Introduction
A home group is a small group of Christians; usually around ten people; who meet regularly in a home to share, study the Bible, and pray together. It does not replace the Sunday worship service: it complements it, offering a setting where each person can be known, heard, and personally encouraged. This practice is not a recent trend; it mirrors how the New Testament church lived, gathering at the temple and breaking bread in homes. In this article, you will see what a home group is exactly, its biblical roots, what it is for, and what sets it apart from the Sunday gathering.
Home Group: A Simple Definition
Depending on the church, people call it a home group, a house cell, a life group, or a small group. Behind these names lies the same reality: a small group of believers, often 8 to 12 people, who meet during the week at the home of one of the members, under the oversight of the local church and with one or more designated facilitators.
Three elements characterize a home group:
- Small size. Small enough to fit in a living room, and especially small enough for everyone to participate: people talk, ask questions, and are called by their first name. It is the antidote to the anonymity that large gatherings can produce.
- The home setting. Meeting at someone's home changes the atmosphere: the simplicity of a table, a couch, and a coffee creates an intimacy and trust that frees people to speak far more than a meeting room does.
- Connection to the local church. A home group is not an independent club. It is part of a church's life, follows its vision, and stays connected to its leaders. This is what distinguishes it from a house church, which is a complete community in itself.
A pastor quoted by the Cergy church sums up the intention well: if you cannot come to the meeting, the meeting comes to you. The home group brings church life closer to people's daily reality, both geographically and relationally.
To place the home group within the broader life of the church, start by reading our pillar article What Is a Local Church? Definition and Role.
Biblical Roots: The Church in Homes
The home group was not invented by modern churches. From the earliest chapters of the Book of Acts, the life of the newborn church unfolds on two levels: the large public gathering and the meetings in homes.
Luke describes the first Christians in Jerusalem this way: "Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts" (Acts 2:46). The temple and the homes: a sermon from Houilles compares these two dimensions to the two legs that allow the church to stand and walk. One does not replace the other.
This home-based life runs throughout the New Testament. Paul, for example, greets a couple who hosts believers in their home: "Greet also the church that meets at their house" (Romans 16:5). During the earliest generations, Christians had no dedicated buildings: homes were the normal place for fellowship, teaching, and the Lord's Supper.
The same sermon from Houilles reminds us, from Ephesians 2:19-22, that the house of God is not a building but a people: individuals joined together in a structure whose cornerstone is Jesus Christ. Meeting in a living room is therefore not a Plan B. Jesus Himself promised: "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them" (Matthew 18:20).
What Is a Home Group For?
Churches that practice home groups give them very consistent objectives. They can be summarized in four functions.
1. Living Out Fellowship
The first fruit of a home group is deep relationships; the kind that do not have time to form in the ten minutes after a worship service. People share their joys and struggles, learn to bear one another's burdens, as Paul asks: "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). To explore this dimension further, read our article What Is Christian Fellowship?.
2. Studying the Bible Together
The small group is an ideal setting for discovering Scripture: you can ask questions, react, and search together for how to apply the text to your week. It is the mutual instruction the apostle describes: "Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom" (Colossians 3:16). A good study does not stay theoretical: it confronts sin, transforms, and nourishes everyone's growth. It is one of the engines of Christian discipleship.
3. Praying for One Another
In a group of ten people, prayer becomes concrete and personal. People share specific requests in a confidential setting and carry each other before God week after week. Many Christians testify that this is where they learned to pray aloud for the first time.
4. Witnessing to Those Around You
A home group is not a closed circle. A living room is often less intimidating than a church building for a friend, a neighbor, or a colleague who has questions about faith. Several churches actually assign their groups a dual mission: to grow in Christ together and to share Christ with their acquaintances, while being attentive to the material and spiritual needs of those around them. The visible love between members is itself a testimony, according to the words of Jesus in John 13:35: it is by the mutual love of the disciples that everyone will know they belong to Him.
Home Group and Sunday Worship: What Is the Difference?
The home group does not compete with the worship service: the two complement each other, just as in the Acts church that lived in both the temple and the homes. Here is what distinguishes them:
- Size. The worship service gathers the entire local church; the home group brings together about ten people. The former gives the sense of belonging to a people; the latter ensures that no one remains anonymous.
- Form. The worship service follows a flow led from the front: praise, sermon, Lord's Supper. The home group favors experience and exchange: everyone participates, questions, and shares.
- Leadership. The worship service is led by church leaders; the group is facilitated by a trained and recognized member who remains under the oversight of the local church.
- Proximity. The worship service takes place in the church building; the group goes to where people live, making it also a relay for those who are geographically distant.
A Christian who only experienced the worship service would miss deep relationships; a Christian who only experienced the small group would cut themselves off from teaching, worship, and the unity of the whole church. Both legs are needed to walk.
Three Common Misconceptions About Home Groups
An article from Evangile 21 identifies several common myths about small groups. Here are three, useful for adjusting your expectations:
- "A good group is a conflict-free group." False: a home group gathers sinners who need God's grace. Friction is not a sign of failure, but an opportunity to apply the Gospel to real relationships.
- "The group exists to meet my needs." The group exists first to love God and serve others. Paradoxically, when everyone seeks to serve, the needs of all end up being met.
- "All members must become friends." What holds a home group together is not natural affinity but unity in Christ. A group where very different people love each other concretely makes the Gospel credible.
If this vision makes you want to take action in your church, read our practical guide How to Start a Home Group.
Key Takeaways
- A home group is a small group of Christians (often 8 to 12 people) who meet in a home, connected to their local church.
- This practice mirrors the New Testament model: the first Christians were devoted to the temple and broke bread in their homes (Acts 2:46).
- Its four main functions: fellowship, Bible study, mutual prayer, and witnessing to those around.
- The home group does not replace the Sunday worship service: the large gathering and the small group are the two legs of church life.
- A group is not a conflict-free club of friends: it is a place where different sinners learn God's grace together.
Personal Application
- Take stock of your church life: do you currently experience both dimensions; the large gathering and the small group; or only one of the two?
- If you are not yet in a home group, who can you contact this week in your church to join one?
- If you are already in a group, do you come primarily to receive or also to serve? What could you contribute to the other members?
- Is there someone in your circle (friend, neighbor, colleague) you could invite to an upcoming meeting?
Verses Cited
Further reading
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a home group and a house church?
A home group is a small cell connected to a local church: it meets during the week in a home, under the oversight of the church and its facilitators, complementing the Sunday worship service. A house church is a complete Christian community that has made the home its primary gathering place. In most French-speaking evangelical churches, home groups function as the second leg of church life, alongside the large gathering.
How many people are in a home group?
Most home groups gather about ten people, typically between 8 and 12. That is a size that fits in a living room and allows everyone to speak, ask questions, and be truly known. When a group grows to the point where full participation becomes difficult, many churches choose to multiply it into two groups rather than letting it keep growing.
What do you actually do in a home group?
A typical meeting combines a welcoming time, a sharing of each person's joys and struggles, a Bible study with discussion and questions, and a time of prayer for one another. Many groups end with refreshments or a meal. The content varies by church, but the four basic ingredients remain: fellowship, the Word, prayer, and openness to people who do not yet know Jesus.
to take notes and ask questions.