Rodney Caldwell (center) and members and attendees of One Shot Church located in Maryland discuss the book of Romans at a gathering in March 2024. Photo courtesy of Rodney and Shayla Caldwell
The current rise of house churches has been a hot topic since the COVID-19 pandemic. During this pause of life, many Christians reevaluated the concept of authentic fellowship and discipleship and imagined what it may look like in a post-pandemic world.
The idea of a different church format, like a house church, appeals to many people who desire a more intimate setting. However, though house churches are not a new phenomenon, questions still remain about their structure, systems and functions:
What does leadership look like in these spaces? What are the necessary qualifications for leaders of house churches? Should they be formally theologically trained?
Necessary qualities for leading in the Church
Rodney Caldwell, pastor and leader of a house church in Maryland, lends his perspective on the function of the church, fellowship and discipleship and whether or not it is necessary to be formally theologically trained to lead a house church.
Although Caldwell has not received formal theological training through seminary, he did participate in a Bible study program in Canada for two years. As someone who did not go through the traditional seminary route for his Biblical education, he had this to say about the most important qualities of a house church leader:
“Be a sincere lover of Jesus; love people, and love His will.”
Timothy H., a former staffer of a house church network forming organization and a former house church pastor himself, also contributed his thoughts to the conversation.
Timothy H. echoed Caldwell’s statement over email, “Above all else: godly character. If you read through the lists Scripture gives us in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 of what qualifies a person to be an overseer in the church, it is almost exclusively focused on character.”
Timothy was a staffer of a well-known global house church network and a house church pastor in California. Now, Timothy attends a house church in the local D.C. Metro area where he currently resides.
“Within the realm of a leader's character, the virtue I probably value and cherish the most is humility,” Timothy H. wrote.
“The leaders I served with and under taught me this simple truth: You can have all the gifting, experience, skill, excellent strategy and methodology in the world, but if you have a prideful spirit, God will oppose your ministry — and how far do you expect to get if God Himself is opposing you?” Timothy H. wrote.
“One form of that humility is tied to another quality I highly value in house church leaders: a gracious attitude towards the traditional church,” Timothy H. wrote.
In considering the purpose and intent of the Church, Timothy H. wrote that he considers humility and grace toward conventional churches important.
“There are many people leading and getting involved in house churches because they have been hurt and disillusioned by what they've seen and experienced in the broader church, and it is sadly far too easy for that honest pain and disappointment to harden into bitterness, resentment and a spirit of superiority towards traditional churches,” Timothy H. wrote.
Training and preparation for house church leaders
Interior of church building. Photo by Pixabay for Pexels
Timothy also shared his experience with house church leaders globally. According to him, there is a mixed bag of experiences in training and preparation.
“Many of them [leaders] served as pastors in a more traditional context, so they went through seminary and were formally trained before being called to a house church context,” Timothy H. wrote. “Others have not had formal seminary training but have participated in a variety of trainings from ministries with a vision for house churches (e.g. Church Intensive, Tampa & Kansas City Underground, No Place Left, and many others!).”
Although many house church leaders have foregone formal theological training, Timothy H. encourages leaders to consider seminary as a potential resource for understanding how to “rightly divide the word of truth,” as described in 2 Timothy 2:15.
“Scripture clearly tells us that those who teach will be judged at a higher standard (James 3:1), and [it] exhorts leaders like Timothy to walk as tested workers who rightly handle the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15),” Timothy H. wrote. “Seminary may not be the only way to do this, but in an age of so much theological confusion, it is a resource not to take lightly.”
As it pertains to qualifications and preparation for ministry at a house church, it’s important to note that there was no distinction between the requirements of a house church and a synagogue mentioned in the New Testament. There were apostles and disciples who were highly educated in the letter of the law, like Paul, and some who had ordinary occupations, such as Peter, who was a fisherman.
“The leaders of God’s Kingdom must be servants,” Rodney said.
The common thread and necessary quality for leadership in the church — regardless of its format — is godly character and a heart that seeks God.
“Seminary can be valuable, and formal training has its place, but nothing compares to a heart that wholly belongs to the Lord,” Timothy H. said.
The function of the church
To appropriately explore the necessary attributes of a church leader, it is important to know the function of the church.
“The church in the New Testament…teaches about the church as people, not places,” John Piper wrote for desiringgod.org. “The word ‘church’ in the New Testament is a translation of the word ‘ekklesia,’ which means ‘called out ones’ or ‘assembly.’ It never refers to a building or place.”
Now, centuries later, we refer to church as a building and the Church as the believers that constitute the body of Christ. Regardless of this distinction, the Bible has many verses — such as 1 Timothy 4:13 — that instruct us on operating as the body of Christ in communion with one another, no matter where we commune.
Caldwell said he explored the question, “What is church?” when he began to feel a nudge from the Holy Spirit during the pandemic. At the time, Caldwell was serving as a pastor at a traditional church he planted in 2017, called One Shot Church.
Then, Caldwell and his best friend — who had been serving in ministry with him since 2005 — studied Scripture to find out what Church truly is and their calling and mandate to be the Church, he said.
“That is when the house church mission became clear to us. That’s when God started drawing us into what I believe He wants for us,” Caldwell said in an interview. He attributed Acts 2:42 as a revelatory Scripture for how they proceeded. According to the passage, New Testament believers, “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
Upon receiving this revelation, Caldwell and his best friend pivoted to form a house church in the fall of 2019. He shared a pivotal moment when he realized he was on the right path: “When I started to see people’s lives changed at a deep, palatable level, I felt like this [house church] was the easiest, grace-filled ministry for me.”
Two open Bibles with highlights and tabs. Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko for Pexels
Discipleship and fellowship in house churches
According to Caldwell, the house church model is effective and grace-filled because it does not require equipment, buildings or marketing campaigns. The only thing that is required is a willingness to love God and love people.
He believes a sense of safety is fostered in a community where each member can get to know the needs and concerns of one another and participate in supporting each other.
“When we are a gospel-centered, Christ-centered community, it breeds a place of safety,” said Caldwell. This ethos is embedded in the vision of One Shot Church.
“Our vision as a church is to be a community where people can believe, belong and become.” said Caldwell, “I truly believe that everything begins with a belief and a trust in the Lord Jesus. When we truly can become a place where people can believe, from that place of believing comes the transformative aspect of our behaviors.”
Caldwell shared that the church has several testimonies of people’s lives changing from growing deeper in their relationship with God and others at One Shot Church.
“I believe the finished work of Jesus Christ has made us righteous and acceptable enough to Him to call us sons and daughters,” Caldwell said. “When people come in with their issues, we’re not judging you on the basis of what we see; we’re judging you on the basis of what God has declared about you.”
He went on to say, “The church should be the last place where we feel like we have to put the mask on. We should feel like this is family.”
Caldwell recalls times when other members covered the practical needs of church members — needs like financial assistance after losing a job. In the book of Acts, we see believers selling possessions to cover the needs of other believers. Acts 20:28 even admonishes believers to care for the needs of the saints because they were purchased at a very high price, the blood of Christ.
“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which He obtained with His own blood.”
Caldwell doesn’t view being open as a posture exclusive to the church he leads but also as a posture for himself and his family. “My wife and I are pretty vulnerable people,” he said. “I lead with the vulnerability to help people feel, ‘I can be myself here. I don’t have to wear the mask.’”
Rodney Caldwell recently published a book called “The Beautiful Breakdown” on Amazon. This book includes personal testimonies of heartache, trials and triumphs that aim to help readers to find the beauty of Jesus in their brokenness. You can also find him on YouTube @theBeautifulBreakdown where he breaks down theological truths so that “saints can become scholars.” For more information, visit his website www.rodneycaldwell.com.
Danyelle NeJame is first and foremost a lover and disciple of Jesus Christ, then, she is wife to her husband Elias, mom of two beautiful girls – Selah and Amaya – and a fur baby, Jaxon. She is also a writer, freelance reporter, aspiring author and English and Social Studies teacher. When not reading and writing, Danyelle enjoys going on long car rides with her family, spending time outdoors, watching a good film and traveling. You can find Danyelle on Instagram, Threads, and YouTube @danyellethewriter. Check out her portfolio and most recently published works at www.danyellethewriter.com.
