1. It is the local church which is emphasized by
the Lord. A simple concordance study of the word "church" will amply demonstrate
the truth of this contention. Eliminating the very few instances where interpretation may
vary as to the precise application of the word, of the approximately 115 times the word is
used in the New Testament, nearly every situation refers to the local church.
2. No other agency is recognized in the New
Testament order. While the World Baptist Fellowship thanks the Lord for all the blessings
He has wrought through other agencies, including Bible schools, evangelistic boards and
committees, and missionary agencies, it must be admitted by all honest students of the
Word that these organizations are not to be found in the Scripture. They may not be
anti-Biblical, but they certainly are extra-Biblical. It must be admitted in this
connection that in many instances, they have been used of God.
3. The propagation of the Gospel in the great
history book of the New Testament demonstrates the divine principle that missions must
begin and end with the local church. Upon the advent of the Spirit, a pattern was given
(Acts 2:41-47). Here the process was preaching, regeneration, baptism, and addition to the
church.
This principle was carried out with Paul, as
well as with Peter. (Read carefully Acts, chapters 13 and 14.) It will be seen that from
the local church at Antioch, two missionaries were sent out (13:1-4). They went through
other lands, preaching the Gospel and gathering the converts into groups which they
organized into local churches (14:21-23). They then returned to the home church and
submitted a report of their labors (14:26, 27). This method bore divine approval as is
evidenced by the fact that in many instances. the very books of the New Testament are
themselves letters written by the apostle to the local churches he established in such a
way. (See I Corinthians 1:2; 3:10; II Corinthians 1:11; Galatians 1:2; Philippians 1:1; I
Thessalonians 1:1; II Thessalonians 1:1.)
The principle was approved by our Lord Himself.
for His last words to His own -- the Revelation -- was given to seven local churches which
were selected to represent the churches of the entire dispensation. (See Revelation 1:3,
11, 20; 2:1, 7, 11, 12, 18, 29; 3:6, 7, 14, 22.) Surely all of these references are given
to instruct the believer in that which pleases the Lord.
B. From this fundamental principle of the
Scriptures and in reference to the authority and position of the autonomous church, there
are a number of important practical applications which need to be drawn, and which can be
readily supported by further references to the epistles. The basic challenge for the World
Baptist Fellowship is: How shall we properly put this principle to work? What
practical considerations will best carry out the Lord's will in these things?
Several important aspects and resultant
methods are enumerated:
1. Missionaries are commissioned by local
churches, not by a Mission agency. It may be that local churches will cooperate
with recognized agencies and that approval of such a subsidiary agency may be sought.
There is, in fact, very good reason why one ought always to work in cooperation with such
agencies, but the church is the commissioning agency, the missionary organization is not.
In the case of men, this ordinarily involves such public recognition as we commonly call
"ordination." (See Acts 13:1-4.)
2. Missionaries should be supported by their own
local church. This involves prayer primarily and finances secondarily, but includes both.
Paul certainly received help from churches other than the one in Antioch (Philippians
4:15-18). So that we may recognize our primary obligation to our own in every way, the
support of non-member missionaries should be engaged in only after we have ascertained
that the needs of member missionaries are fully met.
3. Missionaries sent out by a local church
are subject to the authority of that church. Paul, though an apostle, was not
above giving a report to the home base (Acts 14:26. 27). Missionaries who may not conform
to home-church standards are referred to the same home church for discipline (Acts
15:1-27). Missionaries, though greatly used of God over a wide area. are to explain their
actions to the people at home. Peter, though an apostle, was not above this (Acts 11:18).
Free-lancing was not practiced even by apostles, but they were sent by churches (Acts
8:14; 11:22). Missionaries who are commissioned and supported by a local church are
subject to the authority of that church. No other agency may interfere with this order,
and should any attempt be made to do so, appeal may be made to the Word of God to settle
the matter immediately.
4. As a logical outgrowth of the foregoing, the
home church has a right to examine a missionary's work, to counsel with him regarding its
pursuit, and to advise him regarding his activities. Of course, this is never to be a
substitute for the Spirit's guidance or in conflict to it, but God has established an
order, and this must be respected. It will be discovered that a proper recognition of
divinely established authority never militates against the true leading of the Holy
Spirit. One of the greatest hindrances to this common-sense position is a current and
rather idealistic, almost superstitious viewpoint that some take of missionaries. This
view illogically and unscripturally tells one that no missionary ought ever to be
questioned or examined regarding his work, but that the title "missionary"
automatically places him in a category of infallibility and immunity from interrogation by
mere mortals. Such people should read Galatians 2:11-14.
5. All missionary activity should conform to the
simple plan of our Lord as given in the Commission and demonstrated in early church
history. (Note Matthew 28:19. 20.) Here are four distinct steps that are commanded:
a. Go
b. Teach, or make disciples
c. Baptize
d. Instruct in Christ's commands
Some feel that making converts is sufficient,
and they stop at this point, but they have failed to fulfill our Lord's whole command.
Others go so far as to baptize converts, but likewise, fail when they neglect (or refuse)
to gather such into groups that are subsequently organized into local churches according
to the plan revealed in Scripture. As one compares Matthew 28:19-20 with Acts and the
Epistles, one sees that the divine goal in missions is the planting of indigenous local
churches that are self-supporting, self-governing, and self-propagating. Anything short of
this whole program is not completely a Biblical mission. The World Baptist
Fellowship Mission Agency insists that missionary activity be geared to this program, and
does not have the time to waste upon unscriptural methods.
However, it should be pointed out in this
connection that one should not infer that an individual missionary must himself actually
perform the baptizing or organizing of assemblies. He may be working with others who share
this task with him, such as was evidently the case with Paul when he worked at Corinth.
(Compare Acts 18:8b, 11 with I Corinthians
1:14:17.) Paul was occupied almost entirely with preaching. Others associated with him did
the baptizing, but the end result was the establishment of the Corinthian church.
It is absolutely necessary that, regardless of
the individual missionary's particular task, the sum total effort of the associated group
be the establishment of local churches or the bringing into such assemblies the baptized
believers. If the final result is not this, it is not missions.
6. Mission churches must be self-supporting.
Read Philippians 4:15-18 and compare this with Acts 16:17 to see how quickly the church at
Philippi itself was giving to missions. Read II Corinthians 8:14 to see that poverty
cannot be used as an excuse to relieve a church from the responsibility of giving to
others -- to say nothing of self-support.
7. Mission churches must be self-governing. Read
Paul's missionary journeys in Acts and note after how little time they were on their own,
and he exercised no ecclesiastical dictatorship over them. When writing back to the
Corinthian church (I Corinthians, chapter five), he placed the whole responsibility of
discipline upon them. It was not in his hands except to advise, and it certainly was not
in the hands of a mission agency! The World Baptist Fellowship insists that the churches,
which are established by missionaries, become autonomous and be freed from dictatorial
over-lordship by extra-Biblical organizations.
8. Mission churches must become
self-propagating. Read I Thessalonians 1:5-8, which was written shortly after Paul's
departure from Thessalonica. Within a year or less, what had been but a mission church
itself was beginning to send out the Word through its own missionary program. There are
multitudes of mission churches that lean upon larger assemblies, continuing to do so to
their own detriment until such time as they are thrust into their own responsibility. The
world will never be evangelized by a few large, active mission-minded churches. This work must
be shared by new, smaller assemblies, which have been brought into being by the activities
of missionaries.
9. Churches should cooperate with mission
agencies as a matter of efficiency. It must be realized that mission agencies are in a
position to render valuable services to churches and to missionaries which the churches
and missionaries cannot perform for themselves in the nature of the case. For example,
most governments recognize authorized sending agencies whereas, in some areas of the
world, it would be almost impossible for an independent missionary to enter.
However, in all instances, the mission agency
becomes a channel through which the local church carries out its work. The reversal is
unscriptural; i.e., when the mission agency desires to employ the church as a channel
through which to carry on its own work. Should this situation ever occur, cooperation
between the church and the agency should be terminated. Mission agencies are valuable --
and indeed necessary -- but their value ceases whenever they assume authority over the
local church. Local churches should cooperate only with such mission agencies as conform
to this basic policy.
10. Finances should be regulated through the
local church as advised by competent mission agencies that know conditions and needs.
However, monies should always be under church control. (Read Philippians 4:15.) It was the
church which gave, not a mission agency, with individuals within the church making the
contributions on a private basis. Giving is a personal matter with regards to our
relationship to the Lord, but it is a corporate matter regarding our relationship to the
missionary. A competent mission agency is a channel through which we can most effectively
execute the giving done as a church.
