What Kind of Church Is This?

WHY I BELONG T O T HE C HRISTIA N C HURC H I STAYI NG C ONNE CT ED I B EYON D S LOG ANS

RESOURCING CHRISTIAN CHURCHES SPECIAL EDITION What kind of church is this?

www.christianstandard.com What kind of church is this?

BY LEROY LAWSON

One thing is certain—there is no shortage of churches. You can take your pick among the hundreds of different kinds, from the proud old denominations like the Episcopalian and Presbyterian to the newer, more energetic Assembly of God or Seventh Day Adventists, to say nothing of those amazingly numerous and various cults that keep springing up. In the midst of such diversity, what is special about our church? What kind of a church is it, anyway?

A Paradox and a Challenge Our Roots We answer paradoxically. !e distinc- Christian churches and churches of tive about this Christian church is that it Christ trace their modern origins to the has no distinctives. In fact we deliberately early 19th-century American frontier, a seek not to be di#erent, because our goal period of militancy among denominations. Barton W. Stone, some Presbyterian leaders is unity, not division. Christianity has America’s pioneers brought their deeply in Kentucky published e Last Will and su#ered long enough from deep divi- rooted religious convictions to the new Testament of the Spring#eld Presbytery , sions separating denomination from de- land and perpetuated their old animosities. putting to death their denominational nomination, Christian from Christian. Presbyterian squared o# against Anglican connections. !ey said, “We will, that When Jesus prayed “that all of them may who defended himself against Baptist who this body die, be dissolved, and sink into be one, Father, just as you are in me and I had no toleration for Lutheran. A reaction union with the Body of Christ at large; for am in you. May they also be in us” (John to this mutual animosity was inevitable. there is but one body, and one Spirit . . .” 17:21), he had us in mind. In the spirit of When it came, the reaction was sponta- !e early leaders of what later came to be his prayer we seek unity with all others in neous. A group of New England Christians called the Restoration Movement believed Christ. Obviously that desire is di$cult to broke out of denominationalism, announc- unity in Christ was—and is—possible. achieve. Human nature resists oneness. ing their intention to follow the Bible only. To achieve it required letting go of human We seem to believe with Robert Frost that Another group in Kentucky, and still traditions and loyalties to dynamic per- “good fences make good neighbors,” even another in Pennsylvania, each independent sonalities. Christ alone could be exalted. though something within us “doesn’t love of the others, felt the spirit of unity mov- !e ideal of the church that emerges from a wall, [but] wants it down.” God desires ing them to stand with, not against, fellow the pages of the New Testament must be 2 unity, however, so it must be possible. Christians. Under the leadership of minister the standard for today’s congregations. Left: Northside Christian Church in Spring, Texas. Below: Southwest Christian Church in Austin, Texas.

the Stone movement, another Presbyterian 2. !at . . . there ought to be no schisms, minister, !omas Campbell, published his no uncharitable divisions among [local now famous Declaration and Address in 1809. congregations]. He had earlier migrated to Pennsylvania from his home in Ireland. While still there, 3. !at . . . nothing ought to be inculcated he had grown restless with the strictures upon Christians as articles of faith; of his denomination, the Old-Light Anti- nor required of them as terms of Burgher Seceder Presbyterian Church, communion; but what is expressly a splinter of a split of a division in the taught and enjoined upon them, in the denomination. Word of God. When he found the divisions caused 4. !at . . . the New Testament is as per- by local grievances in Scotland separat- fect a constitution for the worship, dis- ing Presbyterians in America, he rebelled. cipline, and government of the New He would not exclude nonmembers of his Testament church, and as perfect a rule denomination from Communion in his of the particular duties of its mem- church. He was expelled from his presby- bers, as the Old Testament was for the tery. It was really a question of who %red worship, discipline, and government whom, for by this time Campbell could of the Old Testament church. . . . not carry out policies he deplored. His son Alexander, meanwhile, had 5. !at . . . [no] human authority [has] reached similar conclusions in his stud- power to impose new commands or ies in Ireland and Scotland and, when fa- ordinances upon the church, which ther and son were reunited in America in our Lord Jesus Christ has not en- 1809, each embraced the other’s position. joined. In time, the son surpassed the father as the leader of their unity movement. !ere are more propositions, but these are enough to show Campbell’s Principles for Today unusual good judgment. From his day In his Declaration , !omas Campbell until now, millions of others have de- set forth principles that sound as modern cided they also wanted to be Christians The ideal of the church that as today to New Testament Christians: only, without the complications of denomination. emerges from the pages 1. !at the church of Christ upon earth of the New Testament must is essentially, intentionally, and consti- LeRoy Lawson is international consultant with CMF tutionally one; consisting of all those International and professor of Christian ministries at be the standard for today’s Emmanuel Christian Seminary in Johnson City, Tennessee. in every place that profess their faith He also serves as a C HRISTIAN STANDARD contributing editor congregations. in Christ and obedience to him in all and member of Standard Publishing’s Publishing things according to the Scriptures. . . . Committee.

Studying the Ideal While gratefully acknowledging their debt to great reformers like Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, and others, these “Christians only” believed their reforms remained unfinished. The only way to determine what the church should be and how Christians should behave is to study New Testament documents in which the churches of Christ are presented in splendor —and in shortcomings. While there is no single church that we should imitate, the ideal of the church as the body of Christ, the household of faith, the temple of the Holy Spirit, and the people of God is clearly pictured. In a unity e#ort initially separated from 3 “What church are you with?”

“Christian.” “No, I mean what denomination.”

“Christian. We just call ourselves Christians.” “Oh.” I BelongWhy to the Christian Church

BY RALPH KINNEY BENNETT

I could not begin to count how many times I have engaged in such an exchange, and I am sure it is familiar to many in our fellowship. By insisting that Christians should call themselves just that, the 19th-century American religious leader Alexander Campbell clearly signaled a return to fundamentals and equipped us with a marvelous intellectual “foot-in- the-door.”

Simplicity Once we begin to explain why we call ourselves “Christians only,” once we intro- duce the biblical foundation, the logic, the simplicity of it, we have opened the way to the very roots and heart of what the strive to remove all the manmade clutter baptism and partaking at the Lord’s table church is and is supposed to be. It is the between me and the worship of the Lord. —are presented in the simplest, most body of Christ on earth. It is supposed In that, these congregations cleave to the straightforward and unornamented way. to be—despite all the well-intentioned New Testament ideal. !at ideal is charac- It is clear that they are not rituals but rather additions and accretions we humans have terized by simplicity. dynamic acts of participation. put upon it—nothing more or less than Is there anything so spare in its outlines Baptism is the indelible benchmark of spiritually reborn people worshipping yet so rich in its reality as the New Testament a sacred transaction between an individual God and living by his Word. church? !e New Testament picture of soul and God himself. Why am I a member of the church of Christians congregating portrays nothing !e Lord’s table is the continuing living Christ? Because I believe independent elaborate—just people praying, praising, link with the historical act of Christ’s 4 Christian churches and churches of Christ and preaching. !ese essential elements— sacri%ce. and their congregations were often addressed as “churches of Christ.” 5. An apostolic church The church, Ephesians 2:20 states, is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.” Whatever we know about Christ and the church we learned from Jesus’ closest companions, the apostles. 6. A thinking church In the same Ephesian letter, Paul prays that God will give a “Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. . . .” Christian faith demands the best our minds can give, so we are a studying church, seeking to apply biblical truth intelligently. 7. A feeling church Ours is not a dryly intellectual approach to God, however. We rejoice and praise and pray and love and serve from the heart. We are unashamed of the gospel Our Position and not embarrassed to let our Variety excitement be seen. On the other hand, the New Testament How shall we summarize what kind picture of Christian living is a rich tapestry of church we are talking about? 8. A sharing church of transformed lives. Weak men grow Perhaps the following terms will help. We share our faith and love with as strong in faith, %re-breathing persecutors many as we can reach and our 1. A Christian church become courageous defenders of faith, possessions as persons who know Our message is that “Jesus is the ordinary people battle with sin and triumph that everything we have belongs to Christ, the Son of the living God.” —learning to love, to share, to comfort God to be used for his purposes. We require no other creed. He alone and counsel, to meet the challenges of life is Lord and Savior. 9. A free church in partnership with the Spirit. We have no bishops or superintendents Both pictures portray worship in its 2. A church of Christ or national headquarters to determine fullest, truest sense. !at’s the point. The church belongs to him. We have local church policies. We elect our Visit many Christian churches and you no authority to change the teachings, own leaders, call and support our own will %nd great variety in the way God is rewrite the rules, alter membership ministers, and decide where our worshipped. But it is variety within limits. requirements, or usurp his place. mission money will go. We are not I’ve been to services I found a bit too “con- The church is not a democracy. isolationists, though. Our congregations temporary” for my taste, and to others that 3. A church seeking unity freely associate with one another to were a tad too restrained. But I may gen- Like the Campbells and Stone, members accomplish tasks too big for one erally depend upon certain things—the of this church seek to be one in Christ church alone. vivid preaching of sound doctrine (our with all others he calls his own. churches are preaching churches), the pre- 10. A growing church cious comfort of the Lord’s table, prayer, 4. A church seeking to restore We want to grow, because we are and praise through song. As much as possible, we imitate the under Christ’s commission to disciple And one more thing. !ere is seldom New Testament precedents. That is the world. We haven’t completed any sense of hierarchy, but rather a sense why our baptism is by immersion, our the task yet, so Christian churches of mutual ministry—because sharing Communion is every Lord’s Day, our and churches of Christ are renewing Christ and him crucified is the task of leaders are called elders, our preaching our commitment to go unto the ends everyone from the pulpit to the parking is about Christ, and our prayers are of the earth, preaching and baptizing lot and beyond. in Christ’s name. Even our church and teaching, until the whole world name is rooted in the earliest days, knows the one Lord of all. Ralph Kinney Bennett, retired after a longtime career as senior editor with Reader’s Digest , has also served as an when disciples were called Christians — LeRoy Lawson elder and Bible teacher in the local church and trustee with two Christian colleges. 5 Right: Issaquah Christian Church in Issaquah, Washington. Below: Central Christian Church in Beloit, Wisconsin. Staying Connected

Without denominational structure or headquarters, Christian churches and churches of Christ still stay remarkably well connected. Several agencies and entities help this happen.

North American Christian Convention www.gotonacc.org !e North American Christian Conven- tion usually meets once each summer for several days of preaching, workshops, and fellowship. It is not a delegate convention. It conducts no business except that of approving a steering committee to plan fu- ture conventions. It is a time of inspiration and connecting. Many would say that see- ing friends from far and wide is the main reason they attend the NACC each year, although the program o#ers many opportunities to learn from nationally known speakers and leaders.

A Growing Working Together Movement of About 6,000 congregations in the world to the God who made them. Churches the United States today consider Those 6,000 churches have a themselves as part of the fellowship total membership close to 2 million. of independent Christian churches They support more than two dozen and churches of Christ. They do not colleges and seminaries, with more comprise a denomination, and there than 15,000 students. They also is no organization of national or inter- support hundreds of parachurch national oversight. Each church is ministries, including church camps, locally autonomous. Despite diversity church planting associations, in many areas, the churches have children’s homes, campus ministries, much in common: (1) a common publishing houses, and benevolent understanding of Scripture, (2) a agencies. They participate in regional common heritage, and (3) a common and national conferences, and avail goal: to restore the biblical pattern themselves of other opportunities so that Christians united can connect for cooperation in ministry.