New house church resource encourages Christians to walk in 'power of the Holy Spirit'
About two years ago, God gave John Stewart Hill a vision.
“God gave me this vision of connecting the body of Christ outside the brick and mortar walls,” the Dallas-based author and entrepreneur shared with The Christian Post. “The vision is really much bigger than just the house church movement; it’s what I would call the new church of Acts, where everyday Christians were truly walking in the power of the Holy Spirit.”
“Where God leads me, I will follow,” he added.
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In obedience to God’s call, Hill, who is also founder and CEO of The Good Contractors List, developed a site called FindAHouseChurch.com, a free resource for house churches, large churches that are starting small groups, churches that are unable to meet due to COVID, and for people seeking a smaller, more intimate church experience. The site has the stated aim of “Connecting the Body of Jesus Christ (outside the walls) to fulfill the Great Commission and give to those in need.”
In the wake of the pandemic, churches have been forced to largely “flip the script,” Hill said. He explained that while pastors have historically “been in the spotlight,” churches of the future will look more like “equipping stations” for the entire Body of Christ.
“What I mean by that is, these talented ministers, prophets, pastors, and teachers will do what they're actually supposed to do, which is support the ministry of the multitude,” he said.
Hill stressed that he is not “anti-traditional church,” adding he doesn’t believe “God has an ‘I’m right, you’re wrong’ opinion on church. But he noted that due to COVID restrictions, many members of large churches across the U.S. have been joining together to watch services online anyway.
“So I felt it was important to help people invest in a more intimate church experience,” he said.
“These smaller groups are becoming house churches themselves, using their church’s programming, but gathering in their homes.”
In 2011, Hill suffered a catastrophic heart attack that damaged 40% of his heart. Since then, he said, he’s lived to “listen to the voice of God and answer His call.”
“The truth of the matter is, God speaks to us. I felt like the Lord was saying to me, ‘There is a new sound when it comes to my church,’” he shared. “I want everyone to know that they're important to the Body of Christ, that they do have a part to play. You don’t have to have the credentials. You just need to love the Lord, and He will show up if you gather together in His name. It’s so simple, yet we’ve made it very complicated.”
FindAHouseChurch.com operates free of charge and allows users to create an account and search for terms they're interested in, such as “meets on weeknight,” “Baptist church,” or “special needs ministry.” Churches can also create a page sharing the styles and vision of their house churches.
With “dark days” for Christianity looming on the horizon, Hill said he believes it’s essential for the church to reflect Acts 20:20, in which the Apostle Paul speaks of the importance of preaching “house to house.”
Hill said that the Church in the West has become “complacent” and “too comfortable” — and COVID-19 has been nothing short of a “wake-up call.”
“We need to wake up and realize that just checking off a list of 'what I did this week to be a good Christian’ isn’t going to work. There's more to this Christian life than just showing up on Sunday and paying my tithes to a church,” he emphasized. “We have to be sold out, 100 percent for Jesus.”
“We need to wake up from our slumber,” Hill added. “While it’s still day, we need to use every tool that we can to connect each other outside of those traditional church buildings and place the focus back on discipleship.”
