Another Missionary Society --- The Christian Missionary Fellowship
Under the heading, "HERALDS OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST," President Jess Johnson of the C.M.F., says, "The C.M.F. is an agency dedicated to heralding the message of our Lord in a responsible and effective manner." So, I suppose he means that the C.M.F. is just a "method," an "agency" for "heralding the message of our Lord." "Its mission is carried out in concert with all who feel it merits their prayers, interest and financial support. It is high time that all Christians cease their strike" (he had said that every Christian "must be involved in the winning of others for Christ....or he is out on strike against Christ") "and, in this dangerous world, herald the truth that will call men to the status of brothers in Christ." In order to thus "herald the truth" they have formed THE CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP, Of course, the C.M.F. is dedicated to deciding all matters by the New Testament. Under the heading "Doctrinal Positions" someone wrote in the "Newletter" of the C.M.F., where my information about it is gained, "Toward realizing its incorporated purposes, the Fellowship shall accept the Christian program as presented in the New Testament Scriptures, referring all matters of doctrine to these writings for final decision." There is no New Testament authorization for organizing any "agency" for the "heralding of the truth" except the local congregation. So the decision on that has been made in the New Testament, But the supporters of the C.M.F. evidently do not consider that a "doctrinal" matter.
W. L. Thompson, General Administrator of the C.M.F., writing about "THE CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP," has several things to say about the church, the congregation, and how "widely scattered Christians" may "act in concert." In other words, the question is, how may congregations, churches of Christ, cooperate in "heralding the message of our Lord." But read the following that Mr. Thompson has to say. "The church of Jesus Christ is a people purchased by Him and therefore subject to Him. The people has a corporate being rising out of a common confession, baptism and communion experience....
"Within its corporate being, the people of God live in particular communities and form worshipping groups known as congregations. There are certain obligations resting on such congregations: 'Evangelism' and 'Education' summarize these obligations. Equipped by the head of the church and empowered by the Holy Spirit, the congregation is self-sufficient as to evangelism, worship and teaching." Now, that sounds pretty good though some of the wording may be somewhat modern when compared with New Testament phraseology. The last sentence of the quotation is especially good. Read it again with the emphasis this writer gives. "Equipped by the head of the church and empowered by the Holy Spirit the congregation is self-sufficient as to evangelism, worship and teaching." "Self- sufficient" means "Able to accomplish one's aims or ends, ....without external aid or cooperation....Sufficient in or to itself." (Webster's New International Dictionary.)
The writer quoted above has more to say about cooperation. We quote him:
"How does the congregation relate itself to the corporate people of God? How may widely scattered Christians act in concert?
"Two opposite answers have been given. (1) Congregational independency proposes that the center and circumference of the church is the congregation; therefore concerted action is not envisioned. (2) Hierarchical oversight proposes that local congregations be bound together by papal, episcopal or presbyterial form of oversight.
"'Christians only' have answered the question another way. They have discovered that congregational independency does not fully express the corporate nature of the people of God nor is it adequate to project a program of ministerial education, publishing of important literature, Christian benevolence, evangelistic enterprise or other activities deemed vital to the church's function."
So, in one paragraph the writer says that the "congregation" "equipped by the head of the church" is self-sufficient, yet a few lines below he says that the congregation is not adequate, in his own words, "nor is it adequate" to do its work. How can it be self-sufficient? But there is more.
"The major functions of the corporate people really are the outreach of the local congregation. The special function of the corporate people — education, publication, benevolence, evangelistic enterprise — are in a category by themselves and do not depend upon hierarchical oversight for their accomplishment.
"How then may the congregation perform the special functions of the corporate people of God? The historic reply of "Christians only" has been the formation of agencies for work. It is upon this foundation that every college, publishing house, benevolent concern and evangelistic endeavor has been projected.
"It is the conviction of the Christian Missionary Fellowship that this principle is in harmony with the teaching of Christ and His apostles. That congregational independency is ineffective in foreign missionary endeavor is born out by the fact that a relatively small percent of missionaries have trusted their cause to a local congregation, and few congregations have stepped forward to accept the large responsibilities of such an endeavor." (Emphasis mine. LGR)
By "corporate people" Mr. Thompson must mean the church universal or the church general as opposed to the local church. This is the same old idea that was back of the formation of the American Christian Missionary Society by members of the churches of Christ in 1849. That is, to activate the church universal. "The major functions of the corporate people really are the outreach of the local congregation." "Outreach" means to "reach or extend beyond." It means here that the functions of the church universal extend beyond the local congregation. In other words it means that the "head of the church," Jesus Christ, made a mistake when he did not authorize the church general to function, so now man will make the mistake right by activating the church universal through a human "agency." "The special function of the corporate people" (church general) is assigned by man and not by the head of the church. For in the New Testament the "corporate people," the church universal, does not have an organization nor a function assigned. So men originate their own organization and assign to it the work the "head of the church" assigned to the local churches.
Since the "head of the church" did not reveal how the "congregation may perform the special functions of the corporate people of God, Christians only have made the historic "reply" that the functions are to be done by the "formation of agencies, for work." Thus the church, the congregation, is to do its work through human agencies, or agencies authorized by "Christians only." And, the "conviction of the Christian Missionary Fellowship" is that this is in harmony with the teachings of Christ. Yet, in the teaching of Christ there is no authority for any organization smaller than nor larger than nor other than the local congregation. How then could this organization be in "harmony with the teaching of Christ"? Brother Reuel Lemmons said in an editorial in the Firm Foundation, September 4, 1962, "Any effort to take away from the church the work God gave it to do, and to substitute for the church human societies to do the work of the church is a reflection upon the wisdom of God and upon the redemptive power of the blood of Christ." This is true whether the organization is the decision of "Christians only" or whether it is by others,
But in the face of the statement that "Equipped by the head of the church and empowered by the Holy Spirit, the congregation is self-sufficient as to evangelism, worship and teaching" Mr. Thompson then denies that the local church can do what it is "equipped" to do. Here are his words, "That congregational independency is ineffective in foreign missionary endeavor is borne out by the fact that a relative small percent of missionaries have trusted their course to a local congregation, and few congregations have stepped forward to accept the large responsibilities of such an endeavor." This is the same excuse that was given for organizing the missionary society in 1849, that is, that the local church could not do the work Christ assigned it so we will organize a human organization to do the work. Is not this putting the wisdom of man against the wisdom of God?
The church in the first century preached the gospel to every creature under heaven with no organization of the "corporate people" at all, and just the local congregations, each independent of every other one under its own elders as overseers and with the resources of its own members. Yet we are told now that the local congregation is inefficient and that the major functions of the corporate people" is beyond the reach or extent of the local congregation. It is not "referring all matters of doctrine to the New Testament Scriptures" "for final decision" to organize a "Christian Missionary Fellowship" with its President, Recording Secretary, Treasurer as the "agency" through which the congregation may fulfill its functions. "It is upon this foundation that every college, publishing house, benevolent concern and evangelistic endeavor has been projected," the writer of the "Newsletter" states. That is, the formation of agencies by "Christians only" such as named in the last quotation, is the "historic reply" as to how the congregation may perform its "special functions."
Not only are those in the Christian Church forming such organizations but members of the churches of Christ have done and are still doing the same thing. We are not content for some reason with the organization that "the head of the church" has ordained for the work of evangelism, worship and teaching. We must build "new carts," "agencies" through which the "corporate people," the church universal, may accomplish its "special functions." "Whosoever goeth onward and abideth not in the teaching of Christ bath not God." (2 John 9)
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