What is your church’s guidebook? Healthy growth and change part 2

A necessary question for analyzing the health of your church is: “What are the authoritative instructions that are followed by your church?”

Every church follows some set of rules or guidelines. Some churches are very committed to careful adherence to their constitution and bylaws. In some churches, Roberts Rules of Order are the ultimate authority. In newer churches, the church might be following a church planting model or the individual church planter’s vision. The rules and guidelines may be an unwritten set of traditions – “the Baptist way” or “the way we have always done things.”

As helpful as these rules and guidelines may be, there is only one authoritative set of instructions for the church – Scripture itself. As 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

The authority of Scripture is acknowledged by article I of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000: Scripture is “the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried.” I would imagine that the statement of faith of your church says something along the same lines.

In my last installment, we discussed the fact the church belongs to Christ alone, so our first priority should be to discern the will of Christ for our church. Scripture is our primary source for understanding the will of Christ.

The Bible has a lot of instructions for churches, like the following examples. The Bible talks about church leaders and their qualifications (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:6-9; Acts 20:17-35). There are guidelines for worship services (Ephesians 5:19-20; Colossians 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 14) and church discipline (1 Corinthians 5-6). And of course, Scripture emphasizes the importance of reading and teaching the Word (1 Timothy 3:13; 2 Timothy 4:2-5).

It is often necessary to remind yourself and your church that the Scriptures are the true authoritative instructions for the church. It may be as simple as pointing to the paragraph on the Bible in the church’s statement of faith. It may take some teaching on Scripture. But it will probably take repeated reminders in moments of growth, change, and decision.

“It is often necessary to remind yourself and your church that the Scriptures are the true authoritative instructions for the church.”

The pastor and teachers of the church can initiate discussions with the question, “What does Scripture say about this?” Pastors and teachers may need to spend time explaining what Scripture says about an issue before a decision can be made.

When there are opposing sides on a question or issue, it is always helpful to ask the “other” side, “What is your biblical reasoning behind your point of view? Where in Scripture do you get your ideas?”

When sharing your own perspective, don’t give your answer immediately. First, give the relevant Scripture(s). Then as a group you can collectively draw your conclusions from the Word of God.

As a church member or as a leader, you can serve your church well by reminding the church that the church belongs to Christ, and Christ’s will is best sought in the pages of Scripture. You can take the lead by humbly submitting to the Word of God and inviting others to join you.

Of course, the greatest obstacle to obeying Scripture is often tradition. The next installment in this article series will discuss what to do with church traditions.

Check out Part 3 of the Heathy Growth and Change article series here.

Randall Curtis serves as the Rhode Island regional coordinator for the Baptist Churches of New England.