____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ December 14, 1997 ____________________________________________________ The Local Church Perverted In Mission and Function by Roy E. Cogdill In former articles we have called attention to the fact that in present day promotions among brethren disposed to be liberal and modernistic in their thinking, there frequently are arrangements that pervert the mission and function of the local church from its capacity as a local organization into a relationship with other local churches that makes out of it a ``brotherhood agency,'' through which other churches perform their function. This is a very definite step toward denominationalism and apostasy. The Highland Church in Abilene through The Herald of Truth functions in such a capacity. The Herald of Truth is not a local church in any sense. It is a brotherhood agency, doing a brotherhood work, with brotherhood funds. The Herald of Truth has its own offices, payroll, directors, employees, treasury, name, contracts, mailing address and permits, its own propaganda machine, and admittedly is doing the work of many churches. This means that it is a separate organization in spite of all the denials they make. The fact that it purportedly is under the supervision of the eldership of a local church does not change in status. It simply means that the eldership functions in two capacities: directing the affairs of the Highland Church as a local organization, and in a brotherhood capacity in directing the affairs and work of many churches in this ``missionary society'' known as The Herald of Truth. A brotherhood work, a brotherhood treasury, under an eldership means a brotherhood eldership. This is not the mission or function of the eldership of a local church in God's plan and is therefore a perversion. Such a function by the elders of a local church is completely without authority -- ``ultra vires'' -- unwarranted in the scriptures, and as wholly unjustified and wrong as any kind of an organization could be. It would be like a sovereign state trying to take over the direction of the federal government or function as an ``interstate agency.'' This, of course, cannot be done. The same principle would hold with reference to benevolent work that is true of evangelism, or ``missionary work'' as it commonly is expressed. A local eldership trying to oversee a program of benevolence for many churches would be just as unscriptural and completely lacking in New Testament authority. Sometimes brethren trying to justify such ``brotherhood agencies'' charge that if a church can send money to another church to assist it in caring for destitute members, but cannot send money to another church to enable it to carry out a program of preaching, then there are two patterns: one in evangelism and another in benevolence. This can be freely admitted for these two patterns can be found explicitly taught and practiced in New Testament Scriptures. However, these same liberal brethren should examine their own position. They very definitely believe in two patterns. They frequently incorporate their benevolent societies into chartered institutions directed by a board of directors but they have not and will not for some time to come incorporate such projects as The Herald of Truth and put it under a board of directors! Why? Not from any conviction to be sure, but for the reason that such an organization would be so close to the actual ``missionary society'' that there would be no room to establish the difference; and brethren in general are not quite ready to accept the actual form of the ``missionary society'' even though they have unwittingly accepted it in principle. It has been repeatedly pointed out that in such an arrangement as The Herald of Truth, the directing elders (Highland Church elders) sustain no relationship to the Highland Church in directing the affairs of The Herald of Truth that they do not sustain to every church that contributes to it. This has not been successfully denied and it has not yet been pointed out just what relationship is different and distinct, if it exists. This perversion in the functioning of a local eldership does not only apply to Highland Church elders in their relationship to The Herald of Truth, but to many other promotions among brethren also. Of course, The Herald of Truth and the sponsoring church plan of preaching the Gospel as carried on by the Broadway Church of Lubbock, Brownfield, Texas, Union Avenue of Memphis and many others, has given rise to many unscriptural arrangements which only a few short years ago would not have been acceptable to anybody much. We have in mind such arrangements as the ``evangelistic agencies'' of such local churches as Vandalia Village in Lubbock, and 25th and Geraldine in Oklahoma City. The elders of these churches have been promoted by their ambitious preachers into ``evangelistic boards'' to oversee the congregations. They have a rather complex setup. These local elderships plead for contributions as well as workers from all other churches that they can influence. They have their supervisors and co-ordinators, etc. They may not capitalize the names of these officers but they are officers with distinct functions just the same. The advertising is planned; the preacher is selected; the supervisor of personal work campaigns, with trained workers, is elected; and the money is raised to carry out the ``campaign.'' This undeniably makes out of the local church and its elders, who are supposed to supervise such a program, a brotherhood agency for evangelism. Why do they not form a corporate body of such an arrangement and make the eldership of the local church supervising such a program, the board of directors? It would be just as scriptural as the elders of Tipton, Oklahoma Church, serving as the board of directors of Tipton Orphan Home. Such a perversion of local churches in both organization and function would have had much opposition a few years ago that is now silenced by the spirit of compromise and self interest. Witness the following from a powerful pen that now itself has been prostituted to serve the very thing that formerly it condemned: ``Truly we need to learn all over again what the work of the church is, and how to scripturally do it.'' ``There is yet another phase to this discussion. What about small churches that desire to have part in `missionary work' but are unable to support a preacher alone, or a `program' of their own? The answer to this supposed difficulty applies to the preaching of the gospel at home as well as abroad; there can be no difference in the principle involved. Let us make the application. There are scores of small churches in the State of Arkansas that cannot support an evangelist to preach the gospel in their own county. So the eldership of a church in Oklahoma City (another state) proposes that all of these Arkansas churches send their limited contributions to the elders of this Oklahoma church, who in turn select and oversee an evangelist to do the preaching in Arkansas for all of these small churches in that state. That is an example of what's being done by some missionary sponsoring churches among us (bro. Wallace's own emphasis). ``Still another application. The state of Texas needs evangelizing. There are scores of small churches that cannot support a full-time evangelist. So the elders of one church -- Dallas or Fort Worth -- propose to all the churches to concentrate their funds in one eldership which in turn will oversee a `state evangelist.' That is another example of what is being done in principle by the sponsoring missionary churches with their centralized elderships (bro. Wallace's own emphasis). ``The deductions set forth in the foregoing examples are the exact argument used by the digressives years ago to justify their `state evangelists.' The only difference is that they appointed a board of missions in the eldership of one church. In either case it destroys the autonomy of the local church in doing its work, and develops elders of a local church into diocesan bishops. ``When we criticize these deviations from New Testament principles in the organization of the church it does not mean we oppose the work. All of the effort to foment feeling and plant prejudice against men who plead for adherence to `the stipulated conditions of the New Testament' by charges that we are anti-foreign-missionary, anti-Christian education, and anti-cooperation will not prevail in the end. Many sober-minded brethren are already seeing the light on these issues, and many others will as we shall continue to set forth these principles. It is the same battle over the same issues that had to be fought fifty years ago. ``If elders of a local church can function in a general administration of the affairs of many churches in one thing, what bars them from doing so in all things, benevolent, missions, discipline? That being the case Presbyterians, Methodists, and Catholics can all justify their ecclesiastical forms of church government, and we will have surrendered the whole ground on the Organization of the church of Christ'' (from TORCH, Vol. I, No. 2, August 1950, pages 30-32, Foy E. Wallace, Jr., editor). That brethren cannot see these principles and recognize their violations in the present brotherhood arrangements is amazing, but it is even more amazing that Foy E. Wallace, Jr., would align himself with the very things which he formerly so clearly condemned. Such arrangements as condemned in the above article are still ``deviations from New Testament principles'' and still ``surrender the whole ground on the organization of the church of Christ''; and these principles have not changed -- but someone has! That is sure! -- March 31, 1966 ___________________________________________ Call or write today for one of our FREE Bible courses. We would be happy to sign you up right away! ___________________________________________ NEWS & NOTES We are glad to have Rick Fleeman preaching here today, in my stead, while I am in Nashville, preaching for the Woodland Hills church of Christ (that used to be Franklin Road, before they moved). I'm sure that Rick, as always, will do a fine job. If you live nearby and are in need of a ride to our services, feel free to contact us. One of our members would be happy to provide you with transportation. Bible film slides are also available upon request. There is a possibility that the church and I might have to relocate. We have both been renting; and a land company is wanting to buy up virtually the entire block where we are, to then tear everything down and build a drug store. The last I heard about this from our landlord, he said that nothing was definite yet; but our neighbors on two sides of us have already cleared out, and one of them said that we would probably know by January 15 -- one way or the other. We would appreciate the prayers of the saints that all will work out well. Thank you. ___________________________________________ He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass; for every man has a need to be forgiven (selected). ___________________________________________ A Covenant of Grace by Jerry Prince Is man saved by grace? Is man saved by faith? The answer is yes...to each. God's love for man was evident for ages but not more than on the cross. Comprehending the love of God is difficult. It is bigger, deeper, more abundant than anything man can compare. God's part in man's salvation is that grace (see Hebrews 2:9, SK). Yet, man has a hand in his eternity as well. Man can receive that grace in vain (2 Corinthians 6:1). How? By not laboring (1 Corinthians 15:10). Grace is more evident in the shadow of sin. The Romans thought they should sin more to obtain more grace (Romans 6:1). [They were wrong! SK] The Bible illustrates that God's grace and man's works are joined together in a covenant relationship (Hebrews 10:16-24); one side agreeing to give if the other is willing to submit to the terms. God is upholding His part. Are you? -- Via The Exhorter (with a couple interjections by Steve Klein) ___________________________________________ The man who makes a mistake and doesn't correct it is making another mistake (selected). ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 713 13th Street, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________