Crossroads At the Way and Churchianity

by Jesse Steele

meetings?

  Watchman: Of course they do. God put that excitement in their hearts.

  Hank: So, you’re saying that, since the meetings aren’t dominated by one person, people can get a word in edgewise.

  Watchman: Since they have time to talk, they do talk. Since they do talk, they prepare to talk. Since they prepare to talk, they study a lot on their own. They are among some of the most educated and dedicated Christians you’ll ever meet. It’s all because there isn’t a one-person leader occupying a large power seat, taking up the meeting time.

  Hank: …kind of like some of the plants that grow in the desert. They grow far apart because even one plant takes all the nutrition out of the soil. The desert doesn’t have much nutrition to offer, so, since each plant is smaller, this allows more plants to grow in one place. So, “smaller teachers” mean more good teachers in the Church?

  Watchman: I’m not familiar with deserts, but that seems to make sense. I might mention that in a teaching some day if you don’t mind.

  Hank: Well, maybe we could say, “Super mom” does everything herself. So the kids never learn.

  Watchman: An omnipresent mom will get worn-out because only God is omnipresent.

  Hank: And burned-out. I’ve watched a lot of moms in my congregation make themselves tired by trying to be everything to their kids. Now I see, as pastor, I’ve been doing the same thing to my congregation. That’s why I’m so exhausted.

  Watchman: Do many pastors in the denominations have that problem? …burn-out, I mean. I wouldn’t know.

  Hank: Yeah, they do. But what do you mean “denominations”. My church is Independent.

  Watchman: Yeah, but it’s still a denomination. By having a statement of faith that addresses non-central line issues of the Bible, by having a working definition of “pastor” that goes against the Biblical description of God’s administration, and by being financially dependent on people not making frequent visits to other parts of the Body of Christ, you have created your own version of a “denomination”. Consider your own body. Allow the blood to circulate and your body will get oxygen and it won’t be so hard to do something as simple as lifting your arm. But, if you cut off circulation to your leg, it will fall asleep and you can’t even take one step without great pain in the rest of your body. The Body of Christ is asleep because of poor circulation. When we take a step forward, it causes great pain in the rest of the Body. That’s because their administration is threatened by good circulation—if God’s people travel as much today as they did in the Bible.

  Hank: Yeah. That’s true. Physical bodies are very similar to the Body of Christ.

  Watchman: That’s why Paul described it that way. It’s good to stick to the explanations given in the Bible. Try not to deviate from the pure teaching of Scripture—less of your own ideas and more of Christ’s.

  Hank: Okay, so I can see how a we might work better without a pastor-centered system in leadership. But you still haven’t answered me on the whole notion that the elder-based leadership model is Biblical.

  Watchman: It’s good that you are focusing on the need to follow the Bible.

  Hank: That seems to be a problem in many denominations these days.

  Watchman: No, it’s a problem in all of them because denominations are not a part of the economy of God.

  Hank: So, how do you prove it?

  Watchman: We can look at Scripture to do that, but perhaps it’s more important for you to consider your own method.

  Hank: What do you mean?

  Watchman: You’re asking me to prove that the peer-elder method is Biblical, even though it’s clearly the model of Acts and Paul’s letter to Timothy. But what about the clerical system? Where is your Biblical defense of that?

  Hank: Well, Ephesians 4 clearly says that God gave pastors. I was having a conversation with Paul the other day and he explained his Greek cliché—that it’s actually a shepherd-teacher style he was referring to. Then he went on talking about function and office and God’s government and all that. But the fact is that the concept of a pastor is listed right there in that passage. Pastors are listed in the Bible and Paul said that God gave them.

  Watchman: God did give pastors. But you can’t find one word of Scripture to suggest that the pastor should be over the elders. There is plenty of Scripture to support the elder-leadership administration. Scriptural defense isn’t lacking for the elder system, it’s lacking for the pastor-led administration. God’s economy is the Local Church, and that doesn’t describe a person who behaves like a Chairman, even with the title pastor.

  Hank: But a pastor is a shepherd. That’s a leader.

  Watchman: Yes, a shepherd is a leader. But you don’t have one line of Scripture to support putting that leader over the elders. When Paul spoke about deacons and elders there is nothing to suggest that his “shepherd-teacher” idea from Ephesians 4 was in an administrative position over the elders he described in his separate letter to Timothy.

  Hank: But we can’t escape the fact that it’s still in Scripture.

  Watchman: Okay. Let’s accept the idea that Ephesians 4 is defining administration of the Local Church, rather than callings given directly from God…

  Hank: Alright. Hypothetically…

  Watchman: If that’s true, then why do you only have pastors? Why don’t you also have an apostle in your congregation? Why not also an evangelist appointed by the elders? Where does your denomination place the prophet administrative title in relation to the pastor title?

  Hank: Some denominations actually do have those positions. They make an apostle something like a bishop. They tend to get a bit loopy, too.

  Watchman: So, confusing Ephesians 4 as an administrative plan seems to have opened-up quite the can of worms. How’s that working for you?

  Hank: Now it seems like you’re being sarcastic.

  Watchman: I’m merely asking a question that would be logical if I took you seriously. You tout Ephesians 4:11 to justify your own definition of pastor, but you get selective with the other positions. Can’t you see how much you are reading your own ideas into your interpretation of the Bible? Just because your English translation says, “pastor,” doesn’t mean that you or I have the right to define it however we want, then treat the other positions as items on an a la carte menu.

  Hank: Hmm… that’s a thought. Now I have another question.

  Watchman: Okay.

  Hank: You seem to know a lot about Bible translation.

  Watchman: Our fellowships have developed translations for nearly every language. Rather than pouring our time into developing theologies, we develop Bibles translations. Fulfilling the Great Commission is a lot easier that way.

  Hank: What about Bible translation ministries? Can’t they translate the Bible sufficiently?

  Watchman: Sure, but so does the Local Church. We do very good with translation work. Name the language, we probably have a Bible for it. Though, we’re still working on Bible for small tribes in remote areas.

  Hank: I hear that Japan only has three main Bible translations, and some people aren’t too fond of them.

  Watchman: We’ve got the Bible in Japanese also.

  Hank: Why? The Church is so small there?

  Watchman: It will stay small without a good Bible. But translating the Bible isn’t the only chore of Building up the Local Church. We must also translate the Bible into our Church administration. That administration barrier of the denomination-thinking is far greater than the language barrier.

  Hank: How do you overcome the language barrier? That’s always a challenge in the worldwide Body of Christ.

  Watchman: When people are free to work in the Local Church, not having a small group of leaders doing everything so well that others sit passively, only to receive at gatherings… well, people work more when someone else isn’t doing all the work for them.

  Hank: That makes some sense. But you still didn’t explain how you can work in the context of so many languages?

  Watchman:
Many of our fellowship meetings are in multiple languages. By not having an unbiblical administration, by keeping to the central line of the Bible, and through elder-leadership, the people take more initiative. So, there is enough energy in the Body to have a truly cross-cultural economy in God’s household. Language is no barrier for us.

  Hank: That’s something that the political leaders of the world can’t even claim. They have to hire translators all the time.

  Watchman: God’s Local Church is capable of so much, if only we would keep to the central line He gave us. As Americans say, it’s like sticking to the Constitution.

  Hank: Wow. You talk big. Can you prove it?

  Watchman: We have comprehensive numbers of all our gatherings…

  Hank: How many are in China?

  Watchman: …except China.

  Hank: Why?

  Watchman: To prevent persecution. But there’s more.

  Hank: What’s that?

  Watchman: The Chinese government would likely see it as a threat. If we can demonstrate official records of how many people attend where, they might think we were trying to prove that their government is bad or something.

  Hank: Is that a big problem?

  Watchman: Well, in Chinese culture, proving something would be the motivation most people have in reporting numbers. While keeping track of attendance is normal for most people, in China it’s a threat. So, there, we just stay aware of whether we’re headed in the right direction.

  Hank: So, how are relations with the Chinese government?

  Watchman: Over the last few years, the