SOME RANDOM TIPS ON CHURCH AND HOSPITALITY IN THE HOME.
1. The less you do, the more time you will have for others.
2. Quality can only come from Quantity. The more time we spend with people the more quality interaction is going to happen.
3. Avoid always meeting in the same house as a church. The longer you meet in one place the more organised and skilled the hospitality becomes. This is great on the day, but it can also reinforce to newcomers and members alike, that they cannot open there homes up, as they will never be as good as you. Keep it simple, and keep moving around.
4. On the same theme, do not choose or cancel a home because of size or location etc. If you want to be real and deeper with one another, go into each others’ homes regularly. In this way of doing church it is not location location location, but home home home! We gather in mansions and bed sits.
5. Remember people are watching and copying what you do, so make it reproducible. If you are going to have communion, use everyday things like wine glasses etc. which most people have instead of special communion cups which no one else has. This goes for worship, baptism etc.
6. Try to reflect Christ, not learned church behaviour.
7. We always aim to make the goal of having the very best food possible at the gathering. I know some groups who encourage their people to bring the very best of their pantry to the church’s table. Some encourage people to use some of their giving money to stop off on the way and buy some of ‘the best’, in this way everyone is blessed as they enjoy the first fruits.
8. Mind you, I know groups who have a simple cup of tea and a biscuit and powerful Koinonia still happens.
9. Since walking into the new wine skin, I avoid meeting people at the café if at all possible, but instead ask myself to their home or invite them to mine. I have had a lot more meaningful connection since this has happened.
10. Opening your home does cost time and effort, but all good things do.
11. It seems a very post modern and popular choice to talk about having organic type church in café’s, pubs etc. I am not convinced that they are the best choice for a venue. Why not go have it at home? Are people too scared of the normality and reality of it? I have been to a few of these ‘alternative churches’, and have several times been subjugated to the torture of institutional churches pretending to be cafes in their services (God help us!).
12. These days buying food in is as good an option as cooking for some folks.
13. When having people over, remember atmosphere. Welcome people at the door, offer drinks and nibbles straight away, and have background music on in the background (psychologists have shown that food and music are the quickest way to make people feel comfortable!) Introduce people to each other.
14. Going away as friends or as a church or larger group, is like putting a turbo on the progression of your relationships. This has been given to me as a tip by house churches in the North Island and South Island. They say having a weekend away is better than 6 months gathering together weekly.
