Whose church is it? Healthy growth and change part 1

Autonomy. That’s a key value in Baptist circles. We do not want anyone telling our church what to do. In fact, a key question in any church is, “Whose church is it?”

You probably know that the answer to that question can be different in different churches. Some churches belong to the majority of members or even a few key members. Some churches belong to certain committees or a deacon board. Some churches belong to the pastor or church planter.

It may not matter what the constitution says about church polity (government) and leadership structure. Someone or some group controls the church and its direction. If you ask whose church it is, everyone really knows it is that person or group.

However, for a church to grow in a spiritually healthy way, the answer to that question needs to change. The church cannot belong to any human being. The Baptist idea of autonomy protects a church from outside control, but a church can be damaged just as much by controlling parties from the inside.  

“The Baptist idea of autonomy protects a church from outside control, but a church can be damaged just as much by controlling parties from the inside.”

For a church to grow, everyone must agree that the church belongs to Christ and to Christ alone. When Jesus laid down His life, He paid the price not just for us as individual believers (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), but also for the church as His body and bride (Ephesians 5:25-26; Revelation 5:9-10). We are His people. We belong to Him.

The church is supposed to be Christ’s body (Ephesians 1:22-23). Christ is the head of the church. As the body obeys the direction of the head, the church is supposed to submit to the authority of Christ in everything (Ephesians 5:23-24).

“For a church to grow, everyone must agree that the church belongs to Christ and to Christ alone.”

This idea is expressed in article VI of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. Even when a church makes decisions through the leadership of pastors/elders and deacons and through the voting of members, it is all supposed to be “under the Lordship of Christ” and “governed by His laws.” Different ideas of church polity (like congregational rule or elder rule), no matter how biblical, are only the means by which the church listens to and obeys the will of Christ.

Just because this is America, it does not mean your church should be a democracy or even a democratic republic. Your church should be an absolute monarchy. Your church should determine to obey the will of Christ alone. Yes, you should seek to have the most biblical polity possible, but only with the understanding that your polity exists to serve Christ totally and absolutely.

“Your church should determine to obey the will of Christ alone.”

Members should not vote for what they want, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, they should vote for what they believe Christ wants. Church leaders should not lead by their own superior knowledge and wisdom and charisma, rather leaders should lead by pointing the church to the will of Christ.

What does this look like in practice? It begins with teaching the church from Scripture whose church it really is. In committee, planning, and business meetings, pastors, leaders, and key members need to be open about the fact that it is not their church. In key moments of growth and change, there is often nothing more powerful than the pastor/leader saying, “This is not my church. I am not in charge here.” This statement gives the pastor/leader the freedom to further say, “This is not your church either. This is Christ’s church.”

Sometimes loving confrontation is necessary. A key member of the church may actually say the quiet part out loud: “I won’t let this happen at my church.” Such a member will need to be reminded that the church does not belong to them. (“Did you die for this church?”) The church does not even belong to the members collectively. The church belongs solely and completely to Christ.

Once it has been established that the church belongs to Christ, the church can move on to the question that should lie at the heart of every meeting and decision: “What does Christ want from our church?” The church may need a refresher from the pastor or other teachers on biblical decision making – the use of prayer, counsel, and Scripture and the way in which your church in its polity seeks the will of Christ together.

The role of Scripture will be taken up in the next installment of this article series.

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