Christians are migrating en masse to look for real, spiritual community and discipleship. But, where are they going? Over the last several articles, we’ve discussed how many Christians are leaving what we consider to be “traditional church” in order to look for the move of God as described in Acts chapter 2. What does that move of God look like more specifically?

Let’s examine a few things that the Lord seems to be doing across the Body of Christ, as He moves many people into micro- and home-churches.

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Characteristic #1: Small is the new big; few is the new many.

In this new migration, many people are finding themselves yearning for fellowship with a small number of people whom they can “do life with.” They are finding more fulfillment in gathering with two, five, or ten people to:

• sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs;
• pray together; and
• study and exhort one another in the Word …

… than they found formerly in gathering with hundreds or thousands of people in an impersonal, production-like, crowded environment.

Additionally, small fellowships are more versatile, making it even easier to keep the command of Hebrews 10:25:

not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:25 NKJV).

One note of caution to the observer:

Don’t criticize or mistake the move of God by taking Hebrews 10:25 out of context. Remember that the church, the ekklesia, consists of God’s people gathered together to govern. Jesus said that He is present where two or more gather in His name:

For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20 NKJV).

The only valid minimum standard for how many people make up the ekklesia was defined by Jesus. He said clearly that He will be present “in the midst of them” if two or three people gather in His name.

The text of Hebrews 10:25 cannot be used to defend an “only traditional church as we know it” thought pattern. If you gather with fellow believers over lunch, dinner, or afternoon tea—whether at the park, at your office, or in your living room—and you’re exhorting one another in the Word, praying together, and worshipping God together, that is a valid expression of the Acts chapter 2 Biblical church.

Characteristic #2: Quiet is the new loud.

Over and over, I am hearing Christians say that they are finding more spiritual meat, peace, and fulfillment in quiet gatherings where Jesus is the main thing, rather than in loud concert-like atmospheres.

There’s nothing wrong with concerts or large worship productions. Christians need to be present in the arts; all artistry and creativity was intended by God to glorify His own name. However, it seems that the Holy Spirit of God is calling people back to His ancient paths, reminding them that Israel camped around the presence of God—not around the Levitical 50-piece band.

Loud events and loud worship have their place. There’s nothing wrong with either of those, and there may be everything right with them if they are done with a right heart to glorify Jesus. However, there’s also nothing wrong with a group of ten believers who just want to sing old hymns a capella from their heart, weeping under the anointing with not a single musical instrument to be heard. You don’t need a worship leader to have church; all you need is to be a worshipper. 🙂

Characteristic #3: Private is the new public.

We used to have a conference-focused culture in the American church, but I believe that is going away. I’m not saying that people will stop having conferences, and I’m certainly not saying that conferences are bad in any way. I have been blessed by attending many conferences!

However:

• I am seeing people develop a new hunger for communing with Christ in the secret places of their prayer closets, woman-caves, and man-caves.
• I am seeing people skip traditional church so they can prostrate themselves before the Lord in prayer for three solid hours on Sunday mornings, gathering together with their small group of believers later in the week.
• I am also seeing people beginning to carry the secret of the Lord in new and greater ways, as we read about in Psalm 25:14: The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant (NKJV). The level of revelation and heart change the Lord is bringing to individuals only comes to those who have heard the knock of the Savior at their heart’s door; who have let Him come in to them and sup with them, and they with Him. (See Revelation 3:20.)

In this new move of God, He is pulling His beloved ones back to the ancient paths.

People are eschewing performance and ritual in favor of the (old) “new and living way”—the way of communion and intimacy with Christ. And in this new season of unmarketable, unglamorous Acts 2 church, people are learning to draw from the Well of Living Water for themselves—instead of looking to be spoon-fed by or codependent on man’s religious constructs and opinions about “real church.”

Characteristic #4: Depth, transformation, and fruit are the new measurements of success, rather than numbers, dollars, and appearances.

This particular change is one of the most pressing transformations the American church has needed in a long time. In many cases, we have built a culture that emphasizes church attendance, numbers of people who have filled out a salvation card, and celebrity status.

However, we have often neglected ongoing, in-person discipleship on Monday through Saturday. And it is only through ongoing discipleship that we can make sure people who “prayed the prayer and filled out a card” even meant it.

It is only through weekly, daily mentoring that we can build disciples of Christ, rather than church attenders and concert-goers. And it is only through humility, heart change, and personal fruit that any person can even become strong enough to witness for Jesus and sustain a ministry that makes disciples of all nations.

The Lord is bringing us back to the ancient paths.

He is bringing us back to the things that are real, true, and pure. He is refining our motives, our hearts, and our preferences. He is opening the eyes of His people to discern between what glorifies Him versus what glorifies man. He is bringing His Body back to prayer, to the study of the Word, to fasting, and to personal evangelism and discipleship.

And I believe it’s time for us all to seek Him in these matters, asking Him what He would like to separate from us so that He can separate US to Himself.

As we conclude this series, I am reminded of how the church of old was built.

Firstly, in Matthew 16:18, Jesus said that He Himself would build His church.

Therefore, His techniques are the only ones that matter. In modern times, we need to humble ourselves enough to recognize when a thing is more about a “vision” or a man than it is about the central presence of Christ.

Secondly, if we look at Jesus’ techniques, we see that HE chose to share His daily life with His 12 disciples.

He didn’t tell them to stay home and meet Him for an hour on Sunday and Wednesday. They left their all and followed Him, and He did real life with them for three years. He made disciples by sharing His heart and life with His disciples.

Jesus’ disciples (all except Judas) became the pillars of the early church. Daily discipleship and mentoring are lacking in many church environments, but it is absolutely Biblical and godly to find a place where you can be discipled—and where you can also make disciples, as iron sharpens iron—on a daily basis.

Thirdly, when Jesus built His church in the book of Acts, we see that He caused and ordained all kinds of gatherings from house to house.

There were teachers and apostles and bishops and appropriate structures, but it wasn’t a “join my megachurch and come volunteer for me every week” type of construct. The focus was on Jesus, who met with His ekklesia wherever two or three gathered in His name. And the small gatherings were honored as much as the larger gatherings.

Finally, as the Word was preached from house to house, great signs and wonders followed—which led to massive numbers of conversions to Christ.

If we could return to the Word being preached from house to house—not merely from stage to stage—I believe we would see the Gospel going forth in greater ways than ever before.

Beloved, the church is, in many cases, leaving the church in order to find authentic church.

This is not a bad thing, but it is a different thing. There is a reformation going on. Christ is literally reshaping the local expressions of His Body in order to bring people into more intimacy with, and dependence upon, Himself.

In many cases, He is bringing people into smaller, more intimate, less glamorous, but deeper local church expressions (including home groups and micro-churches). By doing so, I believe He is actually accelerating the process of purifying His bride.

When people spend more time in relationship and community like Psalm 133 describes, being exhorted and taught personally—as well as having opportunity to exercise and grow in their own spiritual gifts—we are seeing the Lord transform His children at speed. Those transformed sons and daughters, thus equipped, are then able to get out into the harvest field, rather than sitting around waiting for a pastor who doesn’t even know them to promote them.

Could it be, therefore, that this great migration toward micro-churches is in answer to Jesus’ own prayer request?

Remember Matthew 9:35-38 as we conclude this series:

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:35-38 NKJV).

When people get lost in the crowd, accustomed to “watching the man” do the ministry, they do not become effective harvesters in the Kingdom. But when people are sharpened, discipled, equipped, stretched, encouraged, exhorted, and accountable in community and in total submission to the Word, they quickly become laborers in those fields that are white with harvest.

Are you sensing the Lord moving you into an Acts chapter 2 church environment? If so, leave your thoughts below.

This article is the 4th in a series. You may also be interested in Leaving the Church: Flesh or Spirit?,  A Growing Hunger for ‘True Church’ and  Does God Ever Break Up Churches?

Jamie Rohrbaugh is the founder and CEO of From His Presence. She is the author of Victory In the Camp of the Lord Volume 1: Healing from Fear. Her resources have been published by YouVersion Bible Plans, Charisma Magazine, The Elijah List, Spirit Fuel, and various other ministry outlets. You can find free mentoring on her podcast, Take Your Territory with Jamie Rohrbaugh, which is available through your favorite podcast streaming app. Download her free prayer tool, Praying the Names of God: 555 Biblical Names of God and How to Use Them in Prayer and Worship, here. Photo Credit: Canva.