More Americans seek God on their terms, and in their homes

The Rev. Tom Caiazzo calls it The House of Grace, but it's also the house of Reverend Caiazzo himself. The congregants who gather in this Boston-area residence twice a week for prayer and preaching hope to someday establish their evangelical church in a more public space.

Meanwhile in Austin, Texas, the people who gather every other week at the residence of internist Cecilia Schulte to talk about God generally agree they'll never find a more suitable setting.

These represent two faces of a growing trend toward religious life that occurs in the most humble of sanctuaries: the home.

In some cases, the groups are nascent churches, perhaps fledgling global movements. In others, they're more akin to a book club where informality is the glue that holds a group together for discussions of divine grace.

But the bottom line is that for many Americans, worship is no longer centered exclusively under a steeple. In an era of long commutes, overloaded schedules, and made-to-order spirituality, religious experience increasingly means venturing into someone's home for refreshments and a taste of God on far more personal terms.

In the trend, some see the danger of renegade religion. Others see a host of potential benefits - as long as the movement doesn't go too far. "Home is a very comfortable, safe environment. It's not institutionalized," says Diane Bennett, director of small group ministries for Vision New England, an evangelical network. "People want friendship and relationships. It makes sense to try to create it at home."

Though religious life beyond traditional walls is too decentralized to track precisely, some indicators suggest a rising trend:

• About half of the nation's observant Christians participate in small group ministries that meet either at church or in parishioners' residences, according to Gallup Poll research.

• Over the past year, followers of "Conversations with God" author Neale Donald Walsch have launched 162 home-based "Humanity's Team" gatherings nationwide.

• Organizers of the Alpha Course, an introduction to Christianity, are currently recruiting hosts to offer an environment "less threatening" than the institutional churches.

Reasons for religious pursuits in the living room range from the practical to the theological. In some cases, home-based observances aim to provide a complement to gathering formally on a holy day. Park Street Church in downtown Boston, for instance, encourages suburbanite members to discuss sermon-based questions, posted weekly on the preacher's website, at a church member's house.

In others cases, groups become substitutes for other religious affiliations. At least 15 Jewish fellowship, or "havurah," gatherings in the Boston area have become independent congregations over the past 30 years, according to Mark Frydenberg, National Havurah Committee Chairman. Although most havurah groups remain connected to an established synagogue, he says, some have gone further to quench a thirst for community.

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