WhY I Belong TO THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH n STAYING CONNECTED n BEYOND SLOGANS

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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. The 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 different, 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 The Last Will and suffered long enough from deep divi- rooted religious convictions to the new Testament of the , sions separating denomination from de- land and perpetuated their old animosities. putting to death their denominational nomination, Christian from Christian. Presbyterian squared off against Anglican connections. They 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- The 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 believed Christ. Obviously that desire is difficult 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- The 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. That . . . there ought to be no schisms, minister, Thomas Campbell, published his no uncharitable divisions among [local now famous in 1809. congregations]. He had earlier migrated to Pennsylvania from his home in Ireland. While still there, 3. That . . . 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. That . . . 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 fired 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. That . . . [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. There are more propositions, but these are enough to show Campbell’s Principles for Today unusual good judgment. From his day In his Declaration, Thomas 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. That 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 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 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 clear- ly pictured. In a unity effort 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. That 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? The New Testament picture of soul and God himself. Why am I a member of the church of Christians congregating portrays nothing The 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. These essential elements— sacrifice. 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 many as we can reach and our strong in faith, fire-breathing persecutors 1. A Christian church possessions as persons who know become courageous defenders of faith, Our message is that “Jesus is the that everything we have belongs to ordinary people battle with sin and triumph Christ, the Son of the living God.” God to be used for his purposes. —learning to love, to share, to comfort 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 2. A church of Christ Both pictures portray worship in its or national headquarters to determine The church belongs to him. We have fullest, truest sense. That’s the point. local church policies. We elect our no authority to change the teachings, Visit many Christian churches and you own leaders, call and support our own rewrite the rules, alter membership will find great variety in the way God is ministers, and decide where our requirements, or usurp his place. worshipped. But it is variety within limits. mission money will go. We are not The church is not a democracy. I’ve been to services I found a bit too “con- 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. There 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 The 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 offers many oppor- tunities 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.

6 International Conference on Missions Standard Publishing www.nationalmissionaryconvention. www.standardpub.com org/icom/home From the ministry of Christian Stan- Also high on ideas and information, dard has grown the work of a whole inde- the International Conference on Missions pendent Christian publishing house, Stan- (formerly National Missionary Conven- dard Publishing. The company publishes tion) is a major source of encouraging the a wide range of teaching materials for Bible Christian churches missionary activity that is so strong students of every age—babies through large and small, among Christian churches. Understand- adults. In addition, children’s books, study rural and urban, are ably, it has more of an international fla- books, devotions, and church supplies vor than the NACC. At the same time it provide resources for local churches growing in every usually attracts many hundreds of young around the world. Standard Publishing corner of the nation. people from the U.S. who are deciding is exploring every possible medium for whether or where they want to serve remaining as true to its mission today as it Christ crossculturally. has for far more than a century: “Bringing the Word to Life.”™ Christian Church Today www.christianchurchtoday.com Posted and supported by several agencies in this fellowship, this website seeks to represent and connect mem- bers of the Christian churches. It’s full of news and contains a Job Search section, a Church Locator, and columns written by leaders in these churches.

Christian Standard www.christianstandard.com Published since 1866, Christian Standard has never wavered from its mission: “devoted to the restoration of New Testament Christianity, its doc- trines, its ordinances, and its fruit.” Today it is aimed at leaders in this fellowship of churches, with news from these con- gregations around the world and essays about current issues and ideas.

By Paul S. Williams megachurches in the United States. rapid growth. Christian churches are also leaders As fast as we are growing in North For more than 20 years the Christian in church planting, starting more new America, Christian churches are churches and churches of Christ have churches per capita than almost any growing even faster overseas. In fact, been growing faster than almost any other group. The nation’s largest there are more Christian churches other religious group in America. Much church planting gathering, the abroad than there are in the U.S., with of that growth has been because of the Exponential conference, is operated by more than 1,000 missionaries working high number of large churches and new Christian churches and churches of on six continents. churches emerging across the nation. Christ. As people discover these vibrant Christian churches will continue In 2000 there were 100 Christian communities of faith, Christian to grow as long as each independent churches averaging more than 1,000 in churches large and small, rural and church keeps its eyes firmly on Christ, attendance. By 2012 that number had urban, are growing in every corner of the cornerstone of our faith, and on the grown by over 25 percent. Two of the nation. With our unique ability to great ministry of reconciliation to which those congregations are among the work together without a denominational we have been called. That has been the 10 largest churches in America. In structure or church hierarchy, the hallmark of our effective cooperation, fact, Christian churches and churches Christian churches have created a and it will continue to be so as we grow of Christ make up 6 percent of the unique environment conducive to into the future. Paul S. Williams is chairman of Orchard Group Inc., Canyon Ridge Christian Church in Las Vegas, Nevada, is one of the largest megachurches. a church planting organization, and editor-at-large with Christian Standard. 7 Every day you see and hear more advertising slogans than you can ever count or remember. Estimates range from a few hundred to several thousand. Every day. Beyond Slogans

BY MARK A. TAYLOR

Every TV show or radio station or computer screen we turn to offers more ways to spend our money. Every page we see, every grocery cart, every city bus asks us to consider yet another possibility. It’s no surprise when we ignore most of these pitches and jingles and come-ons. Yet some slogans arise from heartfelt conviction. “Give me liberty or give me death!” “Remember the Alamo!” “The war to end all wars!” They weren’t crafted by ad writers but were spoken by leaders and thinkers summarizing the sentiment of their times and the hopes of their people. Such are several slogans repeated again and again by members of Christian churches and churches of Christ: “We are not the only Christians, but we are Christians only.” “Where the Bible speaks, we speak; matters of opinion into dividing walls people trying to follow Jesus. They give a where the Bible is silent, we are silent.” among Christ-followers. Jesus himself was good starting point for answers to the “No creed but Christ, no book but the the Word of God walking on the earth. question on our cover, “What kind of Bible, no law but love.” We’ve found that focusing on him helps us church is this?” “In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, deal with our disagreements. We are a church of Christ’s disciples liberty; in all things, love.” The third thread is love. Our goal is to who believe his way is the only path to Several threads tie these slogans extend love to all who call themselves satisfaction and hope. And we’ve together. One is our commitment to the Christian; to demonstrate it to non- discovered the journey is so much easier Bible. We believe it is from God and Christians so they can see Christ in us; when we join hands with others who should be the only authority for personal and to experience it day by day within have their eyes on him. Together we want decisions and church practice. each local congregation. to be what Jesus wants, welcoming But the Bible does not speak specifically These are lofty ambitions, and that’s everyone who will consider him with us. to many details about 21st-century life, why these slogans have stood the test of That’s the kind of church we are. and inevitably Christians see some things time. They are not the brainchild of some Mark Taylor is publisher and editor of Christian Standard, differently. This leads to a second thread: slick advertising campaign. They are Standard Publishing, Cincinnati, Ohio. www. freedom in Christ. We try not to turn statements about life and eternity from a christianstandard.com.

Order multiple copies of this brochure at StandardPub.com or by calling 1-800-543-1353 and asking for item number 021326612. “What Kind of Church Is This?” is published by Standard Publishing, 8805 Governor’s Hill Drive, Suite 400, Cincinnati, Ohio 45249. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved. No portion of this brochure may be duplicated in any fashion without written permission from the publisher. All Scripture quotations are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. 8