Originally Posted by Esaias
While ancient churches were "house churches", we should not imagine that means they were a small group gathered in a living room sitting on couches around the coffee table.
Ancient houses that were large enough to have lots of "company" over were very different than modern American or western European houses. They were essentially a large room, often set up like a court yard in many cases. Otherwise, the main room was a large, usually rectangular area. At one end was the entrance out on to the street, at the back end would be a raised area for dining. This area would have a raised dais of sorts, with a lower area surrounding it on three sides (open to the main room). No table and chairs, rather people would recline around the dais (laying down). There was a very specific arrangement as to who laid where in reference to the host (owner of the house, or else an important personage).
Most guests would sit on the floor in the main room, or stand, etc. In the event of a meal, the table (dais) would be loaded with the food, the higher social ranks would recline at table, while everyone else would eat where they were.
For a religious gathering, it would be similar to a Symposium. People would gather in the main room, and whoever was speaking would stand and speak. For prayer, early Christians stood, and prostrated (sitting for prayer would usually not happen).
Society was far more stratified in the ancient world, with rigorously upheld social customs regulating interactions and conversation, etc. At least compared to today's world.
Singing would have been mostly from the book of psalms, usually in an antiphonal (call and response) manner. Occasionally someone might present a hymn of original composition. If it was good the assembly would eventually pick it up and sing it together, adding it to their repertoire.
An elder would have presided over the meetings. His job would be to provide teaching as well as to answer questions. Other elders might also be present. Those known to be gifted with the ability to teach, or to exhort (preach), would do so. Women and children would be expected to be quiet except for singing and praying.
The meeting would usually conclude with a meal, including the breaking and distribution of a loaf of bread, as well as the passing of a cup of wine that had been blessed by prayer (aka communion).
Each assembly would also usually have a treasury of some sort, where members would contribute money. This treasury would then be distributed to the poorer members to help meet their needs (especially widows and orphans). The distribution of alms, food, etc was usually handled by the "deacons".
After the meeting, and throughout the week, the elders and deacons would visit the members, inquire about their needs and their condition, teaching and ministering to the Christian community house to house, family to family, etc.
I suspect it would be considered a lot more structured and regimented than most Americans think. It would also probably be more structured than most Americans would tolerate. The idea of "sitting on a pew once a week" and being generally invisible to oversight would have been considered something like apostasy back then.
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