Webster defines a home as a place of residence, like a house or apartment, or the social unit of a family living together. Webster also defines church as a building for public worship, an organized body of religious believers, and the act of public worship itself.
These are two independent ideas that when applied together foster a healthy community that has the capability of embodying Jesus. So how do we go from a church to a church home? There are characteristics of a home that when applied to church that can help interweave these two independent ideas.
Warmth and belonging. There is a reason Dorothy clicked those red heels and repeated the phrase “There is no place like home.” Home is a place of belonging and safety. It is the first place we think to turn when we are in danger. Home in part feels safe because of the familiar faces that reside there. Large churches, although they have their place, tend to lose this piece of the puzzle along the way. It is hard to feel at home when you don’t experience familiar faces and without familiar faces the safety of home goes by the wayside. With a church body that commits to regular attendance those familiar faces begin to show up.
Another characteristic of a home are chores. Growing up most kids are given a chore list be it taking out the trash, cleaning your room, or doing the dishes. Regardless of what the chore itself is, chores are a core part of a home. It is the collective buy in of the family unit to put in the work to help make the household run. In this same way in order for a church to move closer to a church home there are chores that need to be done from those that live there. There are tangible needs that a church has; from cleaning, to children care, to being the first smiling familiar face that people see when they arrive. When you do these chores you are buying in to this place being home. Chores aren’t fun but with them comes an ownership piece that isn’t there if those chores aren’t being done.
As much as home is a refuge and safe place that doesn’t mean that it is always rainbows and butterflies. There is strife and conflict in a home that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. There are difficult conversations that are had within a home. This isn’t a free license to judge or call out but there is an accountability piece that is healthy. If you notice someone struggling approaching with love means not attacking while also not condoning the behavior.
So what does a church home look like? It looks like living life in community outside of just the Sunday gathering. It looks like sharing the workload not from a place of obligation but from an ownership standpoint. It looks like being accountable and holding othersaccountable as well. It looks like actually loving one another which can sometimes mean difficult conversations. It looks like receiving those difficult conversations with grace and understanding that it is coming from a place of love and concern.
As we live out this church home life we model what it means to follow Christ to those guests that come to our home. That they may experience something different and know what it means to be home.