Home group

House group in Düsseldorf in the 1950s

As home groups small, mostly Christian groups are referred to, for example, become the common prayer , Bible study meeting, exchange of ideas and / or singing regularly in private homes. In Christian home groups, the communal aspect of the Christian faith should be emphasized and lived ( communion of saints ). In addition to house group, the terms small group, house cell, cell group or house group, sometimes also house church, are used .

The institution of home groups is common in Protestant Christianity , especially within the evangelical currents of Protestantism . However, there are also house groups that exist separately from denominations, for example as feminist, artistic or political group meetings.

Organization in Christianity

House groups are mostly organized as subgroups of a larger congregation and represent an additional offer in addition to the weekly church service . However, this does not necessarily mean that everyone is also a member of the same congregation. There are e.g. B. also home groups, which are offered by supra-church organizations like the student groups of the SMD , Campus for Christ , EC or SfC . House groups that do not belong to any congregation or supra-congregational organization are also referred to as house churches, especially if the members do not belong to any other congregation.

A house group usually consists of five to twelve people (as many as can fit in a living room). Often Christians of approximately the same age, the same marital status and with the same interests and preferences come together in one house group. Home groups are valued for their casual atmosphere and the intense, friendly relationships that can develop in them. In contrast to the church service, the house group offers each participant the opportunity to actively participate with their own contributions, to discuss and clarify personal questions.

Home groups are also an opportunity for non-Christians to learn about the Christian faith. Friends and acquaintances are invited to take part in Bible studies and discussion groups. This way, the home groups are designed to gradually grow and divide once they get too big. This process is somewhat similar to the biological cell division , so home groups are also called cell groups or as house cells called.

Working independently with the Bible in small groups can occasionally lead to sectarian tendencies, which is why some pastors and community leaders are critical of house groups. House groups can also increase the attractiveness of a community if suitable house groups are offered for people with different interests.

Historical forms of house groups

House groups in Pietism

House groups played an essential role in Pietism , where they were called conventicles to practice the praxis pietatis (piety practice ) in everyday life. In neo-pietism they were often referred to as Bible lessons , in southern Germany also simply as hours . Hence the term hourly people for active pietists, which then became the Russian hourlists . In southern Germany and Switzerland, pious men are also disparagingly referred to as stunders .

House Groups in Methodism

The Methodism based in its initial organization under John Wesley also on a kind of house circles there as classes were called and served mostly to training and promotion of community. The "being-together-on-the-way" should help to implement in daily life what faith teaches.

This home circle movement became a fundamental pillar for the rapid spread of the Methodist Reformation in England, the English colonies, and America. It also impressed German emigrants so much that they brought this kind of piety back to Germany and thus strengthened Methodism in Germany.

Related and alternative forms

Differentiation from the house church

The concept of the house group as an integral part of church and missionary work must be distinguished from the concept of the house church . While the classic house group is usually a community offer from a local community, the house community sees itself as an independent community.

Mini groups

In the mini-group concept developed by Neil Cole , two to four people meet weekly in same-sex groups. Essential elements of mini-groups are mutual confession of guilt, often based on a questionnaire, prayer for one another and for friends, and reading larger Bible passages (approx. 25-30 chapters) during the week. The concept is based on growth through cell division: As soon as a mini-group has 4 members, after a while it divides into two groups of two. Some congregations combine mini-groups with home groups, with several mini-groups forming a home group and meeting alternately as mini-groups and home groups.

Pastorates

The Holy Trinity Brompton Church , an Anglican church in the well Alpha Course has emerged has a concept called Pastorates developed. Several house groups together form a pastorate , which comprises a total of around 20–35 people. The pastorate takes place every 14 days in a private apartment with enough space. In the week in between, the individual house groups that make up the pastorate meet at separate locations.

The process of a pastorate is based on the Alpha course evenings: After a joint dinner, the thematic part begins with a short worship time. Then one of the participants gives a 30-minute lecture. At the end there will be exchange and prayer in the individual house groups. Since all program items are designed by the participants, pastorates offer participants the opportunity to discover and train spiritual gifts and to try out various tasks within a manageable framework.

The pastorates represent an intermediate form between house groups and Sunday worship . Often, pastorates also lead to the establishment of new independent churches. The concept of pastorates is now also used by other congregations, mainly within the Anglican Church.

G12

In the concept of G12 groups developed by Cesar Castellanos , the pastor of a Colombian mega-congregation , the leader accompanies a G12 group as a mentor ( discipling ). After a while, the twelve members form their own G12 groups, but remain part of the original group. This creates a pyramidal structure. In the German-speaking countries, the G12 concept has been used for a few years since 2002 , especially in the congregations of the International Christian Fellowship .

House groups in other religions

Variants of “house groups” are known, usually under a different name, also in non-Christian denominations and new religious communities .

material

Some publishers publish German-language study materials especially for house groups. Examples are:

• Through the Bible (audio-based material used in numerous house groups)
• House group magazine. SCM Bundes-Verlag , Witten (magazine published four times a year with elaborated units for one house group meeting each time)
• The home group Bible. 2nd edition, SCM R. Brockhaus , Witten 2014, ISBN 978-3-417-25457-0 ; based on The NIV Serendipity Bible (Bible in New Life Translation with didactic material for each Bible passage)
• Bible up to date. Working aid for Bible study groups, publisher: Missionary Services Ev. Regional Church in Württemberg (magazine published four times a year with elaborated units for small group meetings)

literature

• Heino Masemann : House groups - building block of community work . Brunnen Verlag, Gießen / Basel 1992, ISBN 3-7655-9060-6
• Ortwin Schweitzer : The ABC of house groups . Projection J Verlag , Aßlar 1994, ISBN 978-3-925352-82-9 .
• Michael Herbst: And yet it turns! How the Church can and must change in the 21st century. Projektion J, Aßlar 2001, ISBN 3-89490-361-9
• Neil Cole: Small and Strong - Mini Groups: A Path to Holistic Succession. C & P Verlag, Emmelsbüll 2003, ISBN 3-928093-40-1
• Richard Reininghaus: The Homemade Religion. Communication and identity work in house groups. A study of small religious groups in Württemberg and established local churches . Tübingen Association for Folklore, Tübingen 2009, ISBN 978-3-932512-56-8 (plus dissertation, University of Tübingen 2008)

Web links

Wiktionary: House group  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

• G12 Vision (further English-language Wikipedia article on the G12 concept)
• KLEINGRUPPE.DE - The nationwide network Kleingruppe.de sees itself as an interdenominational offer for leaders and participants of holistic small groups and house groups.
• AMD house groups (house group work of the Evangelical Church)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Ortwin Schweitzer : Das Hauskreis-ABC . Projektion J, Wiesbaden 1994, ISBN 3-925352-82-1 , praying in the house group, p. 21 .
2. ^ Ortwin Schweitzer : Das Hauskreis-ABC . Projektion J, Wiesbaden 1994, ISBN 3-925352-82-1 , Bible study in the house group, p. 27 .
3. ^ Ortwin Schweitzer : Das Hauskreis-ABC . Projektion J, Wiesbaden 1994, ISBN 3-925352-82-1 , interviewing in house groups, p. 127 .
4. ^ Ortwin Schweitzer : Das Hauskreis-ABC . Projektion J, Wiesbaden 1994, ISBN 3-925352-82-1 , Singen im Hauskreis, p. 273 .
5. ↑ Neil Cole: Small and Strong - Mini-Groups: A Path to Holistic Succession. C & P Verlag, ISBN 3-928093-40-1 .
6. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from October 27, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Information on the Holy Trinity Brompton Church website  
7. ↑ Ute Sturmhoebel: The Berlin market of the salvation of the soul is hotly contested / About 100 “house groups” sects , in: Berliner Zeitung , October 15, 1994 (accessed on October 28, 2014).
8. ↑ Quarterly magazine Bibel aktuell ( Memento of the original from October 29, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , amd.de