By Mr.

George Thomas

19-08-2015
 In the post-resurrection period, did the
followers of Jesus continue the house-
strategy of Jesus in reaching out people for
their mission? The Jerusalem community -
the mother church - comes next to Jesus and
his followers and needed here to see how the
house oriented mission was continued in
Jerusalem, with special references to Acts of
the Apostles (Acts 1:12-15; 2:42-46; 5:42;
12:10b-17).
 We will also see how the plurality of house
churches in Jerusalem was a reality and how
leadership structure of this community was
shaped in the light of the house – oriented
gatherings (Gehring). Was this legacy of Jesus
and the mother church in Jerusalem was again a
strategy of the church when expanded
Christianity from Palestine to a multi-cultural
wider world? How the family / kinship metaphor
turned decisive in the identity formation and in
the process of the expansion of early Christian
movement? (Hellerman).
 Gehring 2004, pp. 62-117;
 Hellerman 2001,pp.1-25.
 Gehring, Roger W., House Church and
Mission: The Importance of Household
Structures in Early Christianity,
Hendrickson, Massachusetts 2004, pp. 62-
117
 Hellerman, Joseph H., The Ancient Church
as Family, Fortress Press, Minneapolis
2001, pp.1-25
 For nearly three hundred years, early
Christians met almost exclusively in private
homes initially built only for domestic use. In
this study, Roger Gehring investigates the
missional significance of house churches from
the time of Jesus through Paul in light of both
theological and socio-historical
considerations.
 All church structures take shape in the tension
between preestablished theological
requirements and the concrete social situation.
Even in the New Testament, the emergence of
separate house churches involved the potential
danger of splintering the Christian movement.
Nevertheless their essential family-based
foundation has proven to be the life-generating
cell and fundamental core of the missional
church.
 The development of early Christian ethics, the
emergence of leadership structures, and the
growth of ecclesiological concepts were all
noticeably influenced by the households in
which believers lived and gathered. In the last
twenty-five years the house church
phenomenon has generated a great deal of
interest among New Testament scholars and
church practitioners. Research has focused
primarily on the architecture of these homes and
on its corresponding social and theological
implications.
 House Church and Mission offers scholars the
first comprehensive summary of evidence
concerning home churches in the New
Testament and supplies pastors and lay
leaders with a well-crafted discussion of the
nature of "church" that explores the practical
implications of house churches on outreach.
 Joseph H. Hellerman: The author explores the literature of the first
three centuries of the church in terms of group identity and
formation as surrogate kinship. Why did this become the
organizing model in the earliest churches? How did historical
developments intervene to shift the paradigm? How do ancient
Mediterranean kinship structures correlate with church formation?
 Hellerman traces the fascinating story of these developments
over three centuries and what brought them about. His focus is
the New Testament documents (especially Paul's letters), second-
century authors, and concluding with Cyprian in the third century.
Kinship terminology in these writings, behaviors of group
solidarity, and the symbolic power of kinship language in these
groups are examined.
 We must collect the books mentioned above

 take the photocopy of the pages mentioned

 Prepare a summary of the theme : Role of House/Family in

the Expansion of Christianity in Post-paschal period

 The class proceeds with student’s presentation on the

assigned theme for about 45 mints.

 Critical and open discussion on the presentation

 Class presentation of the theme by each
student (max. 50 marks)
 Written assignment on the same theme
(max. 35 marks)
 Interactive participation in the class
discussion (max. 15 marks)