who We Are
  • Statement of Faith
  • Awards
  • Resources
Missio Nexus Logo

© Missio Nexus. All rights reserved.
As an Amazon Associate Missio Nexus earns from qualifying purchases.


PO Box 398
Wheaton, IL 60187-0398

Phone: 770.457.6677
678.392.4577

Annual Sponsors

ECFA Logo Brotherhood Mutual Logo

Subscribe to our Mailing List

Membership website powered by MembershipWorks