We believe that the principles and practices of the early churches outlined in the New Testament provide guidelines for churches today. This means that we should constantly be measuring ourselves by the New Testament and not by what may currently be going on around us.
The work of an elder in the early years of church history was, in some ways, much simpler than is common among churches today. For nearly 300 years after the Lord’s ascension, believers had no buildings of their own, and mostly met in homes. Consequently they knew nothing of the Family Bible Hour, Sunday School, AWANA, or similar activities. Of necessity the elders’ focus was on God’s people, rather than on buildings and programs.
Commenting on assembly life today, William Trew observes that the reverse has become true. He writes, “Overseers in the assembly are not a board of control, nor do they constitute a board of management… [rather] it is their ministry to the saints to maintain the authority of the Lord in a practical way, in order to develop the spiritual and moral condition of the assembly for His glory who dwells in their midst.”1
Shepherds are distracted from fulfilling the mandate Christ gave them when programs become a priority or the means by which they measure their church’s progress. An unbiased reading of John 21:15-17, Acts 20:28-32, and 1 Peter 5:1-4, as well as those passages in Timothy and Titus which spell out an elder’s duties and qualifications, prove this. Nothing is said in those passages or elsewhere in Scripture about elders overseeing efforts to reach the community. Instead, their concern should be the spiritual health of those who are saved.
When elders are asked a question such as, “Do you know how the new assembly at Progress Hill is doing?” most frequently the reply goes something like this: “That work is doing very well. New people are coming to the F.B.H. every week, and there is a lot of interest in AWANA and other activities. Everyone is busy.”
In the example above, the assembly is referred to as a “work.” It does indeed sound like a lot of work is going on at Progress Hill, and no doubt good work at that. But note, nothing has been said about the assembly’s obedience to God’s Word, nor about worship, or prayer, or the Breaking of Bread. Yet these features, not activities or programs, were the hallmark of the early church (Acts 2:42).
In His messages to the seven churches, the Lord acknowledges the works done by His people, but then strongly rebukes them for their mixed priorities. He brooks no substitute for leaving their first love. He warns that He will “remove their lampstand,” “come upon them as a thief,” or execute similar judgments if they do not repent.
Nearly everywhere, even among evangelicals, the measure of church life is its relevance to society. Nevertheless, shepherds and those they pastor ought to adhere to the priorities the Lord has ordained, and not take their cue from the religious world.
For further reading we recommend Revival by David Boyd Long, published by John Ritchie Ltd. Available in North America from Gospel Folio Press.
1 William Trew, ‘The Little Flock’, in John Heading and Cyril Hocking (eds.), Church Doctrine and Practice, (West Glamorgan, UK: Precious Seed Publications, 1970).