Cam's Blog
House Church: A spiritual “Base” Community
I am interested in exploring the creation of a “house church” as an extension of the Trinity community and I am wondering if that has an appeal to anyone else. Trinity is already a constellation of different worshipping communities and a house church would be another unique contribution.
The concept of a base community and the idea of a house church are not new or unique, they populate the world and even Buffalo. Christian base communities emerged from the Liberation Theology movements in Latin America and South Africa and are a way of doing church that is smaller, more concentrated and with a higher degree of personal commitment required than the more traditional version of Church. It normally involves some kind of action/reflection process, commitment to a neighborhood-focused outreach, and worship.
So I am running it up the flagpole to see who salutes, so to speak. It would involve purchasing a house on the near Westside and giving it some care, creating one or two market rental apartments in it, and opening up the first floor for a worshipping community of twenty-five to fifty people. From there, the community would meet, serve and worship together with a clear set of expectations and commitments for membership. It would also, remain connected to and serve Trinity and our mission.
If you are interested in exploring this possibility, join me for a casual discussion on Tuesday, July 13th at 7:00 PM in The Connector conference room (come to the double glass doors all the way in the very back of the courtyard). Maybe I’ll see you there!
Posted on Jun 26, 2010
