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The Rise of Institutional Christianity

It's always time to buld church at home

Nothing is static in life, that’s for sure. We live in a world subject to change, and even the Bible assures us that this ‘seasonality’ of things is set to remain for this present age (Genesis 8:22). The first church grew, and with growth came all the challenges of change. Greater numbers required more homes, and some homeowners even built extensions to their houses so that they could accommodate more worshippers. The home-based model held for quite a considerable period, but when Christianity became the religion of the Roman Empire, there was a dramatic and widespread shift from homes to basilicas. Church buildings quickly began to predominate, soon becoming the natural physical centres of the Christian community. Had this process been better managed it is possible that the home-centred nature of the ekklesia could have been retained, but for a variety of reasons, this was not to be the case and thus began seventeen centuries of what might be termed ‘institutional Christianity’. The unique relational and cultural dynamic of the home-based church was lost, but not forever, for there have always been those who have held a vision for the first church, and there
are many in our day who are returning to their heritage in this respect. It's always time to build church at home.

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