About false doctrine in house churches

Q: I’ve heard people say that house churches are just a “pooling of ignorance” and that false doctrine is much more likely to be spread in a small group or house church. Is that true?

TRW: If people are involved, errant teaching is always possible. It’s true in a church of 10,000 people meeting in a cathedral, and it’s true in a church of 10 people meeting in a house.

A church that pays a full-time professional has not insulated itself against false teaching. Do we really believe that every time an ordained pastor’s mouth opens, absolute truth comes out? We have all heard many accusations of false doctrine—and bad behavior—charged against pastors of megachurches as well as pastors of “institutional churches.”

“Examine everything”

Don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying that pastors should be distrusted as propagators of falsehood. As a general rule, they’re doing the best they can. But no one is infallible … not even the pope.

Paul said, “Examine everything; hold firmly to that which is good” (1 Thess 5:21). If you’re like most people, you don’t turn off your brain when a pastor speaks. Most people are aware that the pastor is capable of misstatement and even error.

Opportunity for Correction

Within small or large congregations, you can be sure that many errant ideas exist within the minds of the members—as well as within the pastoral staff. The real issue is not whether errant ideas exist, but does your church provide an environment where errant ideas can be gently addressed?

The answer is not to silence everyone and only allow the pastor to speak. You can’t control what people say. You can only control how you personally react to what they say.

I believe it was Alexander Campbell who said, “Free discussion is the heart and soul of all reformation.” I think he made that statement around 1853, but I first saw it around 1978. For me, the truth of that statement has been verified repeatedly over the last half century. In other words, I think we are more likely to find truth when we allow free discussion.

Correcting with Gentleness

I think that house churches may actually offer a greater protection against false doctrine. Why?

In a small group where everyone has the freedom to speak, there is a greater likelihood that false doctrine will be quickly recognized, challenged, and gently corrected by someone else in the group. As Paul urged Timothy, “The Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, skillful in teaching, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition” (2 Tim. 2:24-25).

When the Holy Spirit is allowed to flourish, errant ideas can be quickly and gently addressed. As Paul told the Christians at Thessalonica, “Do not quench the Spirit, do not utterly reject prophecies, but examine everything; hold firmly to that which is good” (1 Thess. 5:20-21). A house church culture, like those in the first century, must allow the Spirit to reign so that everyone can be involved in “examining everything.” (See also 1 Cor. 14:29.)

One-Anothering

In larger churches with professional pastors, church members are less likely to challenge the pastor. In these church cultures, the pastor is often put on a pedestal, and people are afraid to challenge whatever the pastor says.

This culture is a problem. It fosters domineering pastors and repressed people. But in a small gathering, the dynamics are different. In the “one-anothering” home-based assemblies of the early Christians, many people contributed to the upbuilding of others (1 Cor. 14:26-31), not just one person.

It comes down to this: Do you believe that God has given His Spirit to all Christians … or only to the pastor?

“To each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” (1 Cor. 12:7)