Fractured Fellowship

W. Carl Ketcherside

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     In some segments of the disciple brotherhood we hear with increasing frequency such terms as "Men's Fellowship," Youth Fellowship," etc. This is a straw which indicates how the wind blows, and it is not blowing in the direction of restoration of the ancient order of things. The fellowship in Christ to which we are called by the gospel is universal as to membership of the one body. In him, "there is neither Jew nor Greek, male or female, bond or free." It is true that some attempted at first to fragmentize the fellowship on the basis of nationality. Peter sought to establish a Jewish fellowship at Antioch, and was sternly rebuked by Paul. It remained for "latter day saints" to use sex or age as admission to the charmed circle, and organize something for which there is no more scriptural authority than there is for the United Christian Missionary Society.

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     This means little to those bitten by the "organizing bug." They point to the work being done and the amount contributed by the "Men's Fellowship" as an indication of the spiritual strength of the church. It is really a symptom of weakness. In many cases the bulk of the membership just go along, and do little. Because the congregation as a whole is "poor, and weak, and miserable, and blind, and naked," something else is organized in the hope that it will make enough noise so it will appear like the body is functioning. It is like painting the garage to detract attention from the decrepit condition of the house; or blowing loud on the bass horn to cover up the dearth of sound from the other instruments in the orchestra.

     To hitch any kind of limiting term to the front end of our fellowship in the Christ is to destroy the real sense of that fellowship, which is contingent on being in Christ, not on age, sex, or other consideration. Jesus did not use the term from such an exclusive standpoint. A men's fellowship excludes women. A youth fellowship excludes those of mature age. Such a fellowship is not the one for which Jesus died. The fellowship in Christ is not partitioned off or chopped up. It has no walls, cubicles or cells. "We are all one in Christ Jesus."

     We might as well face up to the fact that the idea of restoring the ancient order is not the aim of most of the disciple brotherhood. They are concerned with defending what they have and organizing something else. They do not care to reproduce the church in apostolic simplicity. They have too much money tied up in other things. Bible colleges, seminaries, eleemosynary societies, charitable organizations, missionary societies and benevolent institutions -- all of these prove they are as big as other sects, and they will keep them regardless of God's word. And these things have let down the bars. There is no end to how far man will go when he starts organizing things. He will tamper with anything on the basis that he can improve on God's arrangement. Anything God wants done I can do in the fellowship of the whole church; whatever I cannot do in that fellowship He does not want done!