A Glimpse into Gatherings: Letting Go of Liturgy

One of the most important and sometimes difficult mindset shifts when joining or starting a house church can be letting go of the idea of having a “liturgy,” a standard format for church gatherings. As we put it in our podcast episode, Troubleshooting Common House Church Issues, describing what house church is like requires shifting from asking once, “So what do you guys do?” to asking about each meeting, “So what did you guys do today?” 

Later in this article series, we’ll dive into many of the specific ways we’ve seen house churches spend their gatherings–both scheduled and spontaneous ones. We’ll also share some of the heart and reasons for choosing (or not choosing) certain activities at certain times—and how to make those decisions. We want to give a wide, practical view into what living into the scriptural examples for church gatherings looks like in a healthy, mature house church setting. We hope that sharing these experiences brings visibility for those nervous about the unknowns, as well as hope and inspiration for those struggling to let go of the idea of needing a liturgy. 

But before we dig into the breadth of what not having a liturgy can look like, we want to take a look at the depth of the purpose and scripture behind that choice.

When we remove the need for liturgy, we can focus our gatherings on edifying the church based on the specific, personal needs of the people for that day and that season. 

Because of that, we can tailor the entirety of each gathering to the needs of the church, based on what’s happening in their lives, faiths, and connections with other body members. We aren’t limited to trying to address those needs in a specific format or with specific activities. Instead, we are constantly shaping our gatherings based on what we decide when we “consider how to stir one another up,” as Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV) says,

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

Not only that, but removing the liturgy also allows us much more freedom to adjust gatherings to meet the needs of guests–whether those guests are nonbelievers or long-time Christians, near-strangers or family members, in town for a day or planning to stick around for years.

That doesn’t mean every gathering is a free-for-all, either. It just means that we decide how pre-planned and structured vs unstructured a gathering is (and what fills the structure when it is pre-planned) very purposefully for each time we gather. 

With those foundational considerations in mind, the simple answer to the question, “Okay but what do you guys generally do?” is this: sometimes there's teaching, sometimes there’s discussion on a bible passage, and sometimes there’s neither. Sometimes there’s food, sometimes there’s music, and sometimes there’s an undeniably supernatural move of the Spirit of God. Sometimes a meeting is prayerfully planned ahead of time, and sometimes a meeting is prayerfully left wide open with no prepared structure. But always–even with prepared teachings led by one person–there is opportunity for participation and action from the entire body and not just the leading few (we talk more about the heart of that in this article). 

We see the same example if we examine the dozens of examples in scripture where the authors either describe a time where believers gathered together or give instructions for when they are gathered together, whether for scheduled or spontaneous meetings. Sometimes when they gathered, they prayed (Acts 1:12-14, Acts 2:42-47, Acts 4:23-31, Acts 12:12-17, James 5:16). Sometimes they ate together or “broke bread” (Acts 2:42-47, Acts 20:7-12, 1 Corinthians 11:17-34). Sometimes they made decisions (Acts 1:15-26, Acts 6:1-6, Acts 15:6-21). Sometimes they worshiped and praised the Lord (Acts 2:42-47, Acts 13:1-3); sent people out for a specific purpose (Acts 6:1-6, Acts 13:1-3); or received gifts, miracles, revelation, and direction from the Spirit of God (Acts 2:42-47, Acts 4:23-31, Acts 13:1-3, Acts 20:7-12). Sometimes, they were to address sin (Matthew 18:17) and even deliver people over to Satan (1 Corinthians 5:4-5).

If the earliest church had a liturgy for their meetings, we don’t see it represented in scripture.

While they had many patterns to their purposes for gathering, we don’t see a set format instituted or suggested. In fact, even when the church gatherings of Corinthians were becoming disorderly and chaotic, Paul does not give them a set pattern to follow, though that may have been easier. Instead, in 1 Corinthians 11-14, he shares wisdom and sets guardrails around their eating together and their practice of the gifts of the Spirits. He encourages them not to spend their time together in a set way or order, but rather to focus on, when each has a gift to give, “letting all things be done for building up” (1 Corinthians 14:26).

The most natural follow-up question then is usually, “How do you decide what to do every time, then?” Sometimes, that’s followed by, “Doesn’t that get exhausting?” Looking at lots of stories and experiences all at once, like those we’ll share in the rest of the A Glimpse into Gatherings articles, can make it seem overwhelming or intimidating. Keep in mind, though, that these are examples of ways the Lord has called some of His people to spend their time together from years and years of experiences across dozens of house churches; they aren’t a list to dig through for every gathering. 

Considering all the possibilities the Lord may have for a gathering doesn’t happen by digging through a list–it happens through the guiding of the Holy Spirit. 

It’s the Spirit that guides and gifts God’s people to build up the church. We see Paul repeatedly emphasize this point to the church in discussing their times gathered together, especially in 1 Corinthians 11-14. Often, we’ve found there’s also not just one “right” answer for what the people of God “should” do during any given gathering. At the same time, there’s often a call to specific action, conversation, or decision. The hope of this article series isn’t to give house churches a list to pick from for their gatherings but rather a touchpoint for potential inspiration and connection to your own church’s needs. 

We’ve also found that the Spirit often gifts leaders in guiding the church’s time together, whether for an hour or a season, and whether as the decision makers or the delegators. We’ll share more about the role of leadership in the house church setting in a future article. For now, a helpful baseline comes from how we see scripture that God gifts church leaders to have “oversight” of the church as a shepherd oversees a flock of sheep. That’s why they often play a large role in guiding the direction of gatherings–though they may not always be the main person speaking, praying, or acting. 

With that said, we’re ready to dive into the breadth of what not having a liturgy can look like. To make it easier to digest, we’re organizing this article series into categories, but keep in mind that any given gathering time likely includes purposes across multiple categories, and often they are intertwined.

For more glimpses into what a house church gathering looks like, you can also check out the other articles in this series: A Glimpse into Gatherings: Approaching Scripture; A Glimpse into Gatherings: Approaching Fellowship, Communion, Partnership, and Edification; and A Glimpse into Gatherings: Approaching Worship and Prayer.