Last week, I wrote about the responsibility of church members when it comes to affirming (or not affirming) a prospective elder, with particular reference to the eventual pastor-teacher transition to take place in our future.
This week, I want to continue to address what elder-led congregationalism looks like regarding the congregation’s “job” with reference to the what and the who of the gospel. Having addressed this topic from the pulpit, I thought it prudent to also do so in print. I trust this will help us to see how elder-led congregationalism protects and promotes the glorious gospel of God.
The What of the Gospel
The congregation, in conjunction with the eldership, is responsible to faithfully steward the gospel, including protecting and proclaiming it. This means that each church member individually, as well as church members corporately, must be grounded in the gospel. (Stay tuned for our study of Romans commencing 18 January.) The foundation of this responsibility is grounded in Matthew 16:13–19.
Briefly, in vv. 13–17, Peter confesses Jesus Christ as Lord. Jesus’ affirmation indicates that Peter was a Christian. His heart of stone had been replaced with a heart of flesh. Having been convinced by God that Jesus Christ is Lord, Peter made this believing confession. According to 1 Corinthians 12:13, Peter had been brought into union with Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus then told Peter that he would build his church “upon this rock.” The “rock” was Peter, whose name means “stone.” Jesus, of course, would build his church, but he would use Peter’s confession of the gospel as the means to that end. Contrary to an erroneous tradition, Jesus did not declare Peter to be the first pope. Instead, he declared Peter to be the first new covenant church member.
To summarise, Peter’s acknowledgement and confession of the what of the gospel (Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour) is what Jesus referred to when he spoke of “the keys of the kingdom” (v. 19). The only way to gain entrance to the kingdom of God—the only way to become a true member of the church—is through the one and only gospel of Christ. So it has always been and so it will always be. And by extension, these “keys” are given to all Christians, and especially to Christians united in the local church. The language of Matthew 18:15–20 makes this clear. (See my sermon linked above.) Each local church is responsible to faithfully steward these keys. We dare not tamper with or lose them, for they are irreplaceable. There is only one true gospel.
When Paul wrote to the Galatians, he instructed congregations to have nothing to do with those preaching a false gospel. He expected that, having been grounded in the gospel by church leaders, the Galatian congregations would exercise their responsibility to know what the gospel is and to faithfully steward it (Galatians 1:6–9). Using strong language, he expected them to reject even himself—an apostle!—if he preached “another gospel.” Clearly, he was holding the congregation responsible for a right confession of the gospel; he expected them to be faithful with the keys of the kingdom. This, my friends, is a major job of the congregation.
False gospels threaten the unity of the church (Ephesians 4:1–3). Therefore, elders must lead the congregation to learn the gospel, to love the gospel, to listen carefully to and for the gospel, and to live out the implications of the gospel. When a church is errant in any of these areas, members must stand up and speak up. This brings us to the next responsibility of the congregation.
The Who of the Gospel
In Matthew 18:15–20 (referenced above) Jesus makes clear that every church member has a voice in the welfare of the congregation. Each member is to be concerned that Christ-professing church members are actually Christ-possessing church members. Knowing what the gospel is trains our ears and eyes to recognise who has embraced the gospel. We can put it this way: The content of the gospel is the biblical litmus test of those who confess to be Christians and thus church members.
When someone applies for church membership at Brackenhurst Baptist Church, an intentional process is followed to ensure that prospective members know what the gospel is and that their confession of faith in Christ lines up with the gospel. The what and the who of the gospel are inseparable.
As the prospective member studies God’s word with an existing church member, gospel clarity is enhanced. Then an interview takes place with a couple of elders, during which the what of the gospel is further emphasised. But at the same time, it is expected that church members will interact with the applicant. If there are concerns that they might not know and believe the gospel, raise those either with the applicant directly or with an elder. After all, as a congregation we truly want to give a hearty “amen” to their membership.
Conversely, if a church member lives consistently unrepentant, Jesus makes clear that the church is responsible to address this; the congregation is responsible in the end to say, “We as a church can no longer affirm your profession of faith and therefore the Lord Jesus calls us a congregation to remove (excommunicate) you from church membership.” When this is necessary (and it sometimes is) we do so with a heartsore “amen.”
There is much more that can be said about this very important matter, but I trust the above will help us to more biblically function as an elder-led congregation.
Doug