Churches and their Fathers and Mothers- Part I

I’d like to do a few blogs about what churches are, how they form, who qualifies as a true ‘father’ or ‘mother’ of a church and a healthy way that churches and leaders can form and grow in relationship to one another. Paul’s word’s to the church at Corinth are a good starting point:

Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me. For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.
I Corinthians 4:15-17

Churches, like families, have unique characteristics. In the 32 years I have been in the faith I have observed those that are very loose-knit fellowships with virtually no structure as well as tightly controlled and monitored groups. There are those that have no affiliation with even one other church and those that are tightly tied in with their denominational structure. Paul founded many churches and related to them as a father.

Have you ever wondered when a group of people becomes a ‘church’? Yes, I am aware that every individual is already a part of the Body of Christ and in that respect they already are a part of the communion of saints. What I mean is this- when do they become a household of faith with a unique identity? When should people decide to start their own group and does just deciding to do so make it a reality? Many, many groups that started their own church have watched it slowly (or sometimes very quickly) fail and become a bad memory for everyone involved.

There have been a lot of networks of churches that have formed outside of denominational churches in the last 25 years. A number of independent churches with no affiliation with any group have also been started, but my experience has been that these groups become ‘ingrown’ and as a result off-balance in their perspective and ministry. Of course, this can still happen in denominational groups as well but their structure usually requires their leaders to relate to each other on a regular basis.

The Lord said that wherever two or more were gathered in His name that He would be in the midst of them. This, in its’ smallest form, could be considered a church gathering. He called, lived with, ministered to and fellowshipped with them. In fact, the Greek word for church, ekklesia, literally means ‘to call out of’. To come out of the world and into the church, which in turn will go back to the world and call them out as well. They are ‘in the world’ but ‘not of’ it.

There is really only one legitimate reason to start a unique body of believers and that is the call of the Lord to do so. Any other motive lays a bad foundation that will, when tested, fail the test. There are thousands of small groups that identify themselves as a church right now; many meet in homes or small buildings. I believe the Lord is forming them because of a great harvest of souls about to take place. They may only be in embryo stage right now and like an embryo, look nothing like what they will when ‘born’. Care must be taken by the leadership to allow the Lord to lead, guide and grow that congregation with those who have been appointed as five-fold ministers (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers).

If hearts are drawn to one another to work together for the Kingdom of God, it would not be unusual for those people to want to see their families ministered to in every aspect of their lives individually and corporately. Usually a leader or several leaders will already be present who will meet some but not all of the needs of the fledgling congregation. Affiliation with other churches is essential for continued spiritual health.

In the next blog, we’ll examine how affiliation can happen in a healthy manner. Who qualifies as a spiritual father or mother and how do we really become a part of a larger church family; not just in name only but from the heart?