THE HOUSEHOLD HEAD
The household head is a man appointed to take care of a household. He is the designated leader over a group of singles and is responsible for all the activities of the household and for the good order of the household meeting (i.e. attendance, sharing/discussion, honor and respect). He acts as an older brother to the group, establishes strong personal relationships with each of his men, and gets help for them whenever it is available. He helps each member to be fully integrated into the household and in SFC. He has no authority over member’s lives but exercise concern for their lives, especially in the areas of righteousness and good order. He supports the life in SFC and the decisions of its elders.
THE HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS
In order to reap the full benefits to be offered by participation in a household group, its members have to foster some basic attitudes, such as:
- Openness – one has to be open to what the Lord wants to give through the household group. One should realize that this is part of God’s work and in conformity with His plan for each person, and should therefore be expectant and desirous of what is in store from him/her. Concretely, one should share about his/her personal life and relationship with the Lord in a spirit of openness.
- Confidentiality – household members are encouraged to share of their personal lives, including their concerns and difficulties, in the meetings. And this can be done only in an atmosphere of confidentiality. Whatever is shared in the meetings should not be shared outside with anyone else.
Note: the household leaders may share concerns with their service head/Unit Head, who are extensions of their service and care for household members. This is not a breach of confidentiality. The prohibition on sharing with outsiders excludes the positive factors in one’s life. These in effect can be shared by the members outside the household meeting whenever there is an appropriate opportunity so that others can also be built up and encouraged.
- Faithfulness – one has to make the weekly household meeting a priority in his life, and be regular in attendance. Only with continuity and one’s personal commitment can the purpose of household groups be achieved.
- Participation – each member has to come to the meetings prepared both spiritually and practically, and have the attitude of wanting to make a contribution to the life of the meeting. Think not only of what you can get out of the meeting, but of what you can impart to the brothers. This is done by active participation in worship, in sharing and discussion, and in fellowship. It is important that each member supports the good order of the weekly meeting and relates to everyone in the group with honor and respect, especially to the household head.
- Love – the idea, after all, is to foster active concern and commitment to one another. One has to look on the other members of the group as not just so many new friends, but as brother and sisters in the Lord, among whom mutual love is the common denominator.
Each member is expected to attend the weekly meetings faithfully, and indeed this is part of one’s commitment to the covenant of SFC. Of course, certain obstacles will come up, such as sickness. What is important is that one should accord top priority to these meetings and really desire not to be absent from them.
Since attendance is part of one’s commitment and since the very purpose of household groups would be defeated by frequent absences (indicating a lack of interest), such absences form sufficient ground for one’s separation from SFC. Household heads should follow up on absent members and try to renew their interest and commitment. If unsuccessful, the matter should be referred to the Unit Head for appropriate action.
THE HOUSEHOLD MEETINGS
Frequency
Households meet once a week, on the same day of the week as mutually agreed on by the members. Less than once a week would not provide enough contact to have adequate support and encouragement in the Christian life. More than once a week may take time that is more properly allocated to work, family, personal needs or Christian service. The household head cannot skip or cancel any meeting, except as provided for below, or as approved by the Unit Head due to a serious reason.
If the household head cannot be present at a scheduled household meeting (of course for a valid reason), he should not cancel the meeting. Rather, he must refer the matter to the Unit Head. Together, they will agree on a replacement, either one of the men from the household or another brother from the unit.
Exceptions to the weekly household meetings are the following:
- During the week when the monthly prayer meeting is held.
- When a whole household serves in a CLP. In this case, the household will need to meet only two weeks out of four in a month, in addition to its weekly service in CLP.
- During special times such as Holy Week and Christmas break.
Continuing to meet is essential so that the members continue receiving personal life support, and not just meet for service.
Venue
The household meeting is to be held in the home of one of the members of the group. The meeting place is rotated among the homes of each member. Having the household meeting in the homes of the household members have the following values:
- Worshipping the Lord in our homes makes the truth that the home is a small church a concrete reality, and God’s blessings will surely descend upon the home where God’s people can be found, worshipping Him together and growing in their faith together.
- The people in our home will be aware of what we are involved in and what we do every week. To them we will become people who are living their Christian faith openly and powerfully.
- What we do in our homes can be an effective tool for evangelism, especially to our residential household, to our neighbors and to other relatives and friends.
Ingredients of Household Meeting
A typical household meeting would involve three indispensable ingredients: (1) worship and prayer, (2) a time of sharing or teaching or discussion, and (3) some time for fellowship. All three are very important and none should be skipped or simply glossed over.
Worship – should include all the necessary ingredients: singing, praising, thanksgiving, prayers of petition and intercession. Every member should become familiar and comfortable with our way of worship and praise, and the household head shows the way.
A very simple snack is usually prepared by the host. Here it must be kept in mind that the food is incidental to the fellowship, rather than the fellowship being centered on the food. Furthermore, no member should be burdened by the snack’s cost of needed time for preparation, nor should any host ever be pressured in “keeping up” with fellow member’s extravagance. Grace before the meal is said by the host.
The evening ends with a short closing prayer by the head.
Duration
Ordinarily, the household meeting is held after dinner on a weekday. However, other mutually acceptable times are possible. The whole meeting would typically run for about 2 ½ hours. As much as possible, household meetings should start at the agreed time, even if not everyone has arrived.
Social Night
The household may decide to have a social night on occasion. A social night is a time devoted for fellowship, with no formal worship, discussion or sharing. It is recommended that a social night be held once a quarter, on the month where there is a 5th week. If the members want to have a social night more often, then it should be done outside the time allocated for regular household meetings.
SFC 1CentralA PSF Portal 