house church
what is a house church?
In the spring of 2025, Trellis Church made a shift in how we organize our weekly gatherings in smaller communities. Historically, we gathered in small groups, which followed a traditional church model of Bible study, fellowship, and prayer. These groups met throughout the week and were often relatively homogeneous (young families, middle-age, retired, etc.). As a result, many individuals sought out the small group where most people were like them (age, stage of life, etc.).
Now, we gather in House Churches – most of which meet on Wednesday evenings throughout the eastside. We encourage our members to choose the House Church that is closest to where they live, rather than the one where their friends go. Additionally, our desire is that our House Churches would include a much greater variety of practices than the average small group (worship, silence, service, study, prayer, communion, meals, fasting, etc.). Every house church has a leader and co-leader, and our goal is always to multiply so that more people can benefit from the distinctives of gathering regularly in smaller church communities.
We often use the phrase that Trellis is a “Church of House Churches” – intentionally placing significant value and worth in the regular gatherings of our house churches.
faq
You can always contact us directly to get more specific questions answered.
-
There are many ways this could be answered, but the four primary differences are as follows. First, by gathering geographically, there is forced diversity (age, gender, culture, ethnicity, stage of life, etc.). Second, our house churches strive to regularly include a much greater diversity of practices than the average small group. On any given week, you can expect to worship, pray, read Scripture, share a meal, fellowship, practice silence or service, etc. Third, our goal is always multiplication. Small groups can often become insular or stagnant. We are always praying and working toward multiplication. Fourth, house churches share and distribute leadership, responsibility, and authority in a way that doesn’t happen in most small groups.
-
For Trellis, the shift was primarily a response to felt needs within the community. We are not a large church and many of our people do not live in Kirkland. Thus, in order to provide the level of care, spiritual formation, and community that we desire, it was necessary to re-structure in such a way where those responsibilities were shared and distributed rather than carried by a select few. It is our hope that House Church leaders would carry some of the responsibility that is often given only to staff pastors AND that House Church members would invest in the care and formation of others in their House Church.
-
We encourage our house churches to gather every Wednesday evening, with the exception of the first Wednesday of each month – when we gather at the Trellis building in Kirkland for a corporate evening together focused on spiritual formation (primarily prayer, silence, worship, and liturgy). Most of our House Churches do not meet in July and December. This is to allow our leaders and hosts to get some rest, as well as allow families to have some additional time together throughout the week.
-
First, we understand – it just means your normal. And, we want you to know that coming to experience a House Church is a very low-pressure invitation. Our host and leader will provide a warm welcome as you arrive. You will get to enjoy a delicious meal with others. There is no pressure to talk or participate when you visit – though we feel confident that over time, you’ll experience the benefit of increased commitment to a smaller community.
-
Every individual has their own reason for participating in a house church, but the most frequent praises that we hear are: fellowship, participation in non-judgmental community, spiritual growth, learning to trust, and confidence that people are there for you when you need them.
-
There are two primary ways to get connected to a house church. First, you could come on a Sunday morning at 10 AM and speak with a pastor, staff, or elder. We’d be delighted to connect you to a house church. Or, you can email us at housechurch@trellisnw.org and we will respond to connect you to the house church nearest your residence.