All of the following verses clearly show that New Testament churches were only and always house churches. What about all the verses that are in the New Testament where believers met in church buildings ꟷ ZERO!

1. “Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives… they went to the upstairs room of the house where they were staying… They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus” (Acts 1:12-14).

2. “On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability” (Acts 2:1-4).
3. “They…met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity” (Acts 2:46).
4. “From house to house, they continued to teach and preach” (Acts 5:42).
5. “But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church…he went from house to house” (Acts 8:3).
6. “When he realized this, he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were gathered for prayer” (Acts 12:12).
7. “When Paul and Silas left the prison, they returned to the home of Lydia. There they met with the believers and encouraged them once more. Then they left town” (Acts 16:40).
8. “There were many lamps in the upstairs room of the house where we were meeting” (Acts 20:8).
9. “I taught you publicly and from house to house” (Acts 20:20 NIV).
10. “Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila…also give my greetings to the church that meets in their home” (Romans 16:3-5).
11. “And give my greetings to the believers from the household of Aristobulus” (Romans 16:10).
12. “Greet the Lord’s people from the household of Narcissus” (Romans 16:11).
13. “Give my greetings to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who meet with them” (Romans 16:14).
14. “Give my greetings to Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and to Olympas and all the believers who meet with them” (Romans 16:15).
15. “Gaius says hello to you. He is my host and also serves as host to the whole church” (Romans 16:23).
16. “For some members of Chloe’s household have told me about your quarrels, my dear brother and sisters” (1 Corinthians 1:11).
17. “The churches here in the province of Asia send greetings in the Lord, as do Aquila and Priscilla and all the others who gather in their home for church meetings” (1 Corinthians 16:19).
18. “Please give my greetings… to Nympha and the church that meets in her house” (Colossians 4:15).
19. “They must be silenced because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach” (Titus 1:11 NIV).
20. “I am writing to… Archippus, and to the church that meets in your house” (Philemon 1:2).
21. “If anyone comes to your meeting and does not teach the truth about Christ, don’t invite that person into your home or give any kind of encouragement” (2 John 1:10).
22. “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come, and we will share a meal together” (Revelation 3:20).

Since there is no verse in the New Testament that says “the church met” in any building, that may be one of the reasons a necessary qualification for being a New Testament leader/elder was to be “hospitable”: “An elder… must enjoy having guests in his home…” (1 Timothy 3:2).

All New Testament churches only met in believers’ homes. None of the apostles, no church leaders, or Christians ever even mentioned meeting in or constructing any kind of church building. House churches were the only church pattern for meeting in all of the New Testament. And the New Testament home church pattern was the only church model for all Christians for over 300 years!

I strongly urge anyone interested in knowing more about church as Jesus intended that you get Jim McCotter’s book Church revolution today. Jim has been involved in establishing hundreds of house churches and indirectly thousands,