"And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." - Acts 2:42
The church has certainly changed over the years. Many years ago, most churches adhered to some form of formal liturgy—the form and format of the church service. Many of these formats were prescribed to them by their particular denominational hierarchy, leadership, and traditions. Those formats might include readings from the Bible, as prescribed perhaps generations prior by their denominational leaders.
In more recent years, however, there has arisen much greater freedom and flexibility – including some churches that promote the idea they have no formal formats, no traditions at all – and a great many in-betweeners. Of course, even in these churches there are a great many decisions that must be made and adhered to. These, too, have leaders who have certain ideas and concepts they care about – along with things they believe should or should not be done in a church.
Regardless of the size of the church, there are quite likely clusters of church members who have their own opinions and feelings about whether some of the traditions or formats ought to be messed with in any way. Many of these can get quite enthusiastic about their feelings.
What Does Ecclesiasticism Mean?
The book of Acts used a Greek term to refer to God’s people in a given region who gathered together – Ekklesia (ay-clay-seeya). The word we translate as “church” means “called out from” – and has to do with a group of people called out from their homes to a gathering in a public place. In other words, an assembly or congregation. Luke, the author of the book of the Acts of the Apostles, used it to mean a congregation of people called out from the earthly world to a different life. An assembly set apart for God.
"Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers." - Acts 9:31
The word is used as the basis of other words referring to “church things”: ecclesiology or ecclesiastical are just two examples. Even the title of the book Ecclesiastes is often interpreted as a preacher or teacher. Ecclesiasticism, also a derivative of ekklesia, has sometimes been used to describe those people who seem to have a perhaps unhealthy preoccupation with ecclesiastical – in other words, church-related issues. Actually – it's more like an obsession. These folks seem locked into tightly held principles that determine traditions, practices, and formats.
Indeed, ecclesiasticism can be and often is taken to an extreme, focusing on precise liturgical rules and practices and maintaining traditional church customs. In other words, those who practice ecclesiasticism can, and do, place a high value on the visible acts of a church and its members while possibly neglecting the more important roles and callings of the church—to create disciples of Christ Jesus.
"So Christ himself gave the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." - Ephesians 4:11-13
What Is the Purpose of the Local Church
A former pastor of ours had a favorite statement he would express fairly often – paraphrasing, “The purpose of coming to a church service is to bring you closer to God and bring us all closer to each other.” That’s it in a nutshell, isn’t it? It isn’t about the formalities, the rituals, or the rules we follow – it’s about coming together to worship our Lord and Savior. Church is to be a group of Christians coming together in fellowship: being devoted to one another (Romans 12:10); encouraging one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11); instructing one another (Romans 15:14); and being compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32). Above all, we are to love one another.
"For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another." - 1 John 3:11
A local church is a place where believers can come together to commemorate Christ’s death on the cross (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). Acts tells us the early church came together – devoting themselves to teaching, fellowship, the “breaking of bread” (sharing meals), and prayer.
"And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." - Acts 2:42
Upon his ascension, our Savior left us with a command, creating a unified purpose for his Church, which would thereby extend to the local churches:
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."- Matthew 28:19-20a
“…and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” - Acts 1:8b
Finally, we are, of course, to love our neighbor. That isn’t simply a command for us as disciples – but for us as Christ’s Church. Jesus’ brother, James, tells us that we are to look after orphans and widows – and to help serve our neighbor through our actions, not just in words.
"Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? " - James 2:15-16
To summarize, then – the purpose of the church is multi-faceted:
- Discipleship
- Love our neighbors
- Fellowship and the breaking of bread
- Prayer
- Encourage, instruct, and care for one another.
- Love one another.
- Observe the Lord’s supper – together.
In other words, to “one another one another.”
What isn’t found are specific, detailed instructions that a church service must – or even should – adhere to. There are no guidelines on the order of the service should follow – even whether a specific liturgy is recommended. No specifics about how to observe the Lord’s supper, except Paul’s instructions that we are to examine ourselves and to discern the body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:28-29) This tells us, then, that specific constructs and formats of a church service fall strictly to the tradition of men rather than Biblical dictated.
The book of Acts is filled with references to Christians from vastly different locations who come together to worship the Lord. Of course, it seems clear from Paul’s messages to these churches that all seem to have different traits, as would be expected given the geographical and likely cultural differences. Yet, Paul’s messages resonated with all across those differences.
What is the purpose of the church? We are to be Christ's hands and feet—to each other and to others. We are even to be his mouthpiece—proclaiming his glory. We are the body of Christ—doing the very things Jesus would do if he were here. We are to be disciples of Christ, creating disciples of Christ.
Positives and Negatives of Rigid Ecclesiasticism
As with so many things, the concern over the issues of managing a church and its congregation is vital to any church meeting its intended – and desired – purposes. Clearly, it is impossible for any church to be all things to all people. As were the recipients of Paul’s letters, churches today engage with people who hold different convictions and opinions on a great deal of “church matters.” And if we’re honest, there are a great many differing levels of Christian commitment. In other words, some might need a bit more disciplined than others.
As we all know, churches today face some challenging alternatives. On each side—the much more traditional liturgical churches and those on the more evangelical side—there are examples of churches that have gone beyond Biblical standards—many far beyond, sadly.
The Bible must be the source and standard for the church to follow in establishing its core beliefs. And core beliefs are just that – the “die for” foundation of everything the church stands for. How the church views God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit – and how they view the Bible – is a great place to start in establishing these core beliefs on which they stake their very existence. Each church must also define its own mission – its “where are we going and how do we get there” statement.
There are also sets of standards that might be a bit more debatable – Biblically supported, but where there might be room for discussion. For example – how often will we celebrate the Lord’s Supper; how often will we offer baptism; will we offer child dedication? There are other topics that fall into the category of “open for discussion” – such as eschatology. Topics such as the liturgy might also be dictated as to the traditions of the denomination to which the church belongs.
And therein lies the start of the problem of ecclesiasticism. There are those who seem to choose to pile a great deal more into the core beliefs, wanting to add certain debatable issues to the “core beliefs” category, demanding adherence to all things church. Or perhaps their convictions are more toward keeping the traditions of their denomination.
Strong ecclesiasticism is absolutely necessary when it comes to maintaining faithfulness and adherence to a church’s “die for” core beliefs. It offers a spiritual discipline that is necessary for the church and for disciples of Christ. Teaching the disciplines as taught by the Bible is vital to the role and purpose of any church. Even within some of the older, more classical traditions, recognition of the church hierarchy can be critically important – and maintaining those traditions might be no small thing.
However, for the most part, rigid ecclesiasticism may be viewed as legalistic – placing excessive importance on certain specific standards and activities. Jesus came in grace and truth – and we must ensure to strike a balance. Too much truth – legalism. Too much grace – progressive liberalism within the church. Even Ecclesiasticism must strike a balance.
"For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." - John 1:17
But…we need to remember to keep the main thing the main thing. What is the purpose and role of the church?
In 1 Corinthians, Paul chastised the church at Corinth for their apparent desire to speak tongues in the church. Paul’s argument was that speaking in tongues – unless there was an interpreter present – did nothing to bring anyone closer to God. He said, “If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner, and the speaker is a foreigner to me.” (1 Corinthians 14:11). Paul went on to say, in so many words – what if a non-believer walks into your service? Will they be blessed by the experience and by what they hear?
Ecclesiasticism can seemingly get locked-in to the old way of doing things and resist any change – change that might be for the best of all. Change could bring those within the church closer together and make visitors feel more attracted to the message. Of course, change within any church is often met with stiff resistance. The dedication to historical worship styles often can leave a church irrelevant, unrelatable, and unappealing to a new, younger generation.
This is one reason the Catholic church transitioned from Latin to English and other languages in 1965.
"So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, 'God is really among you!”' - 1 Corinthians 14:23-25
Let’s make no mistake: the management and organization of a local church are very important. We cannot afford to ignore how we go about our purpose. These decisions certainly are not limited to how we conduct our service but include how we will help support each other and how we will reach out to our community – and everything those topics entail, which is a lot.
At the end of the day – let’s make sure we are committed to each other and not to some form or format or some other matter that is not core to who and what we are. Let’s put any differences aside and come together as his church.
Let us remember to worship our Lord, to love him and one another one another, and to “go and make disciples of all nations.”
"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." - Hebrews 10:24-25
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/AJ_Watt
Greg doesn’t pretend to be a pastor, a theologian, or a Bible expert, but offers the perspective of an everyday guy on the same journey as everyone else – in pursuit of truth.
Greg can be reached by email or on Facebook @ Greg Grandchamp - Author.
