The Church Comes Home [Paperback]

Robert Banks (Author), Julia Banks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1998

In our modern dislocated society many are searching for a church experience that offers true Christian sharing, nurturing, and discipleship, in addition to teaching and worship. For many such people the answer is found in the home church: a small, committed group of often diverse people who meet together in homes to pray, eat, sing, study, and share their lives.

The Church Comes Home is a handbook for those interested in home churches. It is both visionary and practical. It describes how home churches can be formed, how they should grow, and how networks of home churches can develop. It examines issues-for example, how to make decisions; how to determine doctrine; how to include children, singles, elders; and how to reach out to the community at large-and offers practical suggestions for their resolution.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert Banks is Professor of the Ministry of the Laity and Chair of the Ministry Division at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California.

Julia Banks and her husband Robert have been involved with home churches for over twenty-five years. Together they have led seminars and assissted congregations in developing this style of gather in many parts of the world. Julia coordingateds the community house in which she and Rob live with a group of students. She is also active as a church planter and in building networks among house churches.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Hendrickson Publishers (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156563179X
• ISBN-13: 978-1565631793
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #855,679 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insights Into House Churches, August 25, 2001

By 

Roy Ingle "The Seeking Disciple" (Lexington, SC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Church Comes Home (Paperback)

I read this book along with Frank Viola's book "Rethinking The Wineskins" and I found this book to be a bit more easier to follow and more practical. While Viola's book seem to have an heir about it that said "I'm ticked off at the established church and here is why" this book simply offers the reader a candid look at the New Testament model of house churches and how the Bank's are seeking to follow the NT pattern. Bank's is a scholar. You will find in this book a man who loves God, loves people, and teaches the truth of Scripture clearly. If you have read books on house churches and have walked away with a bit of skepticism (as I have at times) than buy this book and you will find that Bank's is truly a brother in Christ who only desires to be like Jesus.

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Basic Information About House Church, October 26, 1999

By 

"traceyamino" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Church Comes Home (Paperback)

Robert and Julia shared from experience when they wrote this book. It is so refreshing to read a book that is about real life, rather than just the theory and doctrine of how house church ought to be. The various testimonies are really insightful.

If you are contemplating leaving the institutionalized church, this book would be a good place to start your journey toward relational fellowship in the home setting.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Critical questions about the nature of the church, August 8, 2000

By 

Ryan - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Church Comes Home (Paperback)

A practical survey of the house church movement. Without bitterness toward traditional models of church, Banks introduces a refreshing model for the household of faith which has its roots in the first century. It is a radical concept for many American Christians because it stands in such stark contrast with the more individualistic, consumer driven model for church which has taken center stage in Western Culture.