For nearly three hundred years, early Christians met almost exclusively in private homes built originally only for domestic use. In House Church and Mission, Roger Gehring investigates both theological and socio-historical aspects of the missional significance of house churches from the time of Jesus through Paul. The development of early Christian ethics, the emergence of leadership structures, and the growth of ecclesiological concepts were all noticeably influenced by the households in which believers lived and gathered. In the last twenty-five years this early century house church phenomenon has generated a great deal of interest among New Testament scholars and church practitioners. This research has focused primarily on the implications of the social and theological effects of the house church on the early church. House Church and Mission offers scholars the first comprehensive summary of evidence concerning home churches in the New Testament and supplies pastors and lay leaders with a well-crafted discussion of the nature of "church" that explores the practical implications of house churches for outreach.