Martin Luther: house church advocate?

It's the thought that counts, right?

Tucked into the wordy preface to instructions for a formal, public worship gathering was an admission by the Great Reformer himself that the Reformation did not go far as he had wished.

While this is by no means a new discovery (and we've made reference to it on this blog previously), it's curious that Martin Luther himself would in theory support something similar to what we're doing in today's organic house churches.

While Martin Luther never, to our knowledge, acted on this hypothetical "third order" of worship gathering (the first two orders were a Catholic-like Latin liturgy and the other a more simplified service in a native language -- similar to what many Lutherans practice today), his very mention of this kind of simple, interactive gathering shows a snippet of Luther's long-range vision. Totally reforming the church involves Christians developing intimate communities focused on mutual edification, and these communities happening rather spontaneously.

As just about every house churcher, past and present, can attest, finding people willing to do this is not easy. Not even Luther could find enough people interested. Read on:

... [T]he third sort of Divine Service, which the true type of Evangelical Order should embrace, must not be celebrated so publicly in the square amongst all and sundry. Those, however, who are desirous of being Christians in earnest, and are ready to profess the Gospel with hand and mouth, should register their names and assemble by themselves in some house to pray, to read, to baptize and to receive the sacrament and practise other Christian works. 

In this Order, those whose conduct was not such as befits Christians could be recognized, reproved, reformed, rejected, or excommunicated, according to the rule of Christ in Matt. 18. Here, too, a general giving of alms could be imposed on Christians, to be willingly given and divided among the poor, after the example of St. Paul in II Cor. 9. 

Here there would not be need of much fine singing. 

Here we could have baptism and the sacrament in short and simple fashion: and direct everything towards the Word and prayer and love. 

Here we should have a good short Catechism [teaching] about the Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord's Prayer. 

In one word, if we only had people who longed to be Christians in earnest, Form and Order would soon shape itself. But I cannot and would not order or arrange such a community or congregation at present. I have not the requisite persons for it, nor do I see many who are urgent for it. 

But should it come to pass that I must do it, and that such pressure is put upon me as that I find myself unable with a good conscience to leave it undone, then I will gladly do my part to secure it, and will help it on as best I can. In the meantime, I would abide by the two Orders aforesaid; and publicly among the people aid in the promotion of such Divine Service, besides preaching, as shall exercise the youth and call and incite others to faith, until those Christians who are most thoroughly in earnest shall discover each other and cleave together; to the end that there be no faction-forming, such as might ensue if I were to settle everything out of my own head. For we Germans are a wild, rude, tempestuous people; with whom one must not lightly make experiment in anything new, unless there be most urgent need. [...]

Source: Luther's preface to "The German Mass and Order of Divine Service," January 1526 (1911 translation), Cambridge Press, (https://history.hanover.edu/texts/luthserv.html).

It should be noted that Luther's idea of this Third Order did not involve reading the Bible directly, though keep in mind that Bible reading was something still reserved for those who could afford a printed copy or those who could understand the language that copy was printed in. Luther held to a co-existence between the three orders, so the third order should not be interpreted as a stand-alone faction.

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