House Church

RENOVATION YOUTH
(Renovation Youth Fall Kickoff Slide).
Good morning everyone! My name is David Sorn, and I’m the Lead Pastor here at Renovation Church.
Before we get into our message this morning, there are a couple of things I want to personally highlight for you…
#1: Our Fall Kickoff for our 6th – 12th graders in Renovation Youth…is THIS Wednesday!
We are so excited because this year, for the first time in our church’s history we are splitting into Middle School & High School…
…and so I want to call on stage both our Middle School Youth Pastor, Lydia, and our High School Pastor, Will, and introduce them to you.

We’ll start with Lydia.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and why you are excited for Renovation Youth and Middle School students.
Okay Will,
Tell us a little bit about yourself and why you are excited for what God’s going to do at Renovation Youth for High School students

Parents, if you have a 6th-12th grader, get them there this Wednesday night.
For many of these students, it’s hard to live as a follower of Christ nowadays, and having other Christian friends, and adult mentors to help them grow is about the best thing you can give your student.
It’s more helpful than any sport, any activity, or any job
Because it is setting them up well for the deeper things of their adult lives… and also eternity.
So get them there.
All right, you guys can have a seat.

FAMILY FUN DAY
(Volunteer at Family Fun Day)
The other quick thing I wanted to mention to you is that we are only 2 weeks away from our Massive Family Fun Days outreach
After each of our 6 services that weekend, kids will get a free wristband to play in a field full of inflatables across the street at Sunrise Elementary
…and every kid AND adult (Praise God) will each get two free food tickets to use at one of many, many food trucks we’ll have there.
But in order to pull off an event of this scale, we still need 90 volunteers to make it happen.
That is a lot. And we’re only 13 days away from the first service.
So if you haven’t signed up yet to help, we need you.
Even if you’re serving somewhere else that weekend, we need you.
If you could get out your own even right now, and open up to the connect tab of our app to serve. Seriously, that would be such a blessing!
And… start praying about who you want to invite.
This is SUCH a good way to invite a neighbor, a co-worker, a friend to hear about Jesus
We’ll hand you invite cards on the way out the door today, so you can start inviting.
And finally, in the lobby, we have Family Fun Days Yard Signs, that we’d love for you to take home, and put in your yard, and more importantly, use that as a conversation starter to invite your neighbors!

WHAT IS HAPPENING & WHAT ARE HOUSE CHURCHES
(Renovation Church Slide)
Okay, you know there are a lot of very unique things about Renovation Church.
But probably the most unique thing about our church is our House Groups.
Over 80% of our Sunday attendance is in a House Group.
That’s incredibly high!
And it’s not just that we have such high involvement, it’s that the House Groups themselves are unique.
They are groups of 40 people.
They’re intergenerational.
They meet every week
They have large group time and small group time.
And on and on…
And today, we’re moving to the next chapter of House Groups.
I’m excited to tell you today that after over a year of prayer and discussion with many of our leaders and House Leaders, we’ve made the decision to update the name of House Group to House Church
(House Church Slide)
And I want to spend the majority of my time this morning talking about this update
To start with, one of the very basic reasons we are changing the name is that we already always found ourselves describing it this way anyway as we tried to tell people how different our groups are.
If you’ve ever been in Renovation Rundown, you’ve probably heard me say:
“A House Group has 40 people in them, and, and honestly, it’s a lot more like a House Church than a typical church small group.”
And before we go any further, I want to make something abundantly clear.
This is not a reworking of what we’re doing.
It’s a more accurate naming of what we’re already doing.
And so practically, if you were in a House Group last year, when you get to House Church this year, it’s going to feel pretty much the same.
These are not becoming autonomous, independent churches on their own.
The House Church Leaders won’t be preaching or leading worship on the kazoo.
Functionally, they are going to look largely the same.
But words matter.
And I’m going to talk more about why this matters so much to us in a little bit.
But first, I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself because the truth is, we’ve had such tremendous growth over the last year, that almost half of you in this room have either never been in a House Group, or have been in one for less than a year.
So before I go any further, I want to show you a quick video of what being in a House Church will be like.
(Play House Church Video)

(House Church slide)
We are actually starting 3 brand-new House Churches this year, including, for the first time ever, one on Sunday afternoons.
And you can sign up for one of those NEW house churches, or any of our 20+ existing ones if that is a better fit for you.
You’ll get a lot more details on HOW to sign up later in announcements.

THE BIBLICAL FOUNDATION
But I want to look now at our Biblical Foundation for this.
So everybody grab a Bible
Acts 2:38-47
Page 744
We’re going to see a Biblical foundation for the balance between large & small
And we’re going to see it by looking at a church in the Bible that many Christians hold up as the “gold standard,”
This is what we call “The early church”
The first church in Jerusalem.
We’ll join the story on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit first came upon the disciples, and the disciple Peter stood up and spoke to an enormous crowd that had come running.
This is the first big outreach event of the church 😊
Here’s what Peter said to the gathered large crowd:
(Acts 2:38-41) – NIV
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
(House Church)
Shortly thereafter, in Acts chapter 4, we read the church grows by an additional 2,000 people!
And a lot of the ministry (what we would today call “church”) here in Acts is happening in large groups.
We just read that Peter preached to the thousands…
In a second, in verse 46, we’re going to see that these early Christians ALL met together in the temple courts
Acts chapter 5 clarifies further saying all the believers gathered together in Solomon’s Colonnade in the temple, and the Apostles taught them, by the thousands, God’s Word.
I hear Christians say all the time, “Let’s be like the early church (but when they say that, they almost always they mean, let’s not gather in large group and just meet in homes)
And I always want to say, “Have you actually read the book of Acts?! That’s not what it says! That’s only half the story!
The large group gathering (whether it be a church of 200 or 2,000) matters because the Bible prioritizes corporate worship
It matters, especially when it comes to Bible teaching, doctrine, theology.
In 2 Timothy 2, Paul says our Bible teachers need to “correctly handle the word of truth”
And these apostles were trained, by Jesus Himself…they could pass on His core teachings accurately to the movement.
And even Paul stresses the importance of qualified teachers when he appoints pastors.
I’ve witnessed firsthand in Eastern Africa what happens when pastors and Bible teachers aren’t trained.
In fact, in many areas of East Africa, over 80% of pastors are untrained
And heresy, and even Christian cults, are everywhere.
And so what happens here in the large gathering is VERY important for our spiritual growth.
HOWEVER, if this is all “church” is, then we’re missing the very important other half of CHURCH…as described in the Bible.
Let’s keep reading.
Verse 42 now.
(Acts 2:42-47) – NIV
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
(House Church)
And so here we read the new followers of Jesus:
Not only met together in a large group
But they also met together, in homes, so they could know each other, disciple each other.
They took communion together…in their homes
And we see this pattern of churches meeting in homes throughout the New Testament (Romans 16, Philemon 1)…
These House Churches were where discipleship happened, encouragement was given, and correction was exercised…
They were where you were supported when life got rough…and people prayed for you personally when the bottom fell out.
They were your community.
And all of that is an integral part of church.
And what’s fascinating is that you see this balanced model of Big & Small in Jesus’ ministry too.
Jesus didn’t just hang out and mentor the 12 disciples, He also taught the crowds by the thousands even.
We’re not very good at tensions in America (we’re polarized), but listen BOTH the large and the small equally matter.

WHY THE UPDATE TO HOUSE CHURCH IS IMPORTANT
And so that’s our heart for bringing a Biblical balance to the importance of large and small gatherings
But I want to go deeper now into why we chose to update the name of House Groups to House Churches
One of my favorite leadership principles is:
Words Create Worlds
If you’re a leader, a manager, you own a business, you probably live this principle every day even if you’re not aware of it
You know that what you call something matters...whether it be a job title, a program, or even a product.
Every word has different connotations and thus even causes people to act differently or treat it differently.
For example, our leaders talked about this principle even when we named this very room you’re sitting in.
Is this space an auditorium, or a worship center?
Words create worlds.
How you name something effects how a person interacts with it
And so I want to give you 4 reasons why the name update to House Church is important
WHY THE UDPATE TO HOUSE CHURCH IS IMPORTANT
#1: It communicates the level of importance of these gatherings
“You want me in church twice a week?”
Yeah, because they’re both equally important.
We just read in Acts Chapter 2 in the Bible, that these smaller gatherings in houses were an absolutely critical part of church
And so if that smaller gathering is going to be equally important, the words by which we label it MATTER
Calling it church brings more weight than calling it a group!
BUT…but…many of us because of how we grew up (not because of what the Bible actually says), but because of the church tradition we were brought up in, we want to say, “No….THIS is church!”
There’s a building with a cross on it, and worship band, and a stage….
…and none of those things define church in the Bible, or throughout much of the globe for our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Renovation church didn’t even have a building for 11 years, and I’d like to believe we were a church!
But what happens on a Tuesday night at House Church, or a Sunday afternoon, is just as important as what happens here.
And that leads me to my 2nd point.
WHY THE UDPATE TO HOUSE CHURCH IS IMPORTANT
#1: It communicates the level of importance of these gatherings
#2: It emphasizes that discipleship and community are not just extra credit
What has happened is that American Christians have declared that the Sunday morning gathering is “CHURCH,” but if you want to be in Christian Community or have someone disciple you to grow deeper, that’s just icing on the cake.
But Biblically, that’s just not true.
I think of Hebrews 10, which says:
(Hebrews 10:24-25) – NIV
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
As a Christ-follower, how are you supposed to obey that passage here, on a Sunday morning?
It’s certainly not easy…
In fact, as we say often, there are 54 “one another commands” in the New Testament (love one another, encourage one another, challenge one another), and you can’t obey hardly any of them here on a Sunday morning.
And so the place where you can fulfill them (in a House of gathered believers), is not extra credit.
It’s just as much a key part of what being the church (the body of Christ) as this.
And by the way, it would be also out of balance to just say, “Well, I’m just going to do House Church then”
Then you’d miss other parts of being the church that you couldn’t fulfill.
WHY THE UDPATE TO HOUSE CHURCH IS IMPORTANT
#1: It communicates the level of importance of these gatherings
#2: It emphasizes that discipleship and community are not just extra credit
#3: It better describes what our leaders do and who they are
Each House Church is led by a leader, we call an elder.
Which doesn’t necessarily mean they’re older, but that they are, according to the Bible, spiritually qualified for their main responsibility: Which is to shepherd the flock
In Scripture, an elder is not someone who sits in a boardroom and writes policy like many of us think of them…
A Biblical elder is someone who knows you and serves you by their counsel, wisdom, exhortation, and prayer.
They watch over the flock.
But if we just call that person a group leader, that sounds more like they’re just there to give announcements, keep the night on schedule, and organize the snacks.
But we see these elders as your spiritual leaders, your shepherd.
I, as the Lead Pastor of this church, can’t shepherd all of you.
If I met with one of you a day, it would take years and years and years.
And logistics aside, one of my strongest theological convictions is what theologians call “The Priesthood of all Believers.”
That’s the Biblical Truth that there is no special priestly (or pastoral) class of people who alone can do the ministry.
If you want to know more about this doctrine, check on our message from last September on the app or website called, “I am a priest”
I think one of the main reasons this church has had such tremendous growth is that it doesn’t just rely on me as the Lead Pastor.
We believe every believer has the Holy Spirit and thus, if they meet the qualifications, can lead.
And so for 14 years now, people have been cared for by these shepherds, our elders
Even when were 100 people, I said, “I can’t lead all of you, but these elders can”
And so by naming these gatherings, House Churches, it helps clarify the weight and role of our elders
Let me give you a 4th reason why we’ve updated to House Church
WHY THE UDPATE TO HOUSE CHURCH IS IMPORTANT
#1: It communicates the level of importance of these gatherings
#2: It emphasizes that discipleship and community are not just extra credit
#3: It better describes what our leaders do and who they are
#4: It better describes how we should relate to each other
If it’s just a group, we will just fall deeper into, what I think, is one of the biggest misunderstandings Americans have about Church in our day.
That is, people feel that the main reason to be in Christian community is to find friends.
Now, that is a byproduct for many, and I hope it’s a byproduct for you.
But it’s not the purpose.
And if you go into this thinking, “I’m going to join so I can find some people like me who I can be friends with,” as a teacher of God’s Word, I want to tell you that is not what this Book Teaches.
That fits very nicely with American consumerism, but it’s not God’s picture of the Church.
And see a “Group”, feels like a place you go to make friends and find people like you.
But a CHURCH, in the Bible, is described not as a group of friends, but as a family.
As brothers & sisters in Christ.
In some ways I’m like my sister, and in other ways, I’m not at all
But we’re family nonetheless.
A church is a family that is different and varied in age and interest and even spiritual maturity.
In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul says we’re different, that’s why we have different gifts.
In Titus 2, we see Paul expecting the older women to set an example for the younger women…
…and for the different generations to interact.
If we all just get in groups of 30-35 year olds who like pickleball, then we’ve misunderstood what it means to be the church.
And I get that a lot of this is countercultural, and it runs against the grain of consumerism, or even what most churches do…
But my job isn’t to lead us to what’s popular, or even what we desire, but to the truth of Scripture.
So God can conform us into the image of His Son.
So words matter.
They frame how we interact with the world.
And because they matter, can some of you do me a favor?
I know people, and I know about 10% of you have already decided in your brain, “I’m just going to keep calling it House Group anyway.” 😊
Don’t do that.
We want to elevate what God is doing in those spaces.
Because He’s doing amazing things.
Let me just read to you from an email I’ve received from one of our House Church Leaders, an elder.
He starts by talking about how awesome it is that some of his attenders have grown so much that they are being sent out to help start new House Churches
And then he says, “And we’ve had so many answered prayers as we’ve prayed for each other: including reconciled marriages. And a reconciled parent-child relationship that every single one of us had been praying for.
Other Leaders wrote me about how their people were so blown away that their house church hand-delivered meals to them each day after a surgery.
That their elder visited them in the hospital
They their house church threw a baby shower for them.
These are the things we often identify with the “small church,” and that’s great.
Because what we want you for, and what God’s Word wants for you is the best of both worlds.
To have that small church (your house church) where people really know you and take care of you…and run after you even if you start to stray.
AND to have this gathering where you can worship and deeply learn the Word of God!
We want you to have both.
Because both are church.
And so I can not urge you enough to be part of it…
Let me pray.