The Distinctiveness Of The Mission Of The Church
The New Testament church is a distinctive institution with a distinctive mission. The mission of the church has not been left to human judgment but is a matter of divine revelation; hence, the activities of the church are matters of faith. A congregation can be unfaithful to its mission either by failing to function to the extent of its ability in its divinely prescribed activities, or by functioning in "areas of silence." In other words the church can be guilty of sin either by failing to do what God has willed that it do, or by engaging in activities which God by His silence has prohibited. When God assigned to the church its mission He excluded other missions. By precept and example God has assigned to the church the work of preaching the gospel, edifying its membership, and caring for its needy. The mission of the church cannot be defined by such general terms as "good works," for there are many works or activities which are good but which are not the work of the church. The church has a distinctive mission. These are truths which, in the past have been generally acknowledged, not only with the mouth but in practice as well, by those who claim to be members of the church of Christ.
Denominational churches over the years have not recognized the truth that the mission of the church is distinctive. They have engaged in numerous works of a civic and social nature. Denominationalism has had its church related schools, hospitals, recreational centers, fellowship halls, camps, etc. This we have taken as a matter of course — as the natural thing for human denominations to do. Being of human origin and governed by human judgment, they may engage in any work which human judgment dictates. This, however, is not true of the church of the New Testament; it is of divine origin and is governed by its divine head, Jesus Christ. The head of the church has assigned to the church its field of activity, and any attempt to put the church to work in fields other than those authorized by the head is rebellion against the head.
For several years there has been a tendency, at first nearly imperceptibly but gradually growing in intensity and scope, to ignore the distinctive character of the work of the church. There is terrible irony in the situation, in that as our people are "getting into the swing," the denominational world is becoming alarmed and is beginning to cry out against the "secularizing" of the church.
In the Louisville Courier Journal for July 28, 1958, there is an article discussing this problem confronting the denominational churches. Dr. John Reuss of New York's Trinity Episcopal Church is quoted as protesting against the "day-to-day triviality" of fund drives, bazaars, luncheons, etc. Another religious leader is quoted as saying that churches resemble a modern drug store or shopping center" while a noted European churchman "suggested that American churches in a way resemble peoples clubs." The article closes with a quotation of Kermit Elby, a University of Chicago social scientist, who said that, "the trouble is that the church has become a please the crowd institution instead of an unfettered champion of principle."
When the church of our Lord becomes a "please the crowd institution," it must abandon its distinctive mission and when it does that it is no longer the church of the Lord; it is just another denominational body in the rat race of human popularity.
The work of the church is religious in character. The church is a blood bought institution, composed of the saved, with the divinely appointed task of carrying the message of salvation to the lost of the earth. The salvation of the soul of man is its distinctive objective. Clinics, gymnasiums, schools and other secular institutions for the physical betterment of man could be had without the suffering of the Son of God; not so, with regard to the church — it is blood bought. Why brethren will persist in directing the energies of the church into "common" areas of activities while the holy mission of the church is neglected, and men are allowed to die in their sins, is a thing hard to understand.
It is understandable that the modernist, who has come to discount and scoff at the idea of the blood of Christ cleansing men of their sins, would regard the church as just another civic body with no higher value than other civic groups. Some modernists have come to regard the denominations in this light and have quit them, preferring to enjoy the benefits of a social and civic nature in clubs which are designed to fill this need and which make no claims of religion.
Many members of the church are uninformed with reference to the mission of the church. It would be interesting and perhaps appalling to many preachers and elders to know just what the members of the church thought the mission of the church is. I suggest this little experiment: let the elders of the church, without prior announcement, have members write what they conceive to be the work of the church. Many of the members will have to depend on what they have seen going on for their information, consequently, their conception will be based on the practice of the church rather than on the New Testament teaching. Does the practice of the church where you are a member harmonize with the divine pattern? Is the distinctive mission of the church observable in its practice? If one were limited to personal observation for his information on the mission of the church what conception could he have of the church and its work? From observing the activities of the church of which you are a member what would you say is the work of the church? The design of a thing can be learned by observing the use of it. What design is observable in the activities of your congregation? Can you say that it is faithful to its heaven designed mission?
Those who claim that the work of the church embraces civic, recreational, educational and other such secular activities, by their claim, reject the doctrine of "distinctiveness"; they can not have both. Either the mission of the church is defined by the New Testament, or man is left free to put it into any work which his judgment approves. What is the will of God in this matter? Are we going to submit to God's will or shall we assert ourselves and do as we wish?