ECCLESIOLOGY Part 9 - Problems and Growing Pains

 

I suspect most church leaders want their churches to numerically grow. Such church growth, though, is often elusive to many church leaders. While there is no guaranteed formula for achieving numerical church growth, there are certainly well-established ways for a local church not to grow (which I will refer to shortly). There are some churches that experience rapid growth then, just as rapid, experience decline - and are often bewildered as to why. Perhaps it is not true in every instance, but often this happens because of how these churches process problems. That is, churches which are ill-prepared for dealing appropriately with problems inevitably will probably experience numerical decline. This is why every church which is seeking to sustainably grow numerically must know how to process problems in a healthy way.

SEEING PROBLEMS DIFFERENTLY

The late David Cartledge told me something quite counter-intuitive about what was the measure of a good leader: 

“The measure of a leader is determined by the size of the problems they solve!” 

I have never forgotten this gem of wise insight from Dr. Cartledge. This comment has significantly helped me to grow as a leader and to view problems quite differently. Rather than seeing problems as roadblocks, hindrances, distractions, or setbacks - I began to understand the relationship between problems and the growth of a leader. (Every parent understands this problem:growth relationship as they help their young children grow into adults as they help them to learn how to deal with increasingly complex life problems.) By viewing problems as an opportunity for growth, a leader can then approach these problems with the aim of resolving them rather than retreating from them. By seeking to resolve a problem a leader becomes teachable and open to learning new solution strategies. This leads to him or her becoming more equipped to deal with similar but bigger problems next time.

I have noticed that when a church leader stresses too readily over minor setbacks or disappointments, the confidence placed in them by those they lead tends to be diminished. Similarly, when a volunteer, team or department leader is confronted with a problem which is overwhelming them - and their senior pastor shows them how to solve that problem wisely, their confidence in the senior leader grows. Thus, dealing with problems, rather than avoiding or denying them,  is essential if a leader and his or her church wants to grow. However, the problem:growth relationship is also inversely relative...    

GROWTH CREATES NEW PROBLEMS!

It’s almost like the classic problem of which came first - the chicken or the egg? Not only does solving problems within a church potentially lead to numerical growth, numerical growth creates problems! The first (and ongoing growth problem) is resistance to change. An anglican church growth consultant used the analogy of retail businesses to illustrate this growth problem. 

1. Consider the mum and dad corner-store. In Australia these used to be called milk bars. They sold bread, milk, newspapers, cold drinks, a few essential grocery items, and confectionary. These stores would have a regular number of customers from around the neighbourhood. The store owners knew many of these customers by name. Churches with up to 70 regular attendees are run like these corner-stores.

2. The independent hardware store. These stores may be privately owned by one owner, but will have a few staff also employed. The owner is known by those who shop in his store, and he knows some of them by name. Churches with 100 to 180 regular attenders are like these stores where there is a senior minister who also employs one or two part-time assistants.

3. The department store. These are larger stores which sell a variety of goods that are organised into departments. The manager of the store is probably not the owner and therefore is not personally known by the customers. There could be around 20 or more employees with some of them working as department managers. Churches with 200 - 700 regular attenders are like these stores where most congregants do not deal directly with the senior minister but do have a pastoral relationship with assistant pastors who oversee a department of the church. 

4. The Shopping Centre. These are the largest retail expressions where nearly everything that is ordinarily sold, is available for purchase. These shopping centres include large department stores, specialty stores, entertainment, dining, and comfortable environs and décor. Customers do not generally know who the centre manager is - and probably do not mind this. Their concern is that they can comfortably shop and get what they want when they want it. These centres cater for people from all backgrounds, ages, and tastes. Churches with a regular attendance of 2,500 - 5,000+ are often like these shopping centres (and are referred to as “mega churches”. The senior minister is probably a gifted orator whose preaching/teaching is what attracts people to the church's Sunday services. But this is also supplemented by professional level worship singers and musicians, a well-run concurrent children's program, professional quality multi-media presentations, and clearly defined discipleship pathways which enable people to get involved and utilise their gifts and ministries. 

Consider these four scales of church growth and consider the challenges that would have been encountered by those leading in #1 to grow to the size of #2. Imagine the circumstances where this growth may have been foisted upon the mum and dad because of overwhelming customer growth and demand. It is not too difficult to imagine that this mum and dad may have been overwhelmed and decided to sell their small business to someone who was not overwhelmed by the prospect of this growth - in fact, the new owner may even look forward to the challenge of restructuring this business so that it could grow. This is a scenario faced by many type #1 churches and pastors.

CONCLUSION

No matter what type of church it is, problems will arise and need to be wisely dealt with. As church leaders and churches grow, commensurate problems will arise. These problems should not thought of as unusual. Consider the narrative through the Book of Acts. In nearly every chapter there is a problem > solution > growth pathway.

Note the problem which led to the initial restructuring of the church's leadership and ministries:

Acts 6:1 ¶ Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.

Acts 6:3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. Acts 6:4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

Problems force us to humble ourselves and seek the help, assistance, and advice of others. This is an important ingredient in growing stronger. While prayer is essential and important for solving overwhelming problems, too many pastors deny themselves the means of growth that is derived from wise and godly counsel because of pride - or perhaps, ignorance. If you want your church to grow it begins with a willingness to seek it and to be transformed by God's Spirit so that it can happen — which means this growth will commence in you first! I encourage you to seek the kind of growth that strengthens you in wisdom, knowledge and character. And this can only begin to happen when a leader is committed to humbly following Christ and heeding His Word.  

I welcome your feedback below.

The Use of Spiritual Gifts Within a Local Church - Ecclesiology Part 8

Christianity is a vital (living) relationship with God through the presence of, and interaction with, the Holy Spirit whom Christ said had dwelt with His followers, but would (after Christ’s ascension) dwell in them (John 14:17). The presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Spirit-filled believers is referred to by the apostle Paul in First Corinthians 12 and 14. In writing to the Thessalonians after a short visit in which he planted their church, he told them: “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thess. 5:19-21). In this article, I will explain how a believer should “test” prophecy and not end up despising prophecies.

John 16:7 “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper [the Holy Spirit] will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you.”

The God of the gospel is a trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In J. Gary Millar’s 2021 book, Changed into His Likeness: A Biblical Theology of Personal Transformation, he makes the case that the gospel is trinitarian - that is, it involves the Father’s plan of redemption, the Son’s redeeming atonement, and the Spirit’s abiding presence and activity in the redeemed. Millar argues well that many reformed preachers regard the role and work of the Holy Spirit as an historic event - but not in a present ongoing role and work. That is, they often have a high Christology - but at the expense of a low Pneumatology. This, Millar states is a deficiency in our collective understanding of who the Holy Spirit is, and what His ongoing role is. While some conservative pastors may respond to this by stating that they are merely protecting their congregations from charismatic excesses - such as what Charismatics claim to be ‘prophecies’, it would be somewhat difficult to see how this complies with the instructions in First Thessalonians 5:19-20. 

Rather than rejecting all expressions of the Holy Spirit’s gifts (especially the verbal gifts mentioned by the apostle Paul in First Corinthians 12), we would be better advised to apply First Thessalonians 5:19 (Do not quench the Spirit) and verse 21 (but test everything; hold fast what is good). 

THE PRINCIPLES FOR USING & TESTING THE GENUINENESS OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS

Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit. / ¶ Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; / and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; / and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. / To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. / For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, / to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, / to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. / All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

FIRST CORINTHIANS 12:3-11 

We have the above record of the apostle Paul’s instructions to the Corinthians because there was misuse and misunderstanding of these spiritual gifts by some of the Corinthians. We are the beneficiaries of their ignorance and the apostle’s understanding. What we see here is that within the assembling of believers, (i) there was a time for these gifts of the Spirit to be used; (ii) the use of the spiritual gifts was for the common good of the congregation; (iii) some of these spiritual gifts were verbal (spoken) including: the utterance of wisdom, the utterance of knowledge, prophecy, speaking in tongues (unlearned languages), and, interpretation of those tongues. Other spiritual gifts referred to were non-verbal including: (i) faith; (ii) healing; and, (iii) working of miracles. Presumably, these non-verbal gifts were associated with praying. 

Further to these comments, the apostle goes on to say that these gifts should be used “decently and in order” (1Cor. 14:40). (This will form a part of the testing profile for evaluating the authenticity of spiritual gifts.) What we see here from these apostolic remarks is that spiritual gifts should not be prevented, but that they should be used considerately (the remainder of First Corinthians 12 talks about this). The considerate use of spiritual gifts is also an aspect of the testing profile. Gifts should also be used decently, and in order. The apostle goes on to say that no more than three people should publicly use a verbal gift (1 Cor. 14:29). There is a testing implication in this apostolic remark that the one who wishes to exercise a verbal spiritual gift will be known by those in the congregation, and conversely, will also know their fellow congregants in order to exercise their spiritual gift considerately and in order. 

What we observe thus far is that the exercise of a spiritual gift may be tested by:

• Does it glorify Christ as Lord?
• Has the spiritual gift been in accord with the revelation of Scripture?
• Is it for the common good of the congregation?
• Was the gift used to draw unnecessary attention to the one exercising it?
• Have those who are spiritual and in oversight attested to its genuineness?
• Was the person sharing the gift in good standing with congregation? 
• If the exerciser of the gift was under prohibitive discipline, did they have permission to share their spiritual gift?

I have good reasons to believe that the Holy Spirit still gifts believers today, particularly those who seek it, with the spiritual gifts described in First Corinthians. I do not consider that when the apostle Paul said that “when the perfect has come, that which is partial [spiritual gifts] will be done away with” (1Cor. 13:10) that he was referring to the canon of the New Testament as being “the perfect”. The flow of thought throughout First Corinthians culminates in the supra-physical resurrection and glorification of the redeemed in chapter 15 as ushering in the perfect instead. Thus, my foundational reason for believing in the reality of the gifts of Spirit for today is theological. Secondly, I have experienced being a recipient of the gifts of the Spirit through other believers, and have myself exercised the gifts of the Spirit. 

I acknowledge that there are some risks for a local church to encourage the use of spiritual gifts in their weekly worship service. However, there remains a biblical warrant for doing so. There is also a risk:reward potential benefit with the benefit being leveraged when the gifts of the Spirit of used prayerfully. This could be done by inviting people to publicly and spontaneously pray in a church service in which their spiritual gift becomes a part of their spontaneous prayer.

POSTSCRIPT: FILTERS FOR EVALUATING THE AUTHENTICITY OF PROPHECY

While I have given a theological and experiential basis for the use of spiritual gifts within a church service I think there is some wisdom in the following observations. Firstly, most prophecies recorded within the Bible were not necessarily predictive - they were more commonly a prophet reminding God’s people of God’s Word. This is kind of prophesying is forth-telling rather than predictive fore-telling. Therefore, it is more likely the Holy Spirit will similarly gift a believer with an encouraging reminder of God’s Word through a prophetic gift. Secondly, prophetic words recorded in Scripture were less likely to be directive - commanding people to do certain things. To be sure, the Old Testament prophets called people to repentance and summoned their hearers to return to obedience to God’s Word - but only rarely were they specifically directive beyond this. Therefore, it is incredibly unlikely that the Holy Spirit would gift someone with a directive word for a church to obey. 

Sadly, I have pastored some people who have been sorely abused by false-prophecies. I offer this wisdom to anyone who is supposedly given a prophetic word: 

1. Is this prophetic word coming from a credible person? That is, how well do you know this person, and how well are they spoken of by others?

2. Is this prophetic word a confirmation of what God has already been saying to you. Note Acts 21:10-14 where Agabus the prophet gave the apostle Paul a prophetic word which confirmed what God had already been saying to Paul.

3. Has the one giving you this prophecy insisted on you not telling anyone? Secrecy is often an indication for concern!

4. Has this prophetic word got an urgent time-frame, or certain conditions to be met in order for it to be confirmed? If so, never act impulsively on a directive prophetic word without seeking advice or counsel from someone you trust.

I conclude with one final reflection. Every preacher should be ‘prophetic’ in the way they teach and preach God’s Word forthrightly with passion and a call to obey the gospel. Wherever and whenever the Scriptures are not being proclaimed from the pulpit, there will be a vacuum created resulting in an increased amount of verbal spiritual gifts being used (even if people go looking for it on the internet)!

THE LEAST PASTORED PEOPLE IN ANY CHURCH - ECCLESIOLOGY Part 7

I have long said that the least pastored person in any church is the Pastor’s wife. I suspect this may still be true but I cannot offer any supporting data for this hunch. However, what empirical data I can offer is fairly easy to confirm is that the people who are the least pastored and most neglected in any church are its singles. These maybe: (i) young adults who have left their parental home, (ii) a divorcee, (iii) a widow or widower, or (iv) an unmarried adult. Often times singles are made to feel like they are abnormal and that being married (or at least ‘paired’) is the norm they should be striving for. Most churches do not have a very good theology of singleness - but they should, because chances are they have all four categories of singles already represented in their church. What I hope to do is not merely rehash the problem, but offer some practical measures for addressing.

A BIBLICAL APPROACH TO SINGLENESS

Biblically, the goal of being a single is not to be married. Every faithful follower of Christ should not make marriage their idol. If you are single Christian and you think that your life is less than it should be because you are not married, you should repent. The biblical goal of singleness is actually the biblical goal for each person: be holy. This involves living your life to please and glorify God (Eph. 5:10; 1Pet. 1:15). It is not mean shaving your head, joining a convent, and living on a mountain-top isolated from the world (it might though if that’s what God calls you to do!). Being holy involves living as a whole person. Wholeness is literally the idea behind the word - integrity. This means living as one person no matter what or who your audience is. Do not think that being married will necessarily help you in striving towards this goal (you can verify this by asking someone who is married, “Since being married, do you sin less than you did before you were married?”).

SINGLENESS AS A NORMAL WAY TO LIVE

Biblically, many of the finest examples of godly living were single. I think of Jeremiah, Daniel, Deborah, Anna, Paul, and of course - Jesus. Each of these people were celibate, content, and profoundly fulfilled. Some, like the apostle Paul, actually saw being single as an advantage to fulfilling what God had called him to do. But he also said that his singleness was a gift from God (1Cor. 7:7) - a gift that not everyone has received. 

The brief selection of people whom I have just referred to in the above paragraph reveal that being single can be a divine calling. For some this will be a temporary calling, for others it may be for life. In either case there are challenges which singles may find more difficult to navigate than those who are married might. The first is loneliness. 

LONELINESS

Isa. 53:2 For He grew up before Him like a young plant,

and like a root out of dry ground;

He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him,

and no beauty that we should desire Him.

Isa. 53:3 He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;

and as one from whom men hide their faces

He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.

Being single can mean greater isolation from others and increased time alone, but it does not necessarily have to mean being lonely. Times of loneliness will be normal for singles. Church communities should be aware of this challenge for singles and sensitively respond. The apostle Paul, whom we have just seen was called to be single, found that in his loneliness he could draw support from other believers who were sensitive to Paul’s situation (being imprisoned).

Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.

Second Timothy 4:11

In Frederic W. H. Myers’ 1863 poem, Saint Paul, he captures how the imprisoned apostle faced his solitude and potential loneliness with worship of the Christ-God who was with always with him:

CHRIST! I am Christ’s! and let the name suffice for you,

Ay, for me too He greatly hath sufficed;

Lo with no winning words I would entice you,

Paul has no honour and no friend but Christ.

   

Yes, without cheer of sister or of daughter, 

  Yes, without stay of father or of son, 

Lone on the land and homeless on the water

  Pass I in patience till the work be done

 

Yet not in solitude if Christ anear me

   Walketh Him workers for the great employ,

Oh not in solitude, if souls that hear me

   Catch  from my joyance the surprise of joy.

Hearts I have won of sister or of brother

   Quick on the earth or hidden in the sod,

Lo every heart awaiteth me, another

  Friend in the blameless family of God.

SUGGESTIONS FOR CHURCH TO MINISTER TO SINGLES

1.  Pastors and elders - be sensitive to singles and do not ignore them. Counter the trend within most churches where singles are the least pastored segment within any church.

2.  Take a biblical approach of ministering to singles by discipling them to be holy by giving them a pathway to Christoformity. Help them understand that their primary life-goal is not to be married, but to know, love, serve, and intimately follow Christ (holiness). 

3.  Do not treat singles as deficient people who need to married to be ‘fixed’. The challenges of singleness, such as loneliness, can be responded to in a healthy way by a caring church community which can provide friendship and authentic fellowship for singles. 

4.  Recognise that some singles are hopeful of finding a soul-mate. Therefore, do not take a “one size fits all” approach to pastoring the singles in your church (remember that there are four categories of singles who do not all want the same thing). This may mean that  programs, events, groups, are facilitated by a church whereby singles who are open to courtship can socialise together to improve their chances of this happening.

Let me know what you think about this in the comments below.

Part 6 - ECCLESIOLOGY - AND THE FAMILY HOME

 

Over the nearly four decades I was pastoring, I was guilty of making an assumption. While I was preaching through the bible; writing small-group bible studies; baptising new converts; counselling engaged couples to prepare them for marriage; dedicating new-borns; taking young men through the manhood rite of passage; and, officiating our young ladies through the affirmation of womanhood, I was assuming that parents were taking what they learned and were teaching them to their children. But it seems I was mistaken. 

[A young man participating in the Manhood Rite of Passage]

In recent times I have spoken with several parents who have been dismayed that their children seemed to have given up on church and living as Christians. Coincidentally, each of these parents have said, “All we can do is pray!” I certainly think that parents should be praying for their children — but I do not think that it is all that parents can do - or should have done. 

[My wife, children, grandchildren, and John.]

PARENTS NEED TO ‘DISCIPLE’ THEIR CHILDREN

It is a lot easier to become a parent than it is to be a parent. Fathers and mothers are ordained by God to raise their children to know God and His Word. This necessarily involves being the community of a church family. The New Testament links being a family: husband and wife, with their children, connected into a local church.

In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.  For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church,  because we are members of his body.  “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”  This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.  However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Ephesians 5:28-33 

Each father, in particular, has the responsibility to pastor his wife and children. While it may not be feasible for a husband and father to do everything on the list of pastoral duties which I mentioned in the opening paragraph, the responsibility to read God’s Word; lead in prayer; correct, teach, instruct; take his son/s through a manhood rite of passage; affirm his daughter/s as a woman and lady; dedicate his newborn to the Lord; with his wife and children is. 

Last week, Kim and I became Grandparents for the second time. We now have a grandson and a granddaughter. My children now repeat how they were pastored by me and Kim. Two days after my granddaughter was born we drove down to Hobart to be with Tyrone and Steph and Dorothy. When I asked Tyrone if he was praying with Dorothy each night, he affirmed that he was — but also added, “And we’re reading the Gospel of John chapter by chapter as well!”  

Here is what every Christian father and mother should do with their children to disciple them to be followers of Christ:

1.  Be role models of fully-devoted followers of Christ.

2.  Let your child/ren see your devotion to Christ as you read your bible and pray.

3.  Pray, and read the bible, with your child each day (I recommend at the end of the day as they have gone to bed).

4.  Be involved with a local church so that your children recognise that they have a biological and a spiritual family (get them involved in Kids' Church/Sunday School, then Youth Group, as they grow up).

5.  Eat your evening meal at a table as a family and make giving thanks to God (“saying grace”) then treat this time as a routine for talking together, reading a devotional to them, and then training your child/ren to pray).

6.  Fight for your child's spiritual well-being in prayer regularly throughout your day.

7.  Make enhancing the romance of your marriage a priority.

[Officiating at an Affirmation of Womanhood ceremony where a newly turned teenage young lady is presenting with a pearl necklace, and the men of the church are charged to protect her:] 

THE DISCIPLESHIP CONNECTION BETWEEN A LOCAL CHURCH AND THE FAMILY HOME

If we were to read through Colossians 3:1-21,  we would read of the link between the home and the local church. Of the character traits prescribed in this important passage are not possible to attain without a healthy connection within a family, and a local church. This is why both are spiritually important for the development of young children into fruitful, faithful, full-on, followers of Christ. Something I haven’t mentioned - perhaps because it is obvious -  is the important modelling role that the senior minister/leader of a church plays. Reading through First Timothy 3:1-7, where the New Testament lists the requirement for an elder/shepherd, it grounds these requirements in what happens in the church leader’s home: “He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive - for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church!” (1Tim. 3:4-5).  This is why the senior pastor and his wife must exemplify what a Christian home looks and sounds like to their congregation.

[My daughter, Zoe, with her drawing of me (I'm apparently wearing the green jelly-bean one-piece), Kim,  Tyrone, Zoe’s self-portrait, and her big sister, Ebony. {Ruby was not born yet.}]

Let me know what you think in the comments below.

ECCLESIOLOGY PART 5 - ELDERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE

 ELDERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE

Every local church needs to be led, and to be governed. Both of these two wings also need to be structured. While I appreciate that some Christians just want their local church to be ‘simple’, even a simple church still requires leadership, government, and structure, Church Polity is the term describing how a church is led, governed and structured. Denominational churches have a Church Polity which involves some external authority such as a bishop, moderator, superintendent, or president, being an integral component in a local church’s governance. Beyond this potential layer of accountability and governance most local churches have some form of internal governance which they ground in their understanding of what the New Testament teaches. Yet, local churches may be governed: 

(i) Congregational Government through democratic decision-making by each congregant member. 

(ii) Elder-led Government through presbytery leadership decision making by the elders. 

(iii) Pastor/Minister/Priest collaborative leadership with a Board of Officers entrusted by the congregation to make decisions on their behalf. 

(iv)  A Senior leader and an Operational Team comprised of staff members who make decisions on behalf of the church. 

Another way to think of the different paradigms of local church government is: (i) Congregational (each member participates), (ii) Episcopal (decisions can be made by a bishop), and (iii) Presbyterian (decisions can be made by a presbytery of local church leaders with denominational decisions being made by representatives from each presbytery who comprise a session). In each form of government there are local church leaders who may be called ‘elders’. The elders of a church are also called 'overseers' of a church. They are called to lead, protect, correct, feed, and care for the flock. I think every elder needs to learn how to do these things. This involves being trained how to pastorally listen to congregants.  For example, every elder needs to know how to respond to someone who pours out his or her heart to him about their recently traumatic loss of a beloved family member happening at the same time he or she had had their own medical event which led them to be hospitalised. At this point, if the elder interrupts, and says, “That’s nothing! You think that’s tough? Listen to what I’ve been going through! I’ve... [insert further evidence that the elder was not listening or caring to what he was being told].” Any elder who responds like this needs to be trained to empathise with those they are charged to care for. To further consider what the role of elders and overseers is according to what the Bible says, we begin with a consideration of how the Titus 1 defines this:   

Note the Apostle Paul's instructions to Titus on the qualifications of any elder:

We should also consider the further details that the Apostle Paul prescribed for the appointment of elders in First Timothy:

An elder is approved by the church as a person of godly character who exemplifies Christoformity (living consistently as follower of Christ).  An elder is not a young Christian. He has demonstrated that he is godly, loyal, husband and father. Elders are called to be shepherds who care for the sheep. This care also involves teaching, discipling, and correcting. In a church where there are several elders they should cooperate as a council with a first among equals identified as a Chair. The Chair convenes the council meeting, submits an agenda for approval for the meeting, leads the council in prayer, receives reports from the other elders, ensures that minutes are taken of the meeting and schedules their next meeting. The minutes of the Council meeting are sent out immediately to the elders after their meeting. Where there is also a senior pastor or minister, the Chair works closely with that senior leader.

Elders should not be appointed hastily. If a church is less than 50 people, it will not need 12 elders! If a church is larger than 500 congregants, it will almost certainly need more than 12 elders! The number of elders for a church needs to be reviewed as the size of a church changes. I would recommend that a church appoints its elders on an annual basis to enable for an elder to choose not to be reappointed, and the existing council of elders to not offer reappointment as well. Any such appointments satisfy the requirements for an elder outlined in Titus 1, and First Timothy 3. The position of an elder is primarily a pastoral role. The position of a deacon is largely one of practical service which includes management of finances, assets, staff appointments and remuneration, health and safety, compliance, and policies and procedures. 

When a church grows numerically, it will need to grow and adjust its structure. This includes how it is staffed, the function of its elders, and the role of its deacons as they oversee its management board. If you have anything to add to this, or feedback on this article, leave them in the comments below.

ECCLESIOLOGY, Part 4 - THE NEED FOR ASSEMBLING

When most people think of ‘church’, I suspect they either think of a building with a steeple, or, the people in a Sunday meeting of a congregation. In this post, I’m addressing the latter understanding of church. Christ has ordained that His church meets together regularly. The original history of the Church (the Book of Acts) reveals that the first Church met in the Jerusalem where thousands gathered in the Temple’s outdoor precinct; and, in one another’s homes around Jerusalem. As the Church grew around the Mediterranean world, local churches initially met in the large homes of wealthy householders. These Greco-Roman households provided a ready-made structure to these new churches. It wasn’t too long before problems arose in many of the local churches. This is something that we should all be very thankful for, because the result of these church problems were the New Testament epistles. Within these epistles we find the biblically ordained liturgy (how a church service is conducted) for when a church assembles. Let’s consider what this is...

1. THE CHURCH IS ORDAINED TO ASSEMBLE TOGETHER

When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus

FIRST CORINTHIANS 5:4

I grew up going to a Primary School where the Principal held an outdoor “assembly” every week. I think Mr. Blackie was ex-military, at least that’s what one of the other students said when we had to standard to attention, salute the flag, then stand at ease. It was during this weekly assembly that important announcements were made, special achievements were mentioned, and the school’s rules were reinforced. At the conclusion of the assembly we were all given a small glass bottle of milk and an al’foil lid to drink (which was no fun on a hot summer’s day after these bottles of milk had gone-off in the outdoors full-sun!) This weekly assembly gave me a fuller understanding of what the apostle Paul was referring to when he wrote to the Corinthians. When the church gathered on the Lord’s Day each week, they were to assemble. They were, in a way, to ‘stand’ to attention, give God honour, pay attention to what said, then have a time of fellowship. This was not a mere optional obligation for believers. The writer to the Hebrews exhorts all believers to not to neglect the gathering (assembling) together - as is the habit os some! (Heb. 10:25). 

A Christian is one who (i) believes (in the saving work of Jesus Christ); (ii) belongs in a local church family; and, (iii) behaves in accord with the teaching of Christ. Each church family is called to assemble each week - that is, every believer is called to join with his or her church family and praise God together, participate in the ordinance of Holy Communion together, give heed to preaching and exposition of God’s Word, worship the Lord with their giving, and minister the grace of fellowship to one another. To consider more about the theology of the assembling of the church, I suggest The Community of the King by Howard A. Snyder. 

2. THE CHURCH IS ORDAINED TO PRAISE TOGETHER

Christianity is one of the few religions in which singing is a vital component of its worship of God. When a church praises God together with singing, it helps to refocus the worshipers onto the greatness of God. Congregational praise can be a positive distraction from the cares and worries of life. Singing our praise to God can be prayerful, meditative, and uplifting.  Praising God together can also be an effective witness to outsiders:

And in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy. As it is written,

“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,

and sing to your name.”

ROMANS 15:9

Praising God should be thoughtful so that it engages the mind and the heart of a believer. The Church has a long tradition of producing thoughtful hymns that enable this. There some denominations of churches which will only use the Psalms as the songs of their congregational praise - but, Colossians 3:16 encourages the use of much more than Psalms as the basis for church praises:

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

COLOSSIANS 3:16

This act of worship—singing—by a congregation is not dependent on whether someone is a good singer, because singing praise is a matter of heart, not talent! This is why every believer who attends their church family’s worship service is obliged to join in singing. 

3. THE CHURCH IS ORDAINED TO CONDUCT THE ORDINANCE OF HOLY COMMUNION TOGETHER

Jesus established certain ordinances (also identified as sacraments by some Church traditions) for His Church. These are universally acknowledged as holy communion (eucharist), water baptism (some denominations also refer to this as christening), and marriage. Each of these involve the interaction of the Holy Spirit.

Holy Communion - Christ, on the night He was betrayed, instigated the Lord’s Supper where He took unleavened bread, gave it to His disciples, and said “This is My body, take and eat.” Then He took the cup of unfermented fruit of the vine, and gave it to His disciples, and said, “This is My blood, drink this in remembrance of Me.”

¶ Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

MATTHEW 26:26-29

Holy Communion is a sacred ordinance of the Church. The earliest Christians came to recognise this ordinance as a significant aspect of their Sunday worship service. They understood Christ’s emphatic statement that the bread and wine - the elements (also referred to as 'accidents' by some church traditions) - were “My body” and “My blood” meant that when believers celebrated Holy Communion in faith that Christ Himself was present by His Spirit. That is, when the early believers ate and drank the communion elements in faith, they were actually nourishing their souls on Christ. Perhaps churches today might need to recapture some of this reverence for this sacred ordinance. At the very least, celebrating Holy Communion as a church congregation is one of the sacred things which constitutes an assembling of believers as a church.

4. WHEN THE CHURCH ASSEMBLES IT IS TO GIVE HEED TO THE PREACHING AND TEACHING OF GOD’S WORD

The apostle Paul told Timothy, his lieutenant, that his role at Ephesus was to preach the Word (2Tim. 4:2). The preaching and teaching of God’s Word was instigated by the apostles from the Church’s outset (note Acts 15:35; 1Peter 1:25). This demands two important things. Firstly, preachers and teachers of God’s Word are responsible for developing their skill and expertise to fulfil their ministry. I would strongly encourage preachers to learn how to preach the Word of God expositionally, rather than reading or reciting a sermon from a script. Do not read your sermon - preach it! For any preacher who would like to begin to hone their craft, I suggest, The Preacher’s Portrait, some New Testament Word Studies, by John R. W. Stott. Preachers should remember that the aim of a sermon was for a congregation not merely to hear a sermon, but to apply its lessons by heeding it.

Secondly, believers must learn how to listen and heed the preaching and teaching of God’s Word. Believers should bring their bibles to church and come prepared to take notes of what is preached and taught. This is an important component of what Christ has ordained for His church when they assemble.

5. WHEN THE CHURCH ASSEMBLES IT IS TO WORSHIP GOD THROUGH ITS GIVING

The Mosaic Law prescribed in the Old Testament including the bringing animals to be sacrificed, offerings of gold and silver (money), and the concept of regular giving in support of the Levites and priests referred to as tithes. Jesus told His hearers that they should tithe (Matt. 23:23). This was said in the context of the Mosaic Law still being current - despite the general corruption of the Levites and priests. It might then be tempting to dismiss to dismiss such a comment from Christ with a wave of the hand and a “But we’re now in the New Covenant” exclamation. However, before you do so, consider that much of what Christ taught about New Covenant ethics went higher - not lower - than Old Covenant ethics. Consider what Christ said about such things like murder, or adultery. In the case of murder, Jesus raised the standard to hating being equivalent to the sin of murder (Matt. 5:21-22), and for adultery He raised it to lusting after a woman being equivalent to adultery (Matt. 5:27-28)! 

In the early chapters of the Book of Acts we see how the early Church understood what Christ was teaching about giving - and it was certainly not a lower standard than the Old Covenant.

And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

ACTS 4:33-37

The apostle Paul instructed the Corinthians that as they met each Sunday (“the first day of the week”) to also receive a special offering to support the impoverished Jerusalem believers (1Cor. 16:2). In writing to the Ephesians via Timothy, Paul stated that the church was to support those who dedicated themselves to the preaching and teaching of God’s Word (1Tim 5:17). Today, giving continues to be an act of worship by New Covenant believers who give as God has blessed them.

As the Church expanded around the Empire and beyond, and churches grew where it was impracticable to continue meeting in homes of even wealthy householders, funds were raised to build houses of worship and teaching. Yet, the primary need for believers to give financially to their local church was to support the ministry of those who shepherded the local church congregation. Today, this same purpose remains and is supplemented when wealthier churches give to missions projects beyond their immediate locality as well.

6. WHEN THE CHURCH ASSEMBLES IT IS TO MINISTER THE GRACE OF GOD ONE TO ANOTHER THROUGH FELLOWSHIP

When the church assembles it is also called to fellowship. This is a spiritual discipline which seeks to be commune through Christ with a brother or sister in Christ. It involves listening, caring, responding, and sharing. It is an important part of what happens when a church assembles. Done well, it is a blessing. Done effectively, it results in prayer. Done habitually it leads to closeness with another brother or sister in Christ. While it has a place in the time that a church family has met for weekly worship, it also takes place outside of this time.

But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

FIRST JOHN 1:7

We have seen that the New Testament describes and prescribes the components of a liturgy for when a local church assembles. This includes: prayers together, the singing of praise together, partaking of Holy Communion together, hearing and heeding the teaching and preaching of God's Word, bringing our financial gifts, and prayerful/caring/thoughtful fellowship one with another. Sadly, it seems that today, many believers have come to see weekly church assembling as an optional thing. I would encourage all believers to make assembling each week with their church family one of their highest priorities. I would also strongly urge all believers to contribute their willing participation in each of the aspects of their church's liturgy outlined above. In doing so, we may once again begin to see what the apostle wrote about about in Ephesians 3:8-10. If you are interested in exploring the theology of Christian fellowship, I suggest Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Amen.

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