In Revelation 2 and 3 we read of seven letters given to seven local churches. We see seven independent churches answerable only to the Lord Jesus Christ and those seven churches receiving instructions and guidance from the Lord. This passage is part of the scriptural basis for local churches being independent of each other and free from State control. GEFC is an example of such a church.
A church is a group of believers in Jesus Christ, associated together under Christ for His purposes. It is organized in accordance with Bible teaching and will be recognized by other Bible believing churches as a local church.
The English word church is derived from a Greek word meaning 'belonging to the Lord'. The church therefore is people NOT the building. Although the building on Magnolia Drive is usually referred to as 'the church' strictly speaking that is not true.
"The local church is the special institution that Almighty God has created in this wicked and rebellious world to glorify our Lord Jesus Christ."
(Nigel Lacey, God's Plan for the Local Church)
The New Testament speaks of the church of God at Corinth (1 Corinthians 1 v 2) and the church of God at Antioch (Acts 13 v 1). The local church is therefore a present day manifestation of the universal church of which all Christians are members.
The elements that make up a biblically based local church include the following:
The term Evangelical refers to:
Free is a term that historically has designated a church as being one that was not a state-controlled church. Today it also refers to the way that the church is governed.
The church membership at Greenstead is involved in the decision-making process. This is pattern we find in the early church in the Bible. All members vote on major decisions such as:
Day to day authority for running the church is in the hands of the elders (spiritual matters) and deacons (more practical matters). See 1 Timothy 3 vv 1-13. Each member voluntarily submits to this authority when they become a member.
We raise this question because GEFC belongs to the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Free Churches. Independent means unattached, non-denominational. It means that the church is not part of a denomination (such as The Baptist Union of Churches) and is independent in that the church is self-governing. In practice this means that the elders of the church are answerable directly to the head of the Church (the Lord Jesus) and not a higher official outside the church, like a bishop. See Acts 20 vv 17-32.
GEFC is therefore not part of a denomination and no outside religious body or outside person has any authority over the church (except that, as a community of law-abiding citizens, the church accepts the authority of the Government unless the Government insists on action contrary to the Bible).
The Church of England is the state church of our country. The supreme governor of the Church of England is Her Majesty the Queen. Churches are grouped into a diocese, which is under the authority of a bishop. The bishops in turn are under the authority of an Archbishop. This is called the Episcopal form of church government.
A Presbyterian church will be ruled by elders (either teaching elders called Ministers or ruling elders). Some of the elders from each church will serve on a presbytery, which is the governing body that covers a group of local churches.
A Baptist church will insist on believers' baptism prior to church membership and sometimes limit communion to those who have been through believers' baptism. They therefore would not accept into membership those who had been baptized as infants and hold to the paedo-baptist position (such as Free Presbyterians).
Although GEFC believes and teaches adult baptism, it would not deny church membership to a Christian who sincerely believed in paedo-baptism and could support their position from the scriptures. Also the church does not make baptism a condition of receiving communion although it does not offer the elements to children and young people known to the church who are not yet baptized.
The following quote from E. J. Poole-Connor's book 'Evangelical Unity' helps sum up the independent evangelical free church position:
"On a basis of belief common to conservative Evangelicals it (a free church) welcomes to its fellowship all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. It necessarily adopts a certain form of church government; but it does not insist that it is the only one that has scriptural warrant. It may administer baptism in a certain mode but it makes it no obligation of membership, or of communion at the Lord's Table. It endeavours to make practical the principle of receiving the Lord’s people because the Lord has received them."
E. J. Poole-Connor was the founder of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches of which GEFC is a member.
If you have any questions, please feel free to send us an email.