When a society of disciples agree thus to walk as Christians under the New Testament, solemnly adopted as the rule of their piety and morality, they are not Organized as a body having all the Officers necessary to their furtherance in the faith, and growth in the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Redeemer. They need bishops and deacons; but it may happen that in the meantime they have no persons qualified for these highly useful and responsible offices; yet they must go forward and grow in the knowledge and favor of the Lord. In order to be useful to the most feeble band who have thus come together, we shall suppose ourselves called to counsel those who have just entered into the covenant, and have yet no persons approved to place over them in the Lord.

      There are but two cases supposable, because there are but two distinct cases which have as yet occurred. The one is a church composed of disciples who have come together without the intervention of any preacher or teacher--persons who may have migrated far from the place in which they were first converted, or who may have been brought to a knowledge and belief of the truth without any other creed than the Bible. The other is the case of those who have been recently illuminated by the instrumentality of a preacher, by [112] whose labors in their neighborhood they have been translated into the kingdom of God's beloved Son. In the latter case he should labor among them till they are able to make a Scriptural selection from among themselves. But the former case presents the greater difficulty, and to it we shall more particularly attend.

      It is obvious that churches were found in the age of the Apostles that were incomplete; still they were churches of Christ, and enjoyed some of the ordinances without the full order of a church. Had this not been the case Paul could not have left Titus in Crete "to set in order the things wanting, and to ordain elders in every city." Even in Christian communities that had all the ordinances of the Apostles there were some more exemplary than others in all the excellencies of good order.

      Now as in the nature of things there is the infancy of a community as well as its manhood, so is it in every particular church of Christ. In the case before us we have an infant church, like an infant family, without all experienced oversight. Some person must either assume the temporary management of its affairs, or be appointed to officiate for the time being. There can not be any debate in deciding whether this responsibility ought to be granted or assumed. All will agree, in theory at least, that it ought to be granted by the voice of the community, and not assumed by any individual or individuals. Numerous and great must be the misfortunes of any community who give themselves up to the assumption of any of its members. The best qualified are always the most modest and backward; while those least qualified to preside or to lead, push themselves forward. If, then, the brethren will not give their voice in favor of those they judge best qualified, they must give themselves up into the hands of an individual more zealous than intelligent, more confident than modest, or more conceited than wise in the affairs of the kingdom of heaven.

      Good order in such a case requires that some persons, and those of the best attainments, and the best character, should be elected, for the time being, to go forward in social worship and in the edification and discipline of the infant flock. The New Testament, indeed, requires this: for the Apostles would not consent to the ordination of a novice, nor of one who has not been first proved to be competent to the duties assigned bishops and deacons.

      It is disorderly, in the fullest sense of the word, for any person to assume anything in an organized community. The voice of the church must be distinctly heard before any person can be acceptably heard by it. It is conceded that in a called or accidental meeting of citizens of any country, Or of Christ's kingdom, some person must move an organization, or call the assembly to Order, anterior to their action On any subject. But so soon as they are organized no person can [113] open his lips but by permission of the assembly, through its approved organs. And be it observed with emphasis, once for all, that whatever is disorderly in any community is always disorderly in the church of God; for the house of God necessarily is, and ought always to be, the most orderly assembly on earth.

      When, then, a church is formed, and persons appointed to preside over it, every one that prays, sings, exhorts, speaks, or performs any service in, or for the church, does it by permission, request, or appointment of the brotherhood, through the person or persons whom they have appointed to administer the affairs of the congregation. And whoever speaks or acts in, or for the community, without such request, permission, or appointment, acts out of order, and despises the whole congregation; for he that dishonors the overseers of the congregation, dishonors the congregation that has called him to this office, though it were but for a single meeting.

      So long, then, as in every community there are some more advanced in knowledge, experience, and years, than others, and so long as every Christian community has the living oracles--the writings and teachings of Apostles and Prophets--there is not a case likely to happen, in which it will be lawful to forsake the assembling of themselves together for all the acts of social worship, and all the means of edification and consolation in the truth, because of the want of officers or persons to serve them in any capacity. If they are all such perfect babes in Christ--infants, unable to speak a single word to edification, let them read, and sing, and pray, and commemorate the Saviour's death, with the Book in their hands, under the presidency of the oldest infants in the Lord among them. The senior infants, chosen and appointed to lead the way, are, to them, elders and overseers in the Lord.

      It is true that this is supposing an extreme case, merely to test a principle, or its universality; yet in this extreme case the rule will work well: for if the church is composed of such very babes, they will not require learned men to instruct them. One that is a few days in advance will be relatively a senior among them and fit to assist them in the Lord.

      "Experience is a good teacher," and "Practice makes perfect," are maxims of the most catholic orthodoxy. If, then, there is not wanting devotion to the Lord, there will be a very discernible proficiency in a short time; and their infant church will soon advance under the wholesome doctrine which is according to godliness, not only in age, but in strength. They will grow in favor as they grow in knowledge, and they will advance in usefulness in the ratio of their unfeigned devotion to the Lord. Still there is no surrendering any principle of the Christian institution in the case before us. As we have the man [114] in the infant, so we have in the arrangement the church of Christ, with its officers, growing up to manhood.

      There is no wild democracy, no despotic papacy, no self-created ministry, no lay administration of ordinances in this economy. It is, however, an infant church, and it ought soon to learn to speak for Christ, by the eloquence of both word and action, suiting the action to the word, and the word to the occasion.

      Generally it happens in the present time, as it did in the age of the Apostle,--most new congregations are gathered by the labors of some evangelist. In such cases it becomes his duty not only to immerse these on confession of their faith, but also to teach them how they ought to walk and please the Lord in all things, by directing their attention to the Apostles' doctrine, or to such portions of it as apply to their circumstances. But constitutionally it is they themselves, and not he that chooses for them their officers.

[A. C.]      

Source:

Alexander Campbell. "Organization of a Church." The Millennial Harbinger Extra 6 (October 1835): 493-496.

[MHA2 112-115]