House Churches and Early Church Buildings

2 JOHN The earliest Christians gathered for worship and fellowship in private homes. Affluent Christians with more spacious homes generally opened them to their brothers and sisters in Christ. In a context in which Christians frequently faced persecution, there were obvious advantages to meeting in a private setting) This practice is also consistent with kinship language found in the Bible. The New Testament letters mention several of the house churches in which believers congregated:

• • Romans 16:5 speaks of several house churches in Rome, and the households mentioned in Romans 16:10-11, as well as the groups in 16:14-15, might indicate the identities of the various homeowners.

  • First Corinthians 16:19 tells of a church that met in the house of Aquila and Priscilla. +

  • Colossians 4:15 reveals that a church gathered in Nympha's home.

  • Philemon 2 contains Paul's greetings to the church that met in the home of Philemon, Apphia or Archippus.

  • Second John 10-11 warned its readers against bringing false teachers into their houses.This warning may have been a more comprehensive admonition to be cautious not to accept false teachers into the church.