A typical house church service is comprised of three parts. The first is worship time, the second is study and sharing, and the third is the Lord's supper, or a fellowship meal.

Worship time is based on 1 Corinthians 14:26. This scripture says when we gather, anyone who has a song, a tongue or a testimony should share it with the group. A house church setting is extremely flexible in this area. Here we pray, and allow for the Holy Spirit to move. Sometimes, no one will have a word or song, we sometimes go straight into teaching and sharing.

Our bible study is dialouge, which means we discuss and share as we study. Subjects are usually contemporary issues, but doctrinal and "hard" subjects are not avoided. Our object is to mature into all Christ wants us to be. We study to understand His word, not to show each other how "spiritual" we are. We are small enough so we don't teach "over the heads" of new christians, but we go at a pace they can follow.

After we finish studying the word, we are ready to fellowship at the table. This is the Lord's supper. We see this as a full meal. For more on the Lord's supper, click here.

Our home mettings last around 2 and 1/2 hours, including the meal. About 20 minutes for worship, 90 minutes for study and 30 to 60 minutes for the fellowship at the table, depending on how long people stay. We get into many discussions at the table, and time can slip away.