“But in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.” 1 Timothy 3:15
“So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.” Galatians 6:10
“He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Proverbs 13:20
The household metaphor has been provided by God to answer questions concerning how the local church is to be led and managed, how it is to be experienced by its members and how it is to grow and reproduce. We manage our local church network as an age-Integrated, extended family-household wherein:
1. Our Elders function as a corporate husband that serves as the delegated head of the household under Christ Himself.
2. Our Deacons function as a corporate wife and homemaker at the direction of the Elders.
3. Our Members function as progressively maturing children, preparing to eventually join together with others like themselves in the faith to “leave home” at least once in their life-time to establish new household-like congregation in some other neighborhood. Ideally this is accomplished while remaining active as part of the growing extended family of the church within which they were spiritually born, raised up and sent out. This approach encourages the healthy growth and reproduction of multiple churches, eventually covering a large geographic area.
As such, the experience of being members of a healthy local church is like being a member of a large, godly family household with age-integrated Shared Meals, inclusive Work Parties and One Accord Projects where in the young and the new are able to be discipled simply by “walking with the wise” who are older and more seasoned in the faith.