House churches are small gatherings of believers throughout neighborhoods in our city that exist to be Jesus to that community. They act as the family of Christ through community, communion, and mission. They strive to openly invite and welcome others to join the family and show the love of Jesus to their neighbors.
Each House church is consistently led by an individual or couple. These individuals are people who have expressed the desire to reach out to their community and have been called to lead a group of individuals toward that purpose.
House Churches have different individuals in all stages of life, with different personalities. We do this because we want to learn and grow from one another and highlight Jesus as our unifying factor.
House churches seek to make and equip disciples of Christ. Members of the HC grow as they teach one another how to obey all that Jesus commands and learn to be accountable to Scripture. We recognize that the extent to which a personlooks like Christ is a measurement of spiritual maturity. Members encourage one another toward this through accountability and transparency.
We also seek to develop and motivate new godly leaders in order to facilitate multiplication of house churches which allows us to further make and equip new disciples of Christ. Through the process of discipling we seek to identify potential future HC leaders which God is raising up in His churches. Continuing to multiply into new HC’s helps us maintain the outward mind-set, that each of our homes is the church in our community.
Every House Church (HC) is unique. Content and activities within each will vary with the individuals involved. Each HC is asked to create their own plan for the year involving three rythms (communion, community, and mission). How these elements take place depends on the specific goals and gifts of the HC members.
Some examples of this expression could inlcude: food, a time for sharing in each other’s lives, prayer for one another, a time learning what the Bible says and how it applies, a time to separate into smaller groups of men and women, special events or celebration of birthdays, serving their community, having a neighborhood bbq, or whatever else they decide.
Once they have decided on goals, funding and prayer come from the entire Soma Community. In this way we all can share directly in our local neighborhoods.
Guests are welcome and are invited to participate in as little or as much as they like.
We want parents to be able to openly ask for prayer and share life’s challenges. At the same time, children need to see their parent’s faith lived out. They need to be taught by Mom and/or Dad that God is real and we can trust Him. There must be a balance of freedom and responsibility. Below are some options to discuss as a House Church.
These are just some suggestions. We realize that nothing can totally alleviate the responsibility parents feel for children when in another’s house. We encourage both parents and non parents in House Churches to consider one another with patience and love. Help one another grow our children into Godly men and women.
We want to provide an opportunity to explore our new space together and get a feel for what to expect week to week. For this reason we will be setting up together and participating in a trial run. We will begin regular use of the YMCA in the month of June. Please see the calendar below for gathering information. While some people have specific... continue »
