Many pastors have come to realise the problems of a large institutional church. They can also see the advantages of the New Testament house churches, so they are making house groups part of their system. But because the house groups remain subordinate to the other activities of the church, this is really a compromise with tradition. They are just being used as a technique for maintaining a large church. The main meeting is still the large Sunday service led by the pastor. As long as the house group is subordinate to the church system, it will not reach its full potential. Obedience to the New Testament demands more radical change.
The churches described on these pages will each be independent and autonomous. They will not be groups within a larger church structure. Because each one functions independently, it will be able to survive if it were cut off from the support of other churches.
Return to Apostles.