HARRY TENNANT

WE LIVE in an age when human rights and civil liberties have become common watchwords, and the consequences for society—in the field of homosexuality, for example have reached frightening proportions. The so-called ‘rights’ of individuals have distorted family and national life, as well as the lives of our children at school. In seeking to discover what has gone wrong, we, as believers in the authority and Word of God, do not have far to look. God has been sidelined, and the word of man, individual man at that, has been made to override the clear Word of God. Men worship the creature more than the Creator.

As a community we are a rarity, by our implicit belief in the truth and authority of the Word of God, and in having no human leader or leaders from whom we receive instruction and on whom we must place reliance. We neglect these blessings at our peril.

Ecclesias are corporate bodies of believers of God’s truth who have agreed to abide wholly by Scripture teachings and the commandments of Christ. Ecclesial life is determined, therefore, by what God has told us and requires of us, and not by dictatorial or democratic vote. Although we are human beings, we are not a human organisation resting on human authority and observant of human rights. We are here to uphold in teaching and in practice the rights of God. To do that faithfully we need to keep the whole of the Bible active and known amongst us.

God is a God of order, as witness the ‘laws’ of nature, and the regularity and certainty, the consistency and dependability, of His works. At the same time, there is an infinite variety of expression and a marvellous individuality of every living thing within the due order of God. In our approach to God, and in our individual relationships one with another and within our ecclesias, we are expected to do everything decently (honestly and in a seemly way) and in order (firm and stable). All of us are in orbit around God and His Word, with Christ as the centre of our spiritual solar system. Therefore, whilst one star may differ from another, both in brightness and in size, and in distance from Christ and the Lord God, we are to be regulated by the force of God’s Word in precept and in practice. Only those who are “wandering [misleading, deceiving] stars” behave otherwise, and of them it is said: “to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever” (Jude v. 13).

Each ecclesia has a constitution which lays down the ground rules for its existence and for its wellbeing. These rules are based on fundamental ways of observing decent and proper behaviour. The rules are not Bible rules, but they are ways of proceeding so that we can keep to the Bible rules. It is possible to have other rules to achieve the same end, but it is not possible to achieve it by having no rules; nor is it Scriptural. For example, we have agreed to abide by majority decision in our ecclesial business. By this means we submit one to another, but we do it “in the fear of God” (Eph. 5:21). In other words, the ecclesial machinery is to operate on the basis of our love for God and, consequently, for one another. The machinery is a means to an end; it works by Divine principles.

From time to time some members have regarded our rules as an infringement of their personal liberty. Others have worshipped the human machinery and used it to blight ecclesial life. These things ought not to be. Freelancers ‘doing their own thing’ and petty dictators holding the ecclesia to ransom should have no place in the corporate life of an ecclesia in Christ. Even Christ “pleased not himself” (Rom. 15:3).

The Lord has called whom He will to His fellowship, and we must expect therefore that there will be surprises amongst that number. Some of us stand out in one way, and some in another; some find satisfaction in quiet submerging of themselves—always there but never asserting themselves—whilst others, of necessity, have more public work to do. Whatever our part, we must work not for ourselves but for Him Who has called us to glorify His Name. We have nothing that we have not received; and without Him we are altogether nothing, and less than nothing.

Amongst the elected officers of the ecclesia we have those whom we call “arranging brethren’, ‘managing brethren’ and sometimes ‘elders’. The first of those terms is most commonly used; the second—in the kind of world we now live in—has overtones of authority and privilege which are not convenient; and the third, properly used, is acceptable so long as we understand that elders in New Testament times were almost certainly gifted by the Holy Spirit, which is not the case today.

What is the purpose of having such brethren? The purpose is twofold: it provides a useful small number to whom the day-to-day running of ecclesial affairs can be delegated; and, because we seek to choose such brethren in accordance with the principles laid down in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, they afford a pool of experience, godly wisdom and behaviour to be used in guiding ecclesial life in a godly way. They are not an executive committee with sole rights; they are ecclesial servants who are accountable to the ecclesia at all times, and openly so at the periodic business meetings and at times of ecclesial elections.

On behalf of all of us, they are to have a caring oversight of their work and of ecclesial members, so that there can be an efficient discharge of necessary business and a warm and supportive tending of the flock of God. It is essentially a spiritual service; ‘spiritual’ in that it must be rendered in accordance with the law of Christ, and ‘service’ after the pattern of the Chief Servant himself. Such brethren should be men of the Word and men of prayer. They should not belong to cliques, show favouritism or serve their own ends. They should be honourable, open and humble. They should remember that they too are in need of the Father’s care and the love of the Shepherd.

From time to time problems will arise and will need to be solved. It is then that the spiritual quality of arranging brethren is tested. If they are well acquainted with and submissive to the Word, and reliant on the power of prayer, and if they have made it their business to be in touch with all members of the ecclesia, they are likely to be suitably equipped for these times of testing. Many of these ecclesial problems require no formal approach and can usually be solved by sympathetic ears and hands without any ‘official’ ecclesial involvement. Wise arranging brethren will anticipate problems and take early steps to avoid them coming to fruition. These results are best achieved, not by allocating blame or by ‘reading the riot act’, but by loving, firm and Scriptural guidance, given quietly and unseen.

There are occasions when matters are more serious and, perhaps, more public. Arranging brethren exist to carry the responsibility on behalf of the membership of the ecclesia, and not to shirk, delay or muddle their way through what has arisen. Our Constitution, which most members never have recourse to, and The Guide to the Formation and Conduct of Ecclesias, which every arranging brother should become familiar with, give us procedural guidance and requirements so that we do not have to invent new rules. Everyone can know beforehand how problems should be tackled.

Almost all problems concern persons, either because of what they believe (doctrinal problems, which are not very frequent) or what they have done (behavioural problems, which are not infrequent). In either case, therefore, we have to proceed with due regard for those persons and for all the members of the ecclesia.

We know from everyday life that distortion or omission of facts is very common. All of us have read reports in a newspaper of something we ourselves have witnessed or have been involved in, and have been surprised at the (to us) obvious inaccuracies. Ecclesial affairs are no exception to these frailties, and we need therefore to get our facts straight as soon as possible. But we are not carrying out criminal investigations; we are not judges, still less holders of a ‘kangaroo’ court; nor are we the ultimate arbiters in serious matters; it is the Lord God Himself through our Lord Jesus Christ Who will be Judge. Furthermore, as arranging brethren we are seeking to keep or to retrieve sheep, and not to lose them. Therefore we proceed compassionately and wisely. If a lost sheep is on a ledge overlooking a precipice, a false move can result in irretrievable disaster. So it is with brethren who are astray. It is usually best that two arranging brethren carry out the fact-finding, though sometimes it is useful also to use someone else where circumstances are very delicate. When the facts of the case are known, we may need to accumulate other facts on the best ways to proceed. If it is a doctrinal matter, we shall need to know what the problem is and what the Scriptures tell us about it. It is useful to appoint a couple of brethren to do the essential work on behalf of the committee. The facts of every kind should be reported to the committee as a whole, who should then be able to seek further information and carry out an informed discussion. If one of the arranging brethren is personally involved, either directly because the matter concerns him, or through family connections or particular friendships, it is best that such a brother should make his interests known, and offer to stand down from that item of business.

All business of the arranging brethren, and especially that which involves problems, should be a matter of personal and of committee prayer. The Lord knows everything, and we need help if we are to do things aright. Unless the matter is desperately urgent, it is best to take time to think and to decide. Precipitate handling of affairs rarely leads to acceptable conclusions. Of course, it is easy to condemn and to recommend withdrawal of fellowship, and there are those who think they have dealt well and firmly when they have taken such decisions; but it is better to regard those instances as cases where we have failed, not succeeded. It is needful to preserve the Truth, and it is needful to keep the right way of life. It is also essential to seek to restore offenders in a spirit of meekness, and to note the apostolic warning: “considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted” (Gal. 6:1). Many a time in ecclesial life the severest critics are those with their own deep deficiencies. It is well, when considering a deviant brother or sister, to say, What if this were my son, my daughter, or I myself?

Times arise in dealing with problems when it is necessary to keep some information confidential. This is not a question of being too secretive or of withholding something which the ecclesia is entitled to know. We have to be open and make known all that has to be known. But there are things that should not be spoken about in public, things which no one should want to see aired in that way. The arranging brethren have the responsibility for keeping the ecclesia fully and well informed, and in good time, whilst preserving the confidence that is proper. In this article we are not able to consider in fuller detail the handling of problems. Sound principles are required by caring shepherds on behalf of a caring ecclesia when engaged in work of this kind.

Those who are the cause of the problems are sometimes themselves quite insensitive, or aggressively assertive of their ‘rights’. The arranging brethren have to be firm but understanding in speech and in their actions. It has to be made known to such members that none of us stands alone. We are each in touch with everyone else, who are thereby affected by us. Therefore, offenders have to appreciate the pain they cause to their brethren, whilst the ecclesia must yearn over the salvation of one who meanwhile is astray.

It is one of the peculiarities of human behaviour that some ecclesial members never fail to be present at the business meeting but are rarely at the Bible Class. True and sound contribution to the ecclesial workings at a business meeting should rest on true and sound understanding of the requirements of discipleship as learned at our Bible Class. It is also true that displays of irritation or worse occur more often when business is being discussed than at any other times. The chairman for the evening should set the tone of the proceedings in his prayer and in his remarks, and by his conduct of the business. He should not allow un-Christlike things to be done or said, and he himself must show scrupulous fairness and understanding. The ecclesia should know that the real chairman for the evening is actually the Lord Jesus Christ.

There is joy in being able to discuss openly and well our mutual business, with thankfulness to our heavenly Father for the labours of those who have worked for us, and with hearts intent on discharging with diligence the work we decide to undertake. It is the easiest thing in the world to be hypercritical and to dishearten our brethren or belittle their work. Charity edifieth, and our intentions should be to build up one another and the ecclesial lightstand.

Proper records should be kept of all decisions taken at arranging brethren’s and ecclesial business meetings. Care should be taken to keep the records to essentials, whilst at the same time setting down sufficient information to remove doubt as to what was done, and adequately to inform those who read the record in later years. Recording brethren learn by experience that it is wise to keep a written note of business done by telephone. Our necessary financial affairs should be faithfully and properly recorded.

Records and bank accounts should be examined by the auditor so that he and the treasurer can be seen to be good stewards before God and the ecclesia. Sunday School and youth work should be in the care of the arranging brethren, who should make it their duty thoroughly and effectively to support the appointed superintendent, teachers and leaders. Failure in these areas will affect the future life of the ecclesia.

All of us recognise when a meeting or a particular occasion is well run. There is nothing fortuitous about it. Thoroughness, diligence, good preparation and a sense of service mark out those things that enhance our worship and spiritual wellbeing. No one contributes more than the president. Slipshod, casual and ill-prepared presiding pulls down the tone of the whole meeting. Prayer, care and a sense of what is needful lift the hearts of the whole meeting. The speaker is aided, meditation is facilitated and the needs of those who are looking for comfort and help are met. Such work is well supported by an organist who leads and guides the singing, by the doorkeeper and stewards who welcome each member, and who care for necessary things so that there are no distractions or avoidable hitches. Officers of any kind who arrive at the last minute are an embarrassment and a handicap to good service.

But even the best service by the ecclesia’s officers can be rendered much less effective by failure on the part of the arranging brethren to ensure that there is a good Bible Class programme, a sound and inviting series of Sunday evening subjects, and suitable, competent visiting speakers. All of these should be ensured by thorough work by the arranging brethren, and by any servicing committees appointed by them.

Throughout the world there are dedicated and faithful brethren and sisters whose personal contributions in many fields turn the ordinary and sometimes otherwise mediocre work into shining and inspiring service. Let us uphold these sterling qualities of Christlikeness in a world of declining standards, so that when the Master appears everything will be after his pattern, and in response to the perfect order of that life, death and resurrection by which we have been redeemed.