Hakata Letter 8. Principles for Visiting or Changing House church meetings

Hakata Letter 8: Principles for Visiting or Changing House church meetings

When visiting house church meetings, sometimes you might encounter members from other groups and feel puzzled. Here are the principles for visiting or changing house church meetings.

The principle is not to change church meetings. The church is a place to make disciples of Jesus. Becoming a disciple of Jesus means acquiring the character of Jesus. However, acquiring the character of Jesus is not achieved through Bible study alone. It is in the midst of mingling with neighbors that the character of Jesus is formed. Through conflicts with bad people, mismatched people, and unpleasant people, you learn how to endure, die to yourself, accept, and love. House church meetings is a discipleship training center that helps you resemble Jesus in the midst of conflict.

Hoping to resemble Jesus without conflict is like expecting to improve piano skills without practice. It's like wanting good grades without studying. If you change house church meetings whenever there is a conflict essential for character change, you will not experience personal transformation. That's why changing house church meetings is not allowed.

However, there are exceptional cases. When a VIP newly attends a house church meeting, they are encouraged to visit various house church meetings and make a final decision (usually they stay in the group that invited them). Later, if they find that the meeting doesn't fit them, they are allowed to change it once within six months of attending. However, it is not allowed after six months.

There are also unavoidable cases where you need to change house church meetings. For example, if the geographical distance is too far or if you are moving to a distant area. If the distance becomes too great, it becomes difficult to attend the group meetings regularly and to participate for long periods, leading to emotional distance. However, in cases where genuine sharing has started, distance might not be a problem.

In any case, when visiting other house church meetings, you must get permission from your current group leader. The new group leader should contact the former leader to confirm the permission before allowing the member to join. I have heard of cases where group leaders and their spouses who have served sincerely get hurt when a member declares they are leaving the meeting without notice.

The group leader is responsible for taking care of the souls of the group members. Show proper respect and observe etiquette even when a member changes meetings. Group leaders should also respect each other's pastoral authority and avoid causing hurt. Consultation about faith life concerns should be conducted through the member's current group leader to maintain confidentiality within the group. Even if a group member from another group seeks advice, guide them to get help from their original meeting to maintain the pastoral care of their leader.

If the culture of respecting and protecting each other's pastoral authority starts to break, it becomes difficult to share genuine stories within the group, and sincere sharing will diminish. Ensure that secret stories shared within the group are kept within the group, and do not attempt to listen to the secrets of other groups unless you are a member. Group leaders should create an environment where members can comfortably share their concerns within the group.

There might be people who want to change groups at the slightest discomfort. Such people usually resist personal change. Allowing such people to join your group is enabling their refusal to change, which must be remembered.

Pastor Kim Ju-young, who wishes to serve together.