LOCAL CHURCH, ORDINANCES, AUTHORITY, & PARA-CHURCH MINISTRIES…

Written by Zhey Chua |Posted on October 12, 2009 | Comments

(A Feature article from Ed Franklin of The Word of God Is Not Bound)

A friend and brother is leading a Bible study which, if God wills, might turn into a house church some day. Already he is up against an old question. He has a new convert who either is or soon will be a candidate for baptism. He asks “Should I baptize him, or call the pastor of some church?”

One of my weakest links to the Baptist world, I am told, is that I am “weak” on the local church. Well, maybe; I certainly am not a Baptist-brider or Landmarker. Otherwise, I think I have a Biblical stance on the local assembly. My problems seem to arise when the local church is not doing the job, and certain ministries then are forced outside the structure.

I don’t think para-church or “lone ranger” ministries should exist but I lead one. How is that? Because in the years I’ve been involved in prison ministry, I’ve never had “my” church, the local assembly to which I belong, take more than a nominal interest. “Prison ministry, huh? That’s nice……those people really need it!” (Read between the lines: Just don’t bring any of them in here!……lol)

So, there I am……along with the other guys who do what I do. We see men converted and come under conviction about the necessity of water baptism. What are we to do? Tell them: Well, when you get out (in 2027 or never….) you can join a local church and they will baptize you? No. When I am convinced by their testimony and life-style that they are genuine candidates for baptism, I baptize them.

I have heard that I do not have the “authority” I am convinced that I have the same “authority” that Philip had in Acts 8. I have been asked: What church do you baptize them into?….(the church I belong to) ? No. They become members of whatever local church that Ethiopian eunuch became a member of……(For the record, though I am not a pastor, I was ordained to the Gospel ministry (an elder) by a SBC in 1979 and have in the past served as pastor in several churches. I’m not sure that makes any difference, however)

I get the same complaints because I serve the Lord’s Supper to these inmate congregations. In reality, I am a “close communion” maybe even a “closed communion” type of guy, but that is not practical under the conditions I’m talking about. Those inmate gatherings are not a local church; I am not their pastor. So, are we to forbid them the blessing of partaking the Lord’s Supper. I say NO! We seem not to hesitate when it comes to carrying the elements to an aging member in the nursing home or in a hospital…so, once again we seem hung up on the “membership” issue.

One thing is for certain, I’ll answer to God for practicing these ordinances. I am not convinced that I have another “authority” to answer to in the interim.