Going To Church in the First Century: An Eyewitness Narrative of Early Christian Worship and Community Life

by Robert Banks

A First-Century Meeting
'There I was, nervous but curious. My hosts were fairly level-headed types who wouldn't get mixed up in anything out of the way. Being Greeks, they didn't have the advantage of a good Roman grounding in our religious and civic traditions. They would be more inclined to fall for one of those secretive, emotionally-charged Eastern cults. But then you wouldn't expect a Jew, however atypical, to get involved in that sort of thing, what with his race's over-refined moral scruples and stubborn addiction to a single god.'
'From a religious point of view the whole meeting left a lot to be desired. What had happened contained scarcely anything religious at all. They didn't even have a priest, let alone all the ritual that you expect. This wasn't quite what I had bargained for. Neither decently ritualistic nor exotically mysterious. All very simply and matter-of-fact. I wondered what their god made of this slipshod and common way of doing things. Not at all in the manner to which I would have thought a god was accustomed.'

Genres: Christianity, Church, Ecclesiology, Fiction, Church History, Christian

48 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1990

About the author

Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Tung · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Christian church has evolved immensely from its origin as small group gatherings among believers. Many modern Christians wistfully long for the same fellowship, sincerity, and intimacy of those gatherings – hence the modern structure of church small groups. This book attempts to describe what those early church gatherings consisted of in order to serve as an example for modern small groups. It does this by fictionalizing a Gentile (Publius) and his visit to the house of Aquila and Priscilla (taken from the book of Acts). The book walks through Publius’s feelings and thoughts over the course of an evening meal, and describes some of the activities typical of the first century church: praying, singing, sharing each other’s lives, discussing faith issues, and sharing a meal. At the end of the book, Publius is impressed by the warmth and sincerity of the believers, and taken aback by how un-religious (yet still God-centric) the meeting was – obvious points meant for today’s gatherings. The prose and story are pretty basic, nothing special. Overall, an extremely quick read, but ultimately lacking much depth.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great perspective on what a typical worship service may have looked like in the early church. The book is written as a fiction but is likely historically accurate, and it allows the reader to envision what it might have been like to participate in the gathering. It also show the simplicity of the service and family-like atmosphere which seems to be how modern church should look like as well. This is a great resource for any Christian and especially those who host church gatherings within their home.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this little book. It is a very short account of the early church's Sunday celebration of the Lord's Supper. I enjoyed Robert Bank's writing style, though like the other reviewers it seemed slightly awkward in parts, but really no big deal. I enjoyed reading about how the early Christians may have interacted and supported each other. Inspiring.

[Joshua Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've ever wondered what an early church meeting might have looked like, this book is for you. It will stir your imagination to an entirely new, yet ancient, way of "doing church" that may just be everything for which your spirit is longing.

[Jenna Hetmansperger · Rating 4 out of 5]

this quick little book was so informative!

[Betty Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indeed what a true church gathering should be ,as seen in Acts. Fellowship,eating together,communion, seeking out and fulfilling the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

[Brandon Current · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread. This little book is a historical narrative of a non-believer being invited into a house church for the first time in the 1st century. It was originally part of a larger historical work analyzing primary sources to construct the various cultural influences that shaped the earliest - especially Pauline - communities. It is a quick read, yet extremely helpful in visualizing how the original assemblies of Christ followers shaped their gatherings, which in turn gives more context for reading the New Testament. It is especially enlightening to the various considerations in play with slavery and emancipation.

However, the narrative feels a bit like someone who truly enjoys their contemporary home-group meeting and has read that experience (especially interpersonal communication and interaction with children) back into the original setting. The "voice" of both the primary character's inner dialogue and the written dialogue between people sounds western in its processing, rather than eastern. So while factual elements are no doubt well researched, the feel of the gathering is perhaps overly contemporized. Yet the impact of that is to make something that can be understood and modeled today - maybe like an NLT translation instead of ESV.

All said, an important and accessible read for any believer.

[Nyamani Joash · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book "Going to Church in the First Century"

It has been a good experience to read this wonderful story shared through writtings by Robert Banks about the true image of the early church and how the church is supposed to be conducted .

It's clear that all the instructions and commands from the first principles that God revealed to us through Apostle Paul to the early church ( the household of God) have been followed right from a single family , community , outsiders and the family of families by conducting themselves iby showing love , respect and care to each other despite the status of oneself but as a one family before the Holy might God.

As a disciple it a good lesson to share to my congregation and through this they will get to know how pleasing it is to be loving and caring to one another by not thinking much about ourselves but think more about others and help the needy and conduct ourselves in a manner of respect and be hardworking to earn our living and mind our own business by doing this we will win the respect of the non-believers hence letting them admire our lives and finally join us as we preach the true Gospel of God .

May Grace ,mercy and peace be to the you all.

Blessings

[Timothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick and easy read that provides a great (and seemingly accurate) picture of what it may have been like for early church gatherings. It helps us as a Church and body of Christ to re-think why we're meeting together and what exactly we're supposed to be getting out of it: relationships. Growth in the depth and complexity of relationships (as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another). As Jesus prepared for the crucifixion in the garden while praying in John 17, he prays for unity among the believers following his death no less than 3 times! I think Robert Banks makes a good attempt to try and address the church today by speculating what the church was and how, in some ways, we may have departed from the unity and intimacy with one another that Jesus had so desperately asked God for before he gave everything for us.

[Maegan Beckner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this short, imaginative reflection on what the early church may have looked like. The book places a strong emphasis on community and truly leaning into the members of the church body, stripping away much of the large production that can characterize some churches today.

I especially appreciated the picture it painted of small, intimate groups encouraging one another in their pursuit of Christ and reflection of the Gospel. While it’s impossible to fully know what it would have been like to sit in on the early church, the themes presented here feel both relevant and important to consider as we gather today.

What is the purpose of the church? To praise the Lord, sit in His presence together, and urge one another toward lives aligned with Him.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a short concise view into what the first century church looked like and how they functioned. It seemed to be very biblically rooted and also had some great historical research weaved through this fictional setting. Loved the perspective most of all. I believe this is what the church should still look like today.

[Patrick Trammell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick and easy read. Roberts paints a really interesting narrative of what the early church looked like, with its simplicity but sincerity. More of a home church model. I finished reading with a greater ache to find a church experience similar to what was depicted in the book.

Anyone interested in the concept of a home church would enjoy.

[Nate Duriga · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good short read, where an author with cultural background knowledge helps the reader imagine the scene of a first-century church.

[teddyreadingstuff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wait...where was the LED wall?

No just kidding. Actually this is a rather interesting portrait of what a house church might have looked like in Rome during the time of Paul and Seneca.

[KP Shuff · Rating 5 out of 5]

a must read.

[Craig Kendall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple and to the point fictional representation based on what the author could glean from scripture and history about life in the first century following Christ's resurrection. I believe your position on what "church" is supposed to be like will influence your response to this book. If you are a churchite who lives for the structure you may not find it as monumental. For me I found it to be a breath of fresh air. Surely what Christ intended was, as Banks portrays, much more organic and living than the theatrical presentations and highly organized institutions which have dominated religion for centuries.