The Preeminence of the Local Church 2
By Evangelist Paul Mershon
January 25, 2012
" . . . the pillar and ground of the truth."
(I Timothy 3:15c)
Many pastors and evangelists, myself included, have become increasingly alarmed by the rise in acceptance of, association with, employment of, and promotion of para-church organizations and ministries on the part of a growing number of fundamental, Bible-believing churches around America. Brethren, we can ill-afford to let our guard down in a day when so many things are making insidious and subtle inroads into local church ministries that are inevitably dangerous to practice and polity. No matter how good and fruitful something may look from the outside, it is incumbent upon each and every pastor to carefully examine any organization that claims to uphold biblical principles, but is not the ministry of a duly constituted and organized local New Testament Church under the authority of that local church, or closely associated with local church ministries of like faith, walk, order, doctrine, and discipline.
One thoughtful writer penned the following observations:
A "para-church" ministry . . . has no scriptural authority. By definition, a para-church ministry is one '"raised up" by man supposedly to accomplish something churches are charged to do by the Scriptures. However, one should question raising up an organization outside the church (para-church) to accomplish objectives ordained by God to be produced by the normal, proper functioning of the local church and all its parts, especially for the evangelization of the lost. All too often, what is established to assist local churches, ends up competing with them and introducing unscriptural philosophies and practices.
A good example of that which this writer describes can be found in an extensive para-church organization operated for many years by a man who is a thorough-going Reconstructionst and Dominionist. At best his organization can be considered non-denominational, inter-denominational, trans-denominational, and even ecumenical, not unlike some of the para-church “campus” ministries and other non-local church-related groups. He is certainly not a Baptist, and yet many members of independent Baptist churches follow this man whose teaching they hold as sacrosanct and superior to all others. In his theology he tends to lean towards Old Testament legalism, and like most Reconstructionists, he appears to believe that it is the responsibility of the “church” (as in the universal church) to take dominion over the world and establish a system of rule that would be theocratic and legalistic in scope and practice. He is purported to be an “expert” on the family, and yet he has never been married and has not had the experience of raising children. Back in the 1980s his organization was rocked by scandal that involved sexual immorality, and yet many of his followers were willing to turn a blind eye to this moral stain. Certainly not under local church authority, there appears to me to be no accountability in what can only be described as an autocracy. Billed as a local church support ministry, it is anything but. Indeed, I believe it has undermined the local church and usurped it, and in many cases attempted to replace it with a very captivating methodology. Many church members have been mesmerized by this multi-faceted para-church ministry and its many programs and philosophies that tend to detract from local church authority and pastoral oversight. Followers of this para-church “ministry” often hold it in far greater esteem than the local church of which they are members, and have greatly divided loyalties. In addition to all of this is the ecumenical flavor of this organization. Local church seminars are held indiscriminately in churches of every stripe and doctrinal position and there is an unusual involvement with the secular world.
Not only does this para-church organization seem willing to go just about anywhere they are welcome, but large auditorium seminars that at one time were held around the nation are ecumenical in nature as registrants from every imaginable religious background attend. It is not inconceivable that one could attend a seminar as a Baptist and find himself sitting in the midst of a mixed-multitude. In recent years the seminar material has been secularized for consumption by various agencies outside of professing Christendom. In addition to all of this is a tendency on the part of this para-church ministry to emphasize a sort of Old Testament legal system that does not comport with New Testament Christianity. There are many extra-biblical teachings that I think are dangerous to the spiritual welfare of God's people. And like so many of these types of para-church groups, a personality is at the center if it. Though truth is certainly applied in their teachings, there is an admixture of error that must not be overlooked. As with anything, one must compare spiritual with spiritual when examining all that is associated with anything like the para-church ministry I am speaking of here.
The prefix "para" in the term "para-church," is of Greek derivation. It is loosely define as meaning: "beside: alongside of: aside from: closely related to: involving substitution of: closely resembling, but not quite the same: in support of." But as practiced in the spiritual realm, and especially in association with the Bible-mandated ministry of the local church and local church doctrine, it means more precisely, "instead of" or "in replacement of." Many para-church groups are not even trans-denominational, but have for their agenda the neutralizing of doctrinal distinctives with the end result being the homogenization of all professing Christendom into a one-world-type of conglomeration. I have read some para-church material where their stated goal is to tear down the "walls" of doctrinal differences.
Many good and well-intentioned men have admonished us that we not criticize para-church organizations and ministries in that they are "doing much good." The Roman Catholic Church has done much good with its many hospitals and charitable organizations, but that does not justify or give credence to the gross errors and heresy of Romanism. No doubt there have been para-church organizations that have been a blessing to many, and through which lost folks have come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. In that I do rejoice. I have appreciated the sincere efforts of some of the para-church groups I have known of and been in contact with over the years. I have fellowshipped in the past with fine men associated with para-church ministries, and love them dearly. But that cannot change, nor alter my Bible-based conviction that there is no authority for para-church ministries in the Word of God extant. One dear brother noted:
For years we have used the term "para-church" organizations. "Para" is the Greek word for "alongside," so a para-church organization is one which is alongside the church. Specifically, it means an organization which is not the church but which is doing the work God gave the church to do. It is a man-made agency as opposed to the one agency Jesus said He would build, His church (Matthew 16:18).
I recently watched a woman "preacher" on television out of curiosity. This was one high-energy gal, and she was really going at it with a full head of steam. Much of what she said was right on target biblically, and most of my Baptist preacher brethren would have agreed that she had "hit the nail right on the head." Only problem is, God does not authorize women preachers (I Timothy 2:11-12 - I Corinthians 14:34-35)! Truth alone is not at issue here. Obedience is at issue, and a woman cannot be obedient to the commands of God and usurp the role of men in the local church. I see no difference between this example and that of para-church ministries. Even though truth may be upheld in a para-church ministry, the truth regarding the local church is ignored, disobeyed, and rejected in favor of something that was not mandated or authorized by God.
God's only agency for the fulfilling of the Great Commission is the local New Testament Church. The Apostle Paul did not establish and endorse a para-church system, but he established and confirmed local New Testament churches (Acts 15:41). And we need to note here for our "universal church" friends that the Body of Christ is a manifested, tangible, visible, local body of believers, not an invisible body with no substance of presence. The Body of Christ is tangible (Ephesians 1:22-23 - I Corinthians 12:1-31), and not mystical. The "family of God" is comprised of all saved people everywhere. "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named" (Ephesians 3:14-15). But the Bible says that the saints are gathered into local assemblies as a visible body of believers (Acts 2:41-47 - I Corinthians 12:18). Again, these verses are not speaking of a mystical, invisible body, but a tangible one that is local and manifested for the purpose of fulfilling the Great Commission and the mutual instruction and edification of the saints.
One dear brother said:
The New Testament Church is our Lord's vehicle to evangelize the world. His plan is not to bring to spiritual birth the sinner and then allow him to be orphaned. Rather, He has prepared an institution to reach out in soul winning fervor to the unsaved, win them, baptize, teach, train and care for them until they are mature and can spiritually reproduce. Indeed, the church is there to meet their needs from spiritual birth to physical death . . . Society has a wrong concept of the "church." Wrong interpretations lead to wrong practices which, in turn, bring discredit to God and His institution.
There are 112 instances in the New Testament where the word "church" refers to a local, visible body of believers. Out of a total of 115 references in the New Testament to the "church" that is an overwhelming proportion of over 97%! The seven churches in Asia Minor who were the primary recipients of the Book of the Revelation were local, visible and geographically separated institutions. The church was a visible, local body that Jesus referred to in Matthew 18:17 when He said, "tell it to the church." Jesus, not the Holy Spirit, established His church, and He did it before Pentecost according to Matthew 18:17 despite what footnotes of some reference Bibles say. Pentecost was the empowering of that first New Testament church, and the signifying of the beginning of the Church Age. Baptism, one of the two ordinances of the church, was already being observed by the disciples before Pentecost (John 3:22 - John 4:1-2), and the Lord Jesus instituted and observed the Lord's Supper with the disciples before Pentecost. The church was in place when the Holy Spirit came upon them as that local assembly was assembled in prayer in the upper room awaiting the promise of the Lord (John 14:16-19 - John 16:7-14 - Acts 1:4-8). No para-church to be found here, only local churches ordained of God to carry out His holy mandates.
The local church is God's only designated agency for:
(1) The fulfilling of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20 - Mark 16:15 - Acts 1:8).
(2) The ordination and commissioning of pastors, evangelists, and missionaries (Acts 13:1-4 - I Timothy 4:14 - II Timothy 1:6).
(3) The edification and instruction of the saints (Ephesians 4:11-16)
(4) The assembling of the saints for mutual edification, admonition, exhortation, and provocation unto love and good works (Hebrews 10:24-25)
(5) The instruction and equipping and perfecting of the saints.
(6) The observance of the ordinances.
(7) The discipline and correction of the saints (Matthew 18:15-17).
(8) The purpose of accountability and good order and discipline.
(9) The exercise and use of the gifts given "For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." (This was contained in instruction to the local church at Ephesus (Ephesians 4:11-16).
(10) The collection of the saints (I Corinthians 16:1-2).
(11) The distribution to the necessity of the saints (Romans 12:13 - Galatians 2:10 - II Corinthians 9:1-12).
(12) The support of missions (II Corinthians 8:1-15).
(13) The preaching and teaching of the Word.
(14) The mutual care of one another in the body (I Corinthians 12:25).
(15) The purpose of a local testimony on the community.
(16) The purpose of glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ through the church wherever He places us.
(17) The ordination and installation of church officers for the oversight of the body.
Note that para-church organizations have absolutely no doctrinal distinctives. They have no doctrinal identifier. They are not organized into any kind of church, local or otherwise. Most have names or organizational labels that tell no one of what doctrinal persuasion they are. The word "church" is not associated with their title. This is neutralizing in so many ways, and the anti-local church crowd love to have it so. One thing I have learned is that when we have one of these para-church organizations into our Bible-believing churches that is trans-denominational in scope and practice, or would go just about anywhere to minister, whom we speak for and whom we endorse and whom we allow in our pulpit indicates what we believe. If a local church endorses a para-church organization that is ecumenical in any way, it is sending the wrong signals to its people. It is an endorsement, no way around it.
Good, Bible-believing churches are losing church members today to para-church ministries at an ever-increasing rate. We have found, for example, that some of the para-church organizations that have an ultra-family imbalance in their teaching to the point of deification of the home over God and His Word tend to isolate themselves even from fellow believers in their local church. These groups are often strong proponents of home-schooling, and we see many leaving local churches and forming what they call "home churches" as they do not believe the local church is faithful enough to what they deem to be truth. In this I see a tremendous anti-local church mentality brewing. There is a tendency to play the para-church leader's teaching against that of their pastor and their local church leadership. So you do not misunderstand, I am very strong in my position on the family, and preach at least half-a-dozen family conferences a year. I am also not opposed to home-schooling, having home-schooled my own daughter. The home and the marriage relationship are extremely important, and the Word of God has much to say about the family. But I find that some para-church ministries, and even some Baptist pastors are taking an extreme position on this issue that is creating havoc in some churches. I almost see a cult mentality being developed in some para-church groups that undermine the local church. They may declare that they are a local church "support" ministry, but close examination of their historical effect on individual believers, and a close look at their material should raise some flags of warning for you. There tends to be much deception and misrepresentation in some specific para-church groups.
Other para-church ministries have encouraged their proponents to stay in their local churches and influence it for change in the direction of their particular indoctrination and orientation. This is subtle, but it is happening, often behind the scenes without the knowledge of the pastor. Some pastors have told me that they had a particular group into their church for a meeting, and did not realize that they had opened a virtual Pandora's box. Once their folks got on the mailing lists and websites of the para-church group, they were hooked, and the local church was now secondary to them. This is tantamount to driving a wedge between a wife and husband, or tampering with the happiness and harmony of a family. When a wedge is driven between a church member and his or her church family, trouble is soon to follow.
I know that many good men want to help their people, and some feel para-church ministries may have the answer in doing so. Others feel that the local New Testament Church is inadequate in getting the job done, and are open to outside help without considering the ramifications down the road. God's men need to be careful and aware of the backlash that can be created when they compromise where they ought not. Let's do things God's way, and avoid those things that are not mandated by God's Word. Beware of para-church ministries that can do more harm than good.