How does a gathering of believers become a local church?
Acts chapter 13 begins, “Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers…”
So, how did this church begin?
Acts 11:20-21 says it began with the preaching of the Lord Jesus and people believing. When the church in Jerusalem heard of the new believers, they sent Barnabas, who in turn found Saul of Tarsus, and together they taught the “church” for a whole year (Acts 11:26). Something happened between v.19 and v.26 of Acts chapter 11. A casual reading of the passage does not reveal the transition from the evangelistic endeavour of the scattered believers from Jerusalem to a fully functioning church that is ready to replicate the process by the time we reach Acts 13.
Missionary journeys of Paul remain a good resource for us to identify these transition points.
Francis A. Schaeffer, in his article Form and Freedom in the Church, quoting Acts 16:4-5, reminds us that “Throughout Paul’s missionary journey we see a stress on the formation of churches….as the missionary journey progressed, once more individuals were brought to salvation, but they soon joined together in a specific, observable structure, an organization with form.”
Paul’s missionary endeavours were leading to intentional church plants, and we are interested in the how. However, nowhere in the New Testament do we read, say, a five-step process for planting a church. It is clear that its audience neither needed a definition nor an introduction to what constituted a local church. These were written to existing churches not as IKEA’s assembly manuals but as further didache. Our work therefore will need some digging and discerning in understanding how a bible study group intentionally grows into a local church.
Definition Of A Local Church
It may be good to begin with some popular definitions, and answer some questions as we clarify the biblical understanding of a local church.
The New Testament word translated into English as “church” (ekklesia) means assembly, and the New Testament envisions two kinds of assemblies: one in heaven and many on earth.
These two kinds are the universal and local church, respectively. To become a Christian is to become a member of the universal church, whereby God raises us with Christ and seats us in the heavenly place. Yet membership in the heavenly assembly must “show up” on earth.
Here are a few definitions for the local church:
Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum[1], a leading expert in Messianic Judaic theology, defines a local church as,
“… a group of professing believers in the Messiah who have been baptised and have organised themselves under the leadership of elders and deacons for the purpose of carrying out the Great Commission; for conducting the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper; for building up of the body through the worship of God, the fellowship of believers, the teaching of the Word, and the exercise of spiritual gifts.”
Mack Stiles[2], 9 Marks:
The church is the God-ordained local assembly of believers who have committed themselves to each other. They gather regularly, they teach the Word, celebrate communion and baptism, discipline their members, establish a biblical structure of leadership, they pray and give together. Certainly the church may do more, but it is not less than this.
Salvation is individual, but not individualistic. People cannot become Christians except one at a time, and yet our salvation is not solitary. God’s people are called together in community. Hence, at Antioch, individual Christians are not now acting individualistically; they are acting as a unit.
Here are some answers to commonly asked questions.
Q: Do “Two Or Three Gathered In My Name” Make A Church?
No! Whatever the definition used to explain the biblical idea of a local church, one thing becomes clear: a local church is much more than merely “where two or three are gathered” (cf. Matthew 18:20). Though the context in Matthew is that of a church, we cannot backtrack to fit the definition. If the Lord’s presence among His saints is all it takes for a group to be a church, it will raise at least two issues.
One, Christian ministries or ordinary bible study groups (both insisting they are not a church) cannot claim to have the presence of the Lord in their midst or in the work they do.
Second, Christian families with more than two or three should technically be considered a local church. However, we do not find such a pattern in the Bible.
The oft-quoted passage refers not to the gathering of two or three random believers who become a church, but two or three who are part of an existing local church who meet to achieve a specific church function. In this case, church discipline. The issue here is that of the quorum rather than a standard definition for a local church.
Q: Is The Geographical Location Or A Building Site The Local Church?
No! Francis Schaffer, in his article The Formation of Local Churches, draws out from various passages, “The central fact is that the early concept of the church had no connection with a church building. The church was something else: a group of Christians drawn together by the Holy Spirit in a place where they worked together in a certain form, a form which we will examine as we go now through various verses in the New Testament.”
The church is thus not the church building. It is the people who constitute the local church.
Q: Do Christian Ministries Make A Local Church?
Cru? Inter-Varsity chapters? Navigator groups? Youth for Christ? AWANA? BSF? Is each of their groups a local church?
No! These ministries are often vital to the local church and useful in invigorating those who participate, but they can never replace the local church. In fact, these ministries often advise their members not to be content merely with the ministry meetings but to be active members of a local church.
Q: Does Meeting On The Lord’s Day (Sunday) Define A Local Church?
Jews and Muslims have a specific day; is that so for the Christians?
It is true that we have examples in the New Testament. Acts 20, for example, the church met on a Sunday. Jesus revealed Himself on a Sunday. It is the day of resurrection. It is a good day to meet, and it appears through history that the church met on a Sunday. However, there is no indication in the Bible that it is prescriptive rather than it being a precedent.
How Does A Fully Functioning Local Church Look?
As we begin to identify what makes a gathering a local church, we must consider some grounding criteria collected from related reading.
Jeff Reed in his speech titled Paul’s Concept of Establishing, given at a BILD International Conference in 1991, said, “Paul gave us some patterns, some prototypes, and some principles that are to undergird our strategies as we move from century to century.”
We will reference the eight norms as laid out by Francis Schaeffer but provide additional pointers so that we can have…“a biblical understanding of Paul’s definition of a local church, including how a gathering of believers becomes a local church.”
THE EIGHT CORE REQUIREMENTS OF A LOCAL CHURCH. FRANCIS SCHAEFFER. FORM & FREEDOM.
1. Churches Are Made Up Of Christians
This appears to be a moot point. Here are some distinctions.
Local Church Is Simple: The church is often given an aura of a mystical grand institution that is aloof, indifferent, and academic. However, in reality, it is simply where the people of God live their lives as a spiritual community.
Local Church Is Visible: Often there is confusion between the universal church and the local church, particularly with regard to its individual functions. For example, Wayne Grudem, in his succinct and rather simplistic definition, wrote, “The church is the community of all true believers for all time.” It does not draw out the distinction between the two.
Francis A. Schaeffer, in his article, Form and Freedom in the Church, points out from Matthew 18:17 that the church, “invisible” and “universal,” must also be “visible” and “geographical”.
He points out, “It would be meaningless to command to bring before the invisible church a brother in Christ with whom we have had a difference.” This visibility of the local church is also clearly seen in the book of Acts.
Imageries For A Church Are Relevant To The Local Church: Three of the common imageries found in the New Testament for a church are head, household and bride. These images provide good fodder in differentiating a local church from that of a gathering of believers. Using the imagery, we can ask some clarifying questions.
Christ is the head of the church (Ephesians 1:10; 4:15) and Christians are called the body. Ask, “Does the local gathering of God’s people function as a body of Christ with its roles and responsibilities?”
Household is a dominant metaphor for the church in the New Testament. Ask, “Does the local gathering of the believers function as a family, or as a family of families, consistently and over time?”
The church is also referred to as the Bride of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:32; Revelation 19:7; 21:9). Ask, “Does the local gathering of the believers together bear witness to her bridegroom in its anticipation and preparation for His soon coming?”
2. Congregations Met Together In A Special Way
As we saw, it is not the day that matters as much as the who or in whose name they meet.
From Acts 20:7 it appears that the church in Troas met in the evening. Eutychus was possibly exhausted at the end of the workday as Paul spoke until midnight (v.7). Thus neither the time of the day nor the length of the sermon is intended as normative for the local churches.
Local Church Is Intentional: There is intentionality. Small Bible study groups do not evolve into a church automatically. It takes intent to establish a local church. Intent triggers planned structure and form, and these can be gleaned from the New Testament.
Francis A. Schaeffer, in his article, Form and Freedom in the Church, wrote, “In a sense we have a complete picture of what the local church ought to be: Individuals were becoming Christians, but not individualistic ones; the congregation covered the full spectrum of the society; the members were all tellers, not only at home but abroad. And when the Holy Spirit said that Barnabas and Saul should be sent on the first missionary journey, the members did not function only as individual Christians, but as a unit, as a church.”
Calling Yourself A Church Doesn’t Make You One: There are many gatherings in North America that call themselves a church; however, they certainly are not a church.
Theologian Everett Ferguson writes that the assemblies of our churches “are a time for distinctively Christian activities.” A church “will manifest itself and its presence in other ways, but when it comes together ‘as a church’ it will especially express its nature and its concerns.”
3. Church Officers (Elders) Who Have The Responsibility For The Local Churches
Paul in his missionary journeys did not merely share the gospel or simply gather them to teach the Word of God systematically; he established churches and appointed elders over them. We read in Acts 14:23. “And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.”
In Crete, Paul leaves behind Titus so that he can complete the work – of establishing the local church. Titus 1:5. This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you–
These elders had specific responsibilities. In Acts 20:17-37, as Paul bids his farewell to the elders at the church in Ephesus, he gives them a double charge. One, watching — being on guard against wolves. These are teachers who bring in false teaching. Second, teaching — Feeding the flock with the right teaching.
Paul implies in 1 Timothy 5:17 that there were two kinds of elders: “Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in the word and doctrine.”
Thus, local churches are where leadership structure and roles are clearly seen.
4. Deacons Responsible For The Community Of The Church In The Area Of Material Things
A local church will have responsible brothers. They have the responsibility of community care and the administrative areas of the church. For example, finance, maintenance, delegated ministries, etc.
This office reveals a formalized structure for the functioning and administration of the church.
5. Church Discipline For The Purity Of Life & Doctrine Of The Local Church
As Francis Schaeffer puts it, “There is to be a sharp edge. There is to be a distinction between one side and the other — between the world and the church, and between those who are in the church and those who are not.”
1 Corinthians 5:1-5 is one example among many which calls for careful discipline based on the principle of the purity of the visible church in doctrine and in life. A church that does not have discipline in life and doctrine is one that is not a New Testament church on the basis of what is seen as the New Testament norms.
6. Qualifications For Office
Not only does the Bible set forth the offices of the church, but it also describes the kind of men who should hold these offices. The qualifications for elders and deacons are given in two places — 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:5-9. These list the expected character of the elders and deacons.
Local churches have elders who are both qualified and appointed.
7. A Form Or Procedure For The Functioning Of The Local Church
If we look at the first church council in Acts 15, we see a form of church conduct.
Representatives from individual churches at a time of real crisis met together in Jerusalem to arrive biblically at how a man is to be saved (Acts 15:1). First of all, there was discussion (verses 7-12) by Peter and then by Barnabas and Paul. It would seem from the 13th verse that a kind of moderator is also present here: “And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me.” Somebody–James, the half-brother of Christ, then draws the discussion together and relates it to Scripture (verses 15-17). The basis of the church decision can be attributed to the church’s authority in this matter.
The solution was not merely something they generated out of themselves. It was rooted in Old Testament Scripture, in this case, Amos. James quotes, “After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: that the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things [or who maketh these things of old].”
So here we find a meeting, a moderator, an appeal to Scripture and a conclusion.
Local Church Is Applicable Universally: When using form and structure to define a local church, it is important to keep adaptability across geographical areas in the functioning.
In the book of Acts, according to the Apostles, there are certain practices that are normative to every church and some that are unique to a particular location. It is important that the local church is defined by what is normative, not what is specific.
A culturally defined church would be totally alien and, in some cases, offensive to another cultural context.
8. The Ordinances Or Sacraments Are Practiced
The two ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper are practiced regularly by the local church.
Just as members of the Abrahamic covenant were marked off by circumcision, and members of the Mosaic covenant by Sabbath-keeping, so members of the new covenant are marked off by the initiating oath-sign of baptism and the ongoing oath-sign of the Lord’s Supper. This is why Jesus tells his disciples to baptize people “into the name” of Father, Son, and Spirit. Also, baptisms might not always occur in the context of a church. Exceptions do exist. For example, in Acts 8, Phillip baptized the Ethiopian eunuch in the middle of a desert with no church gathering present.
SO THE CHURCH IS ALL THESE EIGHT AND LOT MORE …OR, IS IT A LOT LESS?
It should be noted that these eight (as laid out by Francis Schaeffer) are neither the essentials nor are they exhaustive. It may be that some local churches lack some of these eight norms, like the one in Crete (Titus 1:5). While at the same time possessing a lot more, like:
- taking collections for charitable causes (1 Cor. 8)
- sending missionaries (Acts 13)
- enjoying fellowship as members (Acts 2:42)
- singing and exhorting (Col. 3:15)
- using the Holy Spirit-given gifts to mutual benefit (Eph.4)
- Exercising the function of priesthood (1 Corinthians 16:1-2; 2 Corinthians 8:1-15; Philippians 4:18)
- Praying corporately as a local body (Acts 2:42; Hebrews 13:15)
- Making disciples (Matthew 28:18-20)
- Building up the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-16)
- Doing good in the world, especially to those of the household of faith (Galatians 6:10)
- Showing the love of Christ so that the world can see this (Revelation 2:4-5)
- Glorifying God in the ministry at the local church (Romans 15:6; Ephesians 3:21; 1 Peter 4:11).
- …and more.
Therefore, in defining a local church according to Paul, we can say:
“A New Testament Local Church Is . . . . ”
A gathering that satisfies three categories in varying degrees. The three categories being theological, functional and structural. Varying degrees because each church is on a journey “until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).
Consider the definition of the local church as on a journey.
Different local churches may be at different stages of the journey in their sophistication of form and function. What impacts the progress in the journey are variables like the context of the church plant, age of the gathering, spiritual maturity of believers, biblical knowledge of the group, etc.
In the final analysis, these gatherings have the legitimacy of being called a local church as they meet these minimum criteria.
- THEOLOGICALLY:
…composed only of true believers or disciples of Jesus Christ
- “children of God by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal. 3:26).
- Baptized and committed to the local church (Acts 2:1-47; Matthew 28:19)
- “not ashamed of the gospel” (Rom. 1:16).
…based on the Bible, which it holds as authoritative and complete.
- The Word of God is the only infallible statement of Christian faith and practice (2 Tim. 3:16).
- It is the basis of settling disputes and getting directives for the assembly. (2 Tim. 2:25)
…led by the Holy Spirit, who represents Christ on earth.
- His power is the only power for worship, ministry, or evangelism. (Acts 1:8)
- The Spirit directs the saints in the church meetings (1 Cor. 12 & 14).
- FUNCTIONALLY:
…gather to fulfill the main functions or activities as seen in Acts 2:42-47; Matthew 18:19.
- Gather not merely physically or geographically once a week but also as a community through the week. Rather than “coming to a church,” they are “being the church”.
Five basic functions from Acts 2:42 that a local church will demonstrate to some extent are:
- A: APOSTOLIC TEACHING.
- “Hold fast the form (pattern) of sound words, which thou hast heard of me” (2 Tim. 1:13).
- B: BREAKING OF BREAD
- (Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:19-20 and 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
- The ordinances of believer’s baptism and regular communion are practiced (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts)
- C: COMMUNION
This includes levels of
- Hospitality: Hebrews 13:2; 1 Peter 4:9; Titus 1:8
- Sharing of resources: Hebrews 13:16; Acts 4:32; James 2:14-17
- Collection for the saints: 1 Corinthians 16:1-2; 2 Corinthians 9:6-8
- A ministry of reconciliation: 2Cor. 5:18–20.
- Church discipline: Mutual accountability. (Matthew 18:20)
- D: DEVOTION TO PRAYER
- Acts provides many examples of how the church came together frequently to pray.
- (Romans 15:30; Romans 15:31-32; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 11:25-28; 2 Thessalonians 3:2; 2 Corinthians 1:10-11).
- E: EVANGELISM.
- People were “added,” not through the inaction of the people.
- Sending missionaries and help (Acts 13:1-3; Acts 11:30; Matt. 28:18)
Acts 2:42, 47 to represent the local church on the palm of our hand.
- STRUCTURALLY
…equipping the believers so that they are built up in the body of Christ.
- So that believers can become mature men, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:11:13).
- the exercise of your gift for the upbuilding of others (1 Pet. 4:10),
- submitting to one another, especially in obedience to the elders (Heb. 13:17),
…led by elders who oversee the church
- Who are biblically qualified (1 Tim 3:1-7; Titus 1:1-9)
- Guard themselves and the flock of God Acts 20:27.
- Speak God’s message ( Hebrews 13:7).
- Labor, preside and admonish the flock. (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13)
- Pray and practically support (James 5:14)
…Where there is no difference in value between men and women, only distinct roles.
- The work of Christ has removed all human distinctions of privilege (Gal. 3:28).
- Every believer, whether male or female, is a priest to God (Heb. 13:15).
- As holy priests (1 Pet. 2:5) and royal priests (1 Pet. 2:9)
As they come intentionally to be a local church, they begin to demonstrate these above traits to various degrees of sophistication. The Lord Himself is the one who builds the church, and it is made visible through people gathering intentionally to be a local church.
[1]https://faithequip.org/the-local-church/#:~:text=Arnold%20Fruchtenbaum%20defines%20a%20local,and%20the%20Lord’s%20Supper%3B%20for
[2] 9 Marks online article, “Nine Marks of a Healthy Parachurch Ministry
