House Church
Church around the table
River & Way is a network of House Churches that gather in family room sized communities as the primary way of coming together as a church. We love and value different expressions of church and believe that part of the primary call of River & Way is that all people would participate in the life of the church as we mature in our disciple to Jesus and living intentionally in the world.
The book of Acts describes the church gathering differently than what most of us experience today. We see followers of Jesus who know each other intimately, give themselves over to the apostle's teachings, and share their lives generously and honestly with one another around the table.
We believe this family life happens around the dinner table. The Lord's Supper is a practice that Jesus himself instituted, and that we practice together. We see it as necessary for members of God's family to gather together around the table to break bread, fellowship, pray, give themselves to the apostle's teaching, and follow Jesus in all of life.
What is a House Church?
A committed Spirit-filled community on mission, maturing in our discipleship, as we practice the way of Jesus together in Bakersfield.
We have four minimums that we regularly practice in our house churches, those minimums are Family, Liturgy, Discipleship, and Mission. Our desire is to live in a way where we are known and we belong to one another, be connected to the redemptive and sacred story of God, to mature in the way we follow Jesus, and to feel empowered to live on mission in the world.
Family: The Church is the gathered, new family of God that is a place of belonging and knowing one another that goes into the everyday ordinary rhythms of our lives.
Liturgy: The Church is rooted in something deep and ancient. We are committed to allowing the redemptive sacred story of God found in the Scriptures, as well as the historic Church shape and form us in the way of Jesus as a community.
Discipleship: We are called to abide and remain in Jesus, and keep His commandments - and in this way, we love him. We intentionally seek to mature a grow in our apprenticeship to Jesus as disciples within community.
Mission: The Mission of the Church is not just for a select few, but an invitation for all followers of Jesus to participate in the in-breaking Kingdom of God. We actively work with justice and righteousness initiatives in our city.
What happens on a Sunday in a House Church?
Bread & Cup
The Church has been taking the bread and cup together for centuries as a vital part of their coming together and we practice doing the same. Each week we gather together and take the Lord’s supper as a community as an embodied remembrance of God’s grace in our lives and His presence in our communities.
Feast
The early church did not just share a piece of cracker and sip of wine together; they broke bread together and lived life together around the table. We see eating together as a necessary practice for the family of God. This is most often the place we move from individuals who follow Jesus to a community who follows Jesus together. When we gather in homes we have a family potluck-style meal.
Prayers and Praises
Prayer is like breathing for a person who follows Jesus. It may not come as naturally, but it is as essential. We long for our communities to be places of prayer and praise. This may look like individuals praying over one another, reciting a historical prayer from Jesus or the early church, or singing songs in worship of Jesus together and will often include all three.
One Another
The Scriptures make clear that the responsibility of caring for and loving one another belongs to every person in the church (1 Co. 14v26, Jm. 5v16, 1 Th. 5v11). We will have an intentional time praying for one another, ministering to one another, and edifying one another as a part of our time together each week.
Scriptures
Reading the Scriptures together is essential to our following of Jesus together. Each week we come together we will read different passages together and sit under the authority of the Scriptures as a community. We will also be given to reading the Scriptures together through the rest of the week in our own homes.
Teaching
We do believe that teaching and preaching are important, and while most of that will happen in our ALL Gatherings we will also have a time of teaching during our House Church gatherings. The teaching will be formed communally from the previous week’s Scripture reading and will be a brief time of exhortation.
Blessing
We conclude our time together by reading a blessing over the community, either from the Scriptures or from Church History. This is intended to conclude our time spent gathering together in this way and bless the community as we move back into the world to live on mission empowered by God’s presence.
A Note on Kids…
Our desire is that kids participate in as much of the House Church gathering as possible. We see kids of all ages participating in the life of the church as a high value and a beautiful inheritance. There may be some times of prayer or ministry in House Church that may not be best suited for kids and so each House Church may have designated “kid specific” time. Our aim overall is to include kids in this practice of church.
When do House Churches Meet?
Our rhythm of Gathering as a community revolves around meeting week to week in homes across the city, and the first Sunday of each month all House Churches gather together. We gather primarily on the The Lords Day (Sunday) to orient our weeks and lives towards Jesus in worship, fellowship, learning, and rest. In addition to this primary way of gathering, we practice a seasonal midweek gathering for adults, students, and kids to participate in discipleship pathways an optional way of growing together in community.
All River & Way and House Churches gather together on the first Sunday of the month corporately. Our locations are not necessarily fixed, so check out our EVENTS page or follow us on INSTAGRAM for Sunday’s locations.
We scatter throughout the city to worship together in House Churches. This is our primary way of gathering together. House Churches are “self selected” and most gather on Sunday mornings, though there are some groups who meet at other times.
Midweek is an optional intentional discipleship pathway for adults, students, and kids to grow in their experience and knowledge of Jesus. We host regular worship nights, in depth studies of the Scriptures, theology, and spiritual formation. Midweek gatherings happen for seasonal periods of time in the Fall, Winter, and Spring.
How do I Join a House Church?
The best way to join a House Church is to visit at our All Gathering on the first Sunday of the month. You can find when and where we’re meeting at our EVENTS page. You can also jump into an open House Church on any given Sunday. Please fill out the form and someone from our pastoral team will help you with the next steps.