In a recent pair of studies, Christian researcher George Barna and his research firm, the Barna Group, looked at key factors of the house church movement in the United States in an effort to discover what has fueled the rising popularity of house churches in America.

Barna says the studies indicate that house churches appeal to older adults who want a deeper experience with God and other believers. Also, he says house churches tend to attract young adults who have little interest in traditional forms of church.

Among the Barna Group's findings was the fact that the average size of a house church is 20 people, and there is an average of seven children under age 18 involved in each church. Also, the surveys found that three out of every four house church participants have been active in their current gathering for less than a year.

What the research indicates, Barna notes, is that many Americans are experimenting with house churches. "There is a very significant and consistent move of people into house churches," he says, "but it's not a cut-and-dried kind of move."

For example, Barna points out, "Most of the people who are regularly attending a house church still, on at least an infrequent basis, are attending a conventional church."

According to the church culture and trends analyst, there are primarily two types of people who are attracted to house churches. They are the older participants who seek a deeper experience with God and with other believers, he says, and the young adults who have little interest in traditional forms of church.

Still, Barna notes, many variables exist when it comes to house churches. "What we find is, because it is a group of people who lead themselves, generally speaking they do not have a formal pastor," he says.

"There are some of these groups, we found, who really believe that it's not good to have that one person that has the title, the authority, the responsibility," the researcher adds, "because then everybody becomes dependent on that person, and there's power struggles and authority issues that crop up."

The Barna Group survey also revealed that 80 percent of house churches in America meet weekly, while 11 percent meet once a month. Also, four out of ten house churches say the format they follow varies from week to week.

Copyright 2007 AgapePress