Steve, I think you make a good point. The slippery slope IS everywhere. It CERTAINLY exists in the institutional church which (even it its more intimate incarnations) too easily becomes a cult of personality, and as Stef pointed out, is vulnerable to seeking funds (rather than seeking Jesus) simply in order to continue its existence. I don’t see meeting in a cafe or in a pub or in a city park, or any other reasonable place to be any more dangerous at all (and possibly less) than meeting in a building that most churches these days have a hard time maintaining and paying the mortgage on. Please no one misunderstand. I respect the IC and am well aware that such churches contribute greatly to ministry work. That said, I don’t think IC is superior to other forms of the church. It’s just one more way for the body of Christ to meet.
In the case of house churches, there’s a sort of enforced size limit. Most living rooms don’t hold more than a dozen or so people comfortably, and of course there are always the children to manage (who tend to significantly outnumber the adults). I’m guessing the pub church is also going to be limited in size and will need to split up if it gets above a couple dozen people. Plus, you limit yourself to people who can leave the kiddos with Grandma, or who haven’t got any yet, or empty-nesters (like me). I do agree there’s a danger (as there is in other settings) of the pub church becoming a cult of personality. It that were to happen, splitting into smaller groups would be more difficult because the driving force is the pastor/leader rather than the community dynamic under Christ as leader. I think the leader would need to begin immediately training a successor or two and giving them leadership responsibilities to avoid this sort of thing.
I want to do this! Only I don’t think I’m actually up to it. I guess you just take the waves as they come, as in Perelandria. Who knows what’s over the next wave?