Previously Ypsilanti Friends Church, The Ypsilanti Friends Network of House Churches desires to engage those in our community who are spiritually, relationally, physically or emotionally restless with the compassion of Jesus Christ in the ordinary rhythms of everyday life. We spend time  together socially, and in our homes to worship God and learn together, and take action to support our community.

Why We Do What We Do

We understand that this “micro” or “small” way of being  church may not be for everyone and that’s okay! We recognize though that the deepest, most meaningful relationships we have ever experienced have been in the context of doing life together. In these small, but powerful groups of friends, we have been seen, heard, and understood. While we believe in the value of large, traditional worship gatherings, we have experienced the presence of God more intensely and meaningfully than corporate worship alone can provide. We have learned more from the wisdom and support of others than only hearing a sermon once a week. The power of a small gathering of trusted friends meeting together in the day to day is immeasurable. 

The natural outflow of our life together of worship, friendship and discipleship is a deep sense of calling to invest in and serve our community. We are very committed to working together missionally to serve our area, work with others to help meet personal and community needs, and build trusting relationships within our neighborhoods.

Where We Came From

We’d like to say this is a new idea, but it really isn’t. What we strive to do is rooted far back in history. In fact, not only have Christian communities been the church this way for centuries, the majority of Christ followers around the world today continue to grow in friendship as they gather for worship in homes and serve in their communities. Micro church is not a new thing for most people in the world.

 It’s actually not new for us either. In fact, we’re returning to our roots. Not only did The Religious Society of Friends begin by meeting in homes, outdoors, and other unconventional meeting places back in the 17th century, the Ypsilanti Friends Church founders began meeting that way too. 

We respect and honor the practice of meeting together in large gatherings as there is an important relationship between the big and the small we want to keep. This is why we will always have network worship gatherings about every six weeks.  Our strong belief from scripture and experience is that because God works so powerfully in small, everyday circumstances that’s where we want to spend most of our time. This is why in  2021, we made the shift to become a network of missional house churches serving the Lincoln Area of Washtenaw County, Michigan. 

Want to Learn More?

If you’re curious and want to learn what this movement is about, we encourage you to see it for yourself. You can connect with one of our house churches here.