It is an interesting time, five years out of a pandemic that locked us in our homes and temporarily stripped us of our right to meet with our church families in our church buildings. The beauty that came from the CHURCH continuing to give witness to the grace of Jesus, came in the form of house churches. People choosing to gather in their homes, read scripture, pray, break bread, worship and grow. The seeds for this had been planted in those who had previously worshiped with a community that chose small group studies as part of their church practice. A result of this, many resisted re-entry into their previous houses of worship. That combined with an underlying belief that before the return of Jesus, we will be back in this style of "church", has with the advantages and disadvantages of "free" church or house church.
Advantages begin with the truth, that where two or more gather in His name, He is there. To bear the marks of a the church confessed in the Nicene Creed: "one, holy, catholic and apostolic" is also possible in a home setting with a smaller group of poeple. There is a distinct level of intimacy with eachother, and likely with the scriptures, when the group is small and in a setting so hospitable as a home. Prayer may have the potential to be more specific, along with worship, areas for focused growth and the function of "the body" with each member knowing clearly their gifts and how they can serve others with them.
The disadvantages, in my opionion, begin with accountability. How will they know if they start to be led astray? Will they remain apostolic, which Felker Jones describes as "sound doctrine that is true to the gospel of Jesus Christ". Will they be able to maintain catholicity, graciously making room for all people, or will there be a sense of closed to certain community? Will they be spurred on to going out into the world and bear witness, or will they become self focused and broken off from the surrounding community? When Felker Jones speaks of unity, she points out that Jesus compares the Father's sending hi into the world to his sending us into the world. I question if this would be sustained in a "free" church setting.