When the Church Was a Family: Recapturing Jesus' Vision for Authentic Christian Community

Dr. Joseph H. Hellerman is professor of New Testament Language and Literature at Biola University in the Talbot School of Theology. Hellerman also serves as Team Pastor at Oceanside Christian Fellowship in El Segundo, California. He earned his Ph.D. from UCLA and published his dissertation under the title, The Ancient Church as a Family.The thesis of the popular-level When the Church Was a Family is nothing short of a paradigm shift. For Hellerman, the Gospel saves the sinner out of one group into the family of God. Yet, American churches fail to emphasize the primacy of the family of God and, as a result, produce lonely, anxious, uncommitted church members. Worse yet, non-believers respect Jesus but despise his church, seeing it as a corrupt institution. To correct such problems, Hellerman contends that the American church must restore the Biblical vision of the family of God—modeled after ancient family structures. No longer can physical family units hold the pride of place among Christian priorities—the family of God comes first. No longer may church life revolve around “my” desires, “my” growth, and “my personal savior,”—the good of the church takes precedence over personal needs. Believers become brothers and sisters, a remarkably affectionate relationship in the ancient world, and must display their affection through generous sharing and patience during conflict.The book opens with a brief critique of American individualism as a detriment to the modern church. Chapter one suggests that understanding the distinct emphases of a collectivist culture, in contrast to an individualist culture, is essential for seeing the function of the early church—a collectivist group. In collectivist cultures, the benefit of the group takes priority over the concerns of the individual. For Hellerman, modern American individualism is at the heart of a number of social and individual ills, and the collectivist vision of the Christian family is the church’s only solution.Because sibling terminology is ubiquitous in the New Testament church, chapter two looks back at ancient views on sibling relations. Hellerman shows that the sibling relationship—not marriage—was the closest and most affectionate bond the ancients possessed. Consequently, fidelity to Christian siblings is the greatest virtue, while the betrayal of Christian brothers and sisters is the ultimate act of treason. In chapter three, Hellerman wrestles with the seemingly contradictory statements of Jesus on the earthly family (“Honor your parents” versus “Hate your parents”). Hellerman argues that Jesus saw his people as a family modeled upon but prioritized above his followers’ earthly families. The spiritual family comes first.Chapter four introduces familial principles drawn from Pauline literature: “1. Affective Solidarity: the emotional bond that Paul experienced among brothers and sisters in God’s family 2. Family Unity: the interpersonal harmony and absence of discord that Paul expected among brothers and sisters in God’s family 3. Material Solidarity: the sharing of resources that Paul assumed would characterize relationships among brothers and sisters in God’s family 4. Family Loyalty: the undivided commitment to God’s group that was to mark the value system of brothers and sisters in God’s family.” (78-9) The final chapter of historical research (chapter 5), before moving to modern application, considers the familial practices of the early church outside the New Testament. Hellerman gathers a diverse group of texts—including secular writers—to demonstrate that early Christians saw the church as a family that demanded both strict moral standards and great compassion among its members.Chapter six critiques the individualism of American Christian theology and church practice. Hellerman responds that the Gospel saves individuals to a family—that justification is linked to “familification.” Chapter seven forms the practical core of the book. Hellerman explains four family values for the church. The church family should (1) share belongings so that needy siblings are sustained, (2) display affection that results in action, (3) weather the storms of conflict and dissent as a united family, and (4) expand the boundaries of the physical family to include members of the spiritual family such as single Christians.In the eighth chapter, Hellerman argues that the family of God is a critical context for individuals making life decisions. Without the wisdom of the community, the weight of decision-making falls on each individual, leaving residual stress and dissatisfaction behind. Hellerman adds that applying the family model in individual churches is difficult, so it requires a top-down approach, including the example of pastors finding community in their own churches. Finally, Hellerman argues in chapter nine that the way to prevent the family of God model from becoming dangerous or cultish is to put a team of servant leaders in place. A plurality of leaders shares authority and prevents individual sin issues from destroying a church. Servant leaders care for the family of God without concern for selfish gain.Hellerman’s book demonstrates that authors who attempt to swing a rusty, paralyzed pendulum often push harder than required. The push may feel more like a shove when it comes to Hellerman’s frustration with the individualistic view of salvation and claims that Jesus is “my” Savior. Still, the honest reader will admit that Hellerman frequently concedes his points, admitting that his emphasis on one side is not an outright rejection of the other. Jesus saves individuals, yes, but saves them into a family. Critics may also accuse Hellerman of ignoring texts that don’t conform to his thesis. This may be a fair critique, though Hellerman’s limited scope allows the book to avoid constant equivocation. Finally, many of Hellerman’s problems with the “American church” are anecdotal, possibly leaving members of close-knit churches to wonder what dragon the author is slaying.On the other hand, church members who have seen a discrepancy between the Biblical image of church life and their experience of modern churches may view Hellerman’s work as a sight for sore eyes. And thankfully, Hellerman offers practical guidelines for implementing the family of God model. Churches must appoint a plurality of servant leaders who demonstrate and teach that the church is a family. Small groups of believers must gather regularly, make decisions together, and work through conflict with grace. Evangelists should present the church family as a gracious benefit of salvation—reconciliation not only with God but also with other people.In all, When the Church Was a Family is a timely call to reclaim a Biblical ecclesiology. The thesis is firmly founded on Scripture, conversant with Christian history, and consistently insightful. And while the author does not offer a new “program,” his model is both simple and applicable for any modern church.

I admit, I may be a bit biased since I have been sitting in Dr. Hellerman (Pastor Joe)'s pews for over a year now, but to be fair, I have been saying a lot of the same stuff (in person and in writing) long before I met the man or read the book.His thesis is absolutely right; we as a church are meant to be like a family, where there is love (actual love, not meaningless Christian "love") and forgiveness (actual forgiveness, not meaningless Christian "forgiveness) and where everyone cares about each other in word and deed. The Bible even goes as far as to say "If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen" (NASB, 1 John 4:20). So, it's kind of important...Now, he not only uses the Bible well, but he also goes from an angle I had never considered, one which makes the biblical text all the more powerful: the family metaphor is used quite a bit in the Bible, and the family in the ancient near east was a far different animal from what we typically think of in the west today. We all know we're called brothers and sisters etc. But what would that have meant to the people who first heard the message, who the metaphor was applied to? Hellerman makes the case that, in near eastern culture of the time, two things were true. First of all, the society was far less individualistic than modern western society. People, just as a matter of conditioning, saw the well-being of the group as more paramount to their own. Their very concept of identity was wrapped up not in whom they were, but what group they belonged to. This was all the more true of the family. The family was, in many ways, not X number of individuals, but one inseparable unit. That is how the church should be. Secondly (and I would say even more importantly), the family relationship back then was far closer and tighter than it often is in the west today (which makes sense, given their group mentality). In the west, some people are really close to their siblings, and some are not. In Jesus' time, it was pretty much a given that the sibling relationship was the most (emotionally) intimate relationship a person would have (even more so than marriage). He gives extensive (but easy to understand) historical evidence for this. The bond which by nature is quite strong was all the tighter in that culture and context. To say that someone is your brother wasn't just a phrase we throw about all willy-nilly to speak of close friends or even just people of the same race or sports team. Your brothers and sisters were a part of who you were. So to then say that as Christians we are therefore brothers and sisters to one another is incredibly powerfulThe book is a good mix of scripture and history. As I said above, taking account the historical context explains what the things said in scripture mean, and knowing how the early Christians practiced them gives additional insight.There is also a discussion about the benefits of plurality of elders (as opposed to a church with one senior pastor). It is only partly related to the main points, but I think he makes a good case, and he ties it together well enough.One final thing I really loved about the book was that, in true pastoral fashion, the facts and data are brought to life by unusually intimate looks at aspects of Hellerman's own heart and life. Though written by a professor with abundant research and evidence, this book isn't written from an ivy tower. It isn't just logically coherent arguments that accurately make a point. This is Pastor Joe, a child of God and part of the family of God who has accepted the challenge and honor of teaching God's word leading those who are willing. Since the book is about the church as family, knowing that this is a real person and not just a mind behind the words you read makes it all the more powerful.CONS:As my 5-start rating would indicate, there aren't a lot of them. The only thing I'd say to watch out for is the beginning. It isn't dangerous or anything, but it gives somewhat of a different impression of what the book is going to be about than is reality. It comes across more like he's arguing that more group-focused societies are in and of themselves better than western society by virtue of being group-centered, whether or not God is in the picture. I don't think that that is his t his point at all. Remember, the whole thesis is that the ancient near eastern family very close and group-centered, and that since the ancient near-eastern Jesus and his ancient near-eastern apostles were explicitly saying the church is to be just like a family, the Christians should likewise be close knit and loving and forgiving and caring of one another and should more about the church and their brothers than themselves. In the beginning he goes on so much about how other societies are less focused on the individual and some of the pluses of that because later on he's going to be using those two things to make his case about the church. For the church, we should be more like a communal society than the one around us. It's not an argument that we should always submit to the will of the family as would happen in near-eastern culture. In fact, one of the things he argues later is that the family of God, our fellow believers, should in fact take precedence over biological family (which sounds insane, but ultimately makes sense, as in Christ we are bound to and by something greater than our DNA). So, the beginning can be a little bit muddled, as it sounds like it came from a book called "why Americans should emulate more group-centered culture." After all, people without Jesus are people without Jesus, no matter how much of a community they are a part of. In context, however, it fits right in.CONCLUSION:If you sincerely follow Jesus, read this book.

A good read, a bit repetitive in places, but the central point that we are saved into community is worth exploring and pondering deeply.

This is a helpful corrective for the individualistic tendencies within Western Christendom. Hellerman helps the reader understand into what context the Early Church was shaped, and how community played a significant role in discipleship of Christian believers in a period marked by persecution from different sources.

Mixed feelings on this one - it gave me a rich understanding of the spiritual/cultural understanding of "brother and sister" but was so rigid and "religious" it was a bit hard to swallow at times. I guess it was a "suck off the meat, spit out the bones" kind of book.