Chapter Twenty Eight - The Nature of the Church
The Bible presents several metaphors for the church, each making a contribution to our understanding of its nature. The two concepts dealt with and alluded to more than any other, are the metaphor of the "body of Christ" and the concept of organization.
Some recent writers in theology, like Lawrence Richards and Clyde Hoeldtke, believe that the primary concept of the church is that it is an organism or body, and that organization, the ordinary concept, is antithetical to that of organism (Lawrence Richards and Clyde Hoeldtke, A Theology of Church Leadership, Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1980). The fact is that the New Testament sets forth a structure of leadership, which implies organization of some sort, although this organization may indeed function quite differently from that of a goal-oriented organization like a small business or large corporation.
1. THE CHURCH AS AN ORGANISM
The primary Biblical text for this concept is 1 Corinthians 12, though the word body as a reference to the church is found several other places. The church as a living organism suggests the following important ideas:
1.1 Unity in Diversity
"For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:13).
Unity is taught by the reference to one body, which elsewhere in the chapter is seen to be composed of many diverse parts (1 Corinthians 12:4-11; 14-20), all working harmoniously toward mutual benefit.
Diversity is further illustrated by the
ethnic reference to Jew and Greek. This is the closest Scripture comes to a relationship
that might correspond to racial issues. (Note: Other limited references are Acts 8:27
where Philip is sent to preach the gospel to a "Cushite," or Ethiopian, and
Titus 1:12 where a people called Cretans are cast as being always liars, evil beasts, lazy
gluttons.")
Class distinctions are to be overlooked also, according to the words, "slaves or
free."
In summary, the church is composed of a great variety of people of different ethnic backgrounds and classes, all working together to promote each other's spiritual growth and world evangelism through a diversity of gifts given by the Holy Spirit.
1.2 Interdependence and Indispensability
"If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body" it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body... the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you" (1 Corinthians 12:15, 30).
Each member needs the other (interdependence), and we cannot really "get along" without each other (indispensability), for each has his unique contribution to make. Though a dismembered body can compensate and function in a limited way, it is nevertheless handicapped.
1.3 The Prominence of Certain Members
"And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles...." (1 Corinthians 12:28).
Such verses as 1 Corinthians 12:19 seem to say that no one is more important than another in God's sight. Therefore, I prefer the words "more prominent" to describe the function of members like those listed in 1 Corinthians 12:28. This list is augmented by the offices of evangelist and pastor in Ephesians 4:11, and the activity they all have in common is speaking. They are leaders, and their leadership is exercised by speaking the Word of God to the rest of the body They are prominent because most of their speaking is to larger groups of people; they are in the "limelight" so to speak.
1.4 The Training Function of the Prominent Members
Another reason the prominent members of the body are in the limelight is suggested in Ephesians 4:12, where the speaking members are given to the church "for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ."
This is a striking and fundamental concept. Traditionally, for example, men we call "pastors" are regarded as those who do the work of service (ministry) and build up the body of Christ. Here, however, they train the saints (the rest of the congregation) to minister and build up. In other words, they are to be more like coaches and recruiters!
This concept of "equipping the saints" is confirmed by the fact that one of the primary functions of the church is to "disciple." Jesus and Paul spent far more time discipling than evangelizing. This is a much more effective approach to evangelism, because you are producing more and more evangelists who multiply in the process.
Ephesians 4:11-12 could be visualized as follows (Ray C. Stedman, Body Life, Revised Edition, Discovery House Publishers, RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1995):
In conclusion, the church as an "organism" teaches us the following things: we are vitally related to each other in a process of growth that involves those already present in the body in edification and the addition of new members through evangelism.
2. THE CHURCH AS AN ORGANIZATION
2.1 The Meaning of "Organization" as Applied to the Church
The word organization as applied to the church means that God has designed a structure of authority intended to establish responsibilities for the welfare of the church. Jesus taught that leadership in the church was to differ fundamentally from leadership in the world (Matthew 20:25-28). In other words, the management techniques of the business world are not the same as those employed in the church.
2.2 Leaders
Organization in the church provides for the exercise of authority (Hebrews 13:17), the assignment of responsibility (John 21:15), and orderly functioning (1 Corinthians 14:40). Toward this goal, Jesus Christ has appointed certain offices of leadership, which in the New Testament are called "elders" and "deacons" for the local church, and "apostles" for the church at large (I regard the authority of the apostles to have been limited to one generation and non-successive. However, their authority functions today through Scripture, which they left behind.).
2.3 Headship
The final aspect of church organization is the headship of Christ. Ephesians 1:20-23 says that God the Father:
"... raised [Jesus Christ] from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named.., and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body the fulness of Him who fills all in all" (Ephesians 1:20-23).
This headship is communicated to the rest of the church through two extremes: (1) through the leaders to the members and (2) directly to the members, with the leaders as encouragers and trainers exclusively. I believe Jesus Christ, the Head, utilizes both of these means, so that they are not mutually exclusive or an "either-or" situation. The church is wise, then, to be sensitive to this headship, so that what the body does is precisely what Jesus Christ, the Head, wants it to do.
I believe the primary agency of this headship is Scripture, and that individual ideas about how the general commands of Scripture are to be implemented is a matter of corporate consensus and agreement. These ideas can come from leaders and "laymen," but the two must be united in every task they undertake.
3. REFERENCES AND RECOMMENDATION FOR FURTHER STUDY
Lectures in Systematic Theology, Chapter XXXV, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 1992 Edition, by Henry C. Thiessen.
The Church in God's Program, Chapters 1-5, Moody Press, 1972, by Robert Saucy.