A global status report on house churches 2021
Based on biblical, archaeological and historical evidence, house churches – and flat‐structured regional networks of house churches ‐ have been the primal, original expression of the ekklesia that Jesus Christ promised to built in the New Testament. During the emergence of sanctuary‐based, hierarchical and denominational church systems from AD 100‐400, house churches have often become sidelined, suppressed and even persecuted by what called itself the mainline church (see the history chapter in: The House Church Book). House churches have, in various forms and under various labels like pietistic groups, cells or base communities, always existed under the radar of both secular and religious observers. A major and historic comeback of house churches has happened in China – curiously after the expulsion of Western missionaries and their religious influence after Mao Zedong in the early 20th century. Some researchers speak of currently 160‐200 million members in probably more than 10 million individual house churches in China alone.
Since the early 1990s house churches experienced a rapid renaissance outside China. In the mid‐90s, Egypt and India have experienced the emergence of such highly contagious expressions of house church networks, that these two countries became modern day apostolic epicentres from where house churches have now become not only a global phenomenon, but the fastest growing expression of Christ‐followers on the planet. Let one statistics speak to the significance of this: The sum total of all current believers in house churches in India alone, about 80 million, is more than all the 75.5 million members of all 149 member churches of the Lutheran Word Federation.
What follows is a brief overview into the situation in mid‐2021. In many nations it is possible to do empirical research. However, let us take into account that many house churches either have to or want to function undetected, under the radar of secular of religious groups. This makes them difficult to research, unless you are a trusted insider and are connected to other trustworthy insiders that provide reliable intelligence. Our overview is both the result of empirical research, insider‐knowledge and, in some cases, informed “guestimates”:
1) 10 million house churches in China, see above.
2) Since 1996, about 2 million house churches have been planted in India, Egypt and the rest of the Middle East.
3) 3 million house churches have been reportedly planted in recent years by various missions collectives like “24:14” who speak of about 1.000 house church movements (HCM) with more than 1.000 house churches each. Some HCMs have 100.000s of house churches, like T4T. We are assuming the average size of a HCM as 3.000 house churches.
4) 2 million house churches that are not on the official radar of anyone. This includes movements like „Hoffnung Deutschland“ (founded by Marcus Rose, about 1.000 house churches) or about 20.000 newly planted village/house churches in Uganda (many meet under a tree for the lack of a hut large enough), as reported by Riccardo Meusel, Germany.
5) 1.5 million “half way houses” for church misfits in the USA. According to American sociologist Josh Packard (see his book Church Refugees) the US experiences, with 65 million (in 2015), a gigantic church exodus of people who are “church misfits”: They are following Christ but do no longer attend classical churches. Some call themselves “doners” as they are done with church – but not necessarily with God. About 20% of them – about 13 million people ‐ organize themselves in usually small groups 6‐10 people) into about 1.5 million DIY‐ house churches or “half way houses.” We do not yet count the rest of the 52 million doners into this group – they currently remain “free floating” and are literally spiritually homeless.
6) 1 million "doner" – house church groups outside the US. In many countries of the cultural West outside the US like Australia or the UK, we observe very similar church‐exodus movements that partly organize themselves into house churches. Similar developments occur also in South Africa, Korea, Singapore or Israel. Most have no desire to appear on anyones’ radar.
7) 1.7 million house churches inside businesses and Insider Movements. Insider movements are HCMs that do not openly identify with the religion of Christianity but remain outwardly loyal and therefore hidden inside existing religions like Islam, Hinduism, Shintoism or Buddhism. Many see their religious environment as their cultural heritage within which they have become secret followers of Christ. This phenomenon also exists inside secular groups, clans or tribes. We estimate at least 1 million house churches that have emerged in insider‐dispositions. An additional form of this are “business‐churches,” house churches that function inside a business as their cover. Close observers in China speak of about 500.000 “business house churches” with at least 200.000 business house‐churches outside China, bringing the total in this category to 1.7 million.
8) 400.000 politically incorrect groups inside house‐church‐phobic church systems. In many strongly hierarchical church systems like the Roman Catholic Church, Orthodox Churches or even marginal groups or cults we see a growing emergence of house churches that may not call themselves that – but basically function like one. Even in recent and strongly Roman‐ Catholic‐influenced plans to evangelize 100 million Europeans, as proposed by Johannes Hartl (Prayerhouse Augsburg, Germany) house churches play a significant role. We calculate such “politically incorrect” groups to number about 400.000.
9) 1 million House churches in HCNs with less than 1.000 house churches per network. One American business man has planted six different HCMs with more than 1.000 HCs each in the last 3 years alone in East Africa. According to our information there are about 20.000 of such “smaller” HCMs globally. In addition to this we have seen the emergence of about 10.000 so‐called “Apostolic Networks” worldwide since the 1980s and 1990s. Many of them experience a movement from more controlled ”cells” towards house church. If we take an average of 50 house churches per small HCN (and exclude all “apostolic movements” as not house‐church significant), the worlds smaller HCNs adds a total of about 1 million house churches to our count.
Significant contributors to the expansion of house churches
- Mission researcher Dr. Todd Johnson, in his annual “Status of Global Christianity” report 2021, lists 113 million “unaffiliated” or “Crypto‐ Christians” who are following Christ outside official church system – many of them in “crypto churches” – private, non‐public gatherings in homes.
- An Egyptian missiologist reported that during the “Arab Spring” at least four million Muslims in Egypt alone have turned away from Islam – many in search of God – and have not joined any other religion.
- A growing number of Evangelists, like Torben Sondergaard (The Last Reformation, formerly Denmark, now US) or Werner Nachtigall (G.O.D.: Global Outreach Day, Germany) are intentionally connecting evangelism with the immediate planting of house churches. G.O.D. has reported, as an example, the planting of 30.000 new house churches in Cuba in recent years. Bill Bright (1921 – 2003), founder of Campus Crusade, not long before his death, gave a clarion call to his mission agency to see many millions of house churches planted.
- Several Megachurches in the US have told of a call of God to be instrumental in the planting of house churches.
- Mission strategist Curtis Sergeant has created a web‐based “simple church saturation” project (www.zumeproject.com) planning to plant one “simple church” for every 5.000 people in the US and for every 50.000 people globally with material currently available in at least 37 languages.
- CORONA: During the COVID19 lock‐down times many traditional church members have been forced to engage in “stay‐at‐home‐church.” After 2020 and 2021 a significant percentage of traditional church‐goers do not return to CAWKI (church‐as‐we‐know‐it) but re‐organize themselves, many into neighbourhood‐churches in homes, sometimes with online‐imput. These numbers are not yet fully researched but may be very significant. One thing is evident: The Post‐Corona church will not be exactly the same as Pre‐Corona‐Church.
- A very large percentage of the children of church‐goers have said their farewell to “mum’s‐and‐dad’s church” and are in search mode for community, values and lifestyles that are radically different from that of their church‐going parents. Abraham Piper for example, the son of famous US‐theologian John Piper, runs a TikTok account with more than 1.1 million followers called #exvangelical where he is trying to deconstruct fundamentalist evangelical church culture in search of a new and non‐religious framework for life. The NEW YORK TIMES called this a “TikTok sensation” – but in reality there may be at least 1.5 billion young people worldwide who would sympathize with the concept of “God yes – church no.” The one thing they all agree with is: CAWKI, church‐as‐we‐know‐it cannot and will not be our framework. It is to be seen what forms of following Christ will emerge from this very explosive and creative global people group.
THE KINGDOM DISCOVERY
Since a number of years a significant percentage (millions) of Christians are discovering the significance that Jesus is actually not the founder of the religion of Christianity, but the founder of The Kingdom of God. This discovery often brings about the search for a factory “reset” – how God originally meant us to be – and a spiritual migration away from classical forms of “church”. In hundreds of places we observe the emergence of “Kingdom conversations” – discovering life under the Kingship of Christ, but decidedly outside traditional religious frameworks.
In total there are currently (mid 2021) at least 22.6 million house churches worldwide with a total of around 300 million members. They are, considering all internal and contextual factors, by far the most viral, adaptable and multipliable segment of Christ‐followers globally. If their number continues to grow at a very realistic rate of 20% per year, they will reach a membership of more than 4 billion people within the next 30 years – while most traditional church systems are in overall decline. This is why the author, in his publications called Starfish Vision and Starfish Manifesto, encourages all servants of Christ worldwide to work together to see half the population of the planet discipled in our lifetime (see Mt 24:39‐41) through the massive planting of house‐based Kingdom Communities.
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