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From the
Manse February 2003
In Acts 6 the apostles summoned ‘all the disciples’ (v2) to discuss the problem of caring for widows in the church. The apostles urged the members of the church to appoint men “full of the Spirit and wisdom” to sort out that practical problem. In Matthew 18, the Lord Jesus talked about situations where one believer wrongs another. If such situations cannot be resolved privately, then two or three witnesses (presumably church-leaders) must be brought in. If it’s not resolved then, the matter must be reported to the church and the church must deal with the wrong-doer (v17). In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul tells the church how to handle a difficult discipline case. “When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of the Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan..” (v 4-5). The whole church must be present to carry out this solemn act of discipline. In all these cases, leaders took the initiative and made proposals. But the whole church met to give approval to what the leaders proposed, and to carry it through. And Paul emphasises that when the church assembles to carry out such business, the power of the Lord Jesus himself will be present. Under our church constitution, we have to hold a church business meeting at least once every six months. We can hold meetings more often. In fact, any of the elders or any six of the members can call a business meeting providing that they give enough notice. But in practice, we’ve usually only held two business meetings a year. At a recent office-bearers’ meeting, we agreed that we would like to try an experiment. Rather than waiting six months between business meetings, we would like to hold a short business meeting every month. There are often things we need to consult the church about which can’t wait six months. And church members shouldn’t have to wait six months to bring up any pressing concerns they may have. And of course when we do hold a business meeting after a six month gap, there are usually so many things to discuss that we have to rush through them all without much thought or prayer. So this is what we’re planning. On the last Wednesday of each month, we’ll set the last forty-five minutes of our midweek meeting apart to discuss matters of church business and to pray about them. The first part of the meeting will be unchanged - we’ll have a short Bible-study and break bread together. Then any non-members who are present can leave, and the business meeting can begin. We won’t try to deal with all the ongoing business of the church - just the matters that are pressing that month. So for example, we won’t go through the church accounts every time. So in any month, there may only be one or two items on the agenda, but we’ll be able to give them the time they need. And we’ll be able to pray about them together. Church members will know in advance what we’re discussing because the agenda will be given out a week ahead. And we’ll still have a full-length meeting twice a year where the church accounts and other matters can be dealt with. How should we approach business meetings - short or long? Here are some wise words from Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones. “Anything done in God’s name and for God’s sake, and for God’s cause includes the element of worship..” He went on to speak of Christians who “in a prayer meeting.. feel that they are ‘worshipping God’, and they are full of reverence, but when it is a church meeting, a ‘business’ meeting, dealing merely with the business of the church, suddenly they become entirely different people. The aspect of awe and of praise, and of doing service in the presence of God and for God, seems to have been forgotten. The same people! As if the service for God, when they decide how to keep the building in good order, and various other matters, is somehow different from the service of God in preaching or in praying. That is an utterly false distinction”. Business meetings should be marked by the same sense of awe and praise as any other meeting of the church. As the Doctor says, we are doing business ‘in God’s name and for God’s sake, and for God’s cause’. And the Lord Jesus himself is present. If we honour Him and seek His wisdom and listen to His Word, we will be given His wisdom - the wisdom that “is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17). The reason we have church business meetings is not so that we can all say what we think. It is so that we can ask together what Christ thinks. After one crucial ‘business meeting’ in the church in Jerusalem, at which a most controversial issue was discussed, the church was able to write a letter to explain what had been decided. They reported their decision in these words: “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us..” (Acts 15:28). They were confident that in that meeting they had discovered what the Holy Spirit wanted them to do. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could say such words at the end of every business meeting? God grant that it may be so. Every blessing to you all, Stephen |
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