TOPIC #4: THE CHURCH

The word "Church" as it is used in common everyday conversation, can refer to several different things:

1. A building used for public Christian worship.

2. An organized Christian society of any time, place, or distinguishing principle: e.g. the early church, the Church of Scotland, reformed church, the Presbyterian Church in Canada, St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, Mission.

3. All Christians of all times, places, and persuasions, including dead Christians (the Church Invisible - see Hebrews 12:1 - "a cloud of witnesses"), and living Christians (the Church Visible). The idea of both living and dead Christians forming the Church universal is called "the Communion of Saints" (see the Apostles' Creed).

A. A DEFINITION OF THE CHURCH

The word "church" comes to us through German and Latin, from the Greek word "kuriakon" or "that which belongs to the Lord". In the New Testament, the Greek word "ecclesia" is usually translated "church", but it signifies merely a group of people called together for any reason, sacred or secular. Working from this basic word, the Church may be defined as "Christ together with the assembly of those He has called to worship and serve Him". The call in which Christ chooses us to be His disciples is simultaneously a call to be in His Church. If one's call to be a disciple does not include also the call to be in the Church, one has not truly heard Christ's call. Scripture uses over 100 expressions, pictures and images to elaborate the concept of the church, some of which are:

1. The Body of Christ

As we read Romans 12:3-5, 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, and Ephesians 4:12-16, we see that Christ is the Head, and Christians are members of His Body. Each member has a different place and function, and accordingly is given different spiritual gifts. But each individual's functions are all co-ordinated into a unified effort by Christ the Head. We should feel an affinity (closeness) to other Christians because we are members of the same Body.

2. The Bride of Christ

No other religion speaks of its Founder living in His followers, and they in Him, as Jesus spoke in John 15:4. The closest earthly model of the intimacy of this relationship is that between husband and wife. Ephesians 5:22-32 points out that our duty to Christ is to submit to Him, as a wife to her husband.

3. The Branches of the Vine

In John 15:1-10, Jesus tells us that it is impossible for us, the branches, to exist except in vital connection with Him, the life-giving Vine.

4. Citizens of Heaven

According to Philippians 3:20 and Colossians 1:13, "our citizenship is in heaven", because God "has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated (transferred) us into the kingdom of the Son of His love". Jesus is our King, so this world is not our country. Christians should feel as much estrangement from the world as a Scotsman would feel in Japan. Christians should have more affinity for other Christians than a Scotsman in Japan would feel for another Scotsman in Japan.

5. The Children of God

Romans 8:15-16 tells us that we "received the Spirit of adoption... (who) bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God", because, as John 1:12 says, "as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God". Before we receive Jesus, we are creatures of God, but not children of God, because Adam sinned. When we receive the Spirit of the Son, we are adopted as children of God and new members of God's family. We should feel close to other Christians because we are brothers and sisters in Christ.

6. Soldiers of Christ

We are the Church Militant, warring against evil (Ephesians 6:10-18). No soldier can win alone; we must fight together to defeat Satan.

The Church is made up of sinners! This lofty language about the Church doesn't compare with the sinful church struggling with its problems. If the Apostle Paul were writing to a congregation today, he would probably write much as he did in 1 & 2 Corinthians. The Church at Corinth was full of problems. But Christ's purpose is for man, and He has chosen man, with all his imperfections, to fulfill His purpose here on earth. He has no other plans.

B. THE SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY (His Story)

1. The Early Church

The Church began at Pentecost and was characterized by explosive growth. At first, most Christians were born Jews, and it was only after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., that Christianity began to be a separate religion. Persecution by Jews in Palestine scattered believers, who started churches wherever they went, and the work of the Apostle Paul spread the church even further. However, Christianity ran into conflict with the Roman Empire as Christians refused to worship the Emperor. Slanderous rumours abounded, and persecution of Christians prevailed. Nero blamed Christians for the burning of Rome in 67 A.D. But persecution only stimulated the Church. The two worst persecutions were from 250-260, under Emperors Decius and Valerian, and in 303 under Diocletian, when thousands of Christians were put to death for refusing to participate in rituals honouring the Emperor. Meanwhile, missionaries spread the faith through the Roman Empire, reaching Britain before 314. The pattern of missionary activity shaped the organization of the church, as well. The church in the main city of a region would send out missionaries to the smaller cities of the region, who in turn sent out missionaries to the small towns and villages nearby. Each missionary was responsible to the person who sent him out. With this pattern firmly in place, the "hierarchy" of the church developed, with priests in the towns, bishops in the smaller cities, and archbishops in the regional centers. The archbishop in Rome, the capital of the Empire, became recognized as the leader of the whole church as well, and became known as the Pope or pontiff.

2. State Religion

Emperor Constantine gave Christians freedom of religion by the Edict of Milan in 313. A two-year promotion of paganism under Julian the Apostate in 361-363, proved futile, and by 392, the policy of the Empire was to suppress paganism. With "establishment" or official acceptance of Christianity as the state religion, the Church lost its outside enemies to focus its spiritual warfare, and, as always happens, this led to decay, internal dissension, and heresy. Arius refused to accept the full divinity of Jesus Christ, so the Council of Nicea (in Asia Minor), was called in 325, and it rejected Arianism as heresy, and formulated the Nicene Creed. In response to these internal threats, the early "Church Fathers" wrote volumes of formulated Christian theology, among them, Athanasius, Ambrose, Gregory the Great, and Augustine (354-430).

3. The Dark Ages

Meanwhile, the Roman Empire itself was weakening, and invasions from the north by barbarians led to the fall of Rome under the Goths in 410. Successive waves of Germanic invaders, Huns, Slavs, Bulgars, Magyars and Vikings, occupied territory within the former Empire and weakened it further, but were all Christianized and civilized through the efforts of the missionaries. Patrick (died 461), turned Ireland to Christianity, and from there, for 500 years, missionaries were sent to Scotland, northern England, and Europe. Of these Irish missionaries, Willibrod (died 734) worked in Frisia. Boniface (died 754) was the Pope's missionary to the Germanic peoples. By the year 1000, all the peoples that the Roman Empire had encountered on its frontiers were within the bounds of Christendom. During these times of low civilization, one of the institutions that saved the church from loss was monasticism. As early as the third century, monasteries were built in the deserts of Egypt, as Christians retired from active society for devotion to prayer, in response to the declining moral character of the church, following mass conversions to the new state religion. Basil of Caesarea (died 379) established an early "rule" for monks in Asia Minor, which was followed in the East. Later, Benedict (died 555) drew up a new rule which lasted 1000 years in the West. Through the Dark Ages, often the only educated people were monks, and they preserved the Scriptures by hand-copying them, as well as the works of ancient authors.

4. The Middle Ages

In 800, Charlemagne, King of the Franks (France), was crowned the first Holy Roman Emperor. He wanted a civilization guided by Christian principles and Roman government order, so he fostered monastery schools and scholars, and promoted the concept of Christendom, a unified area where the authority of the church and the state went hand in hand. But the alliance was far from harmonious, especially as over the centuries popes and kings clashed in violent struggles for power. Medieval culture began to flower as the invasions gave way to stability. Gothic cathedrals with their distinctive art and sculpture, designed to communicate the gospel truths to the illiterate masses, still stand as monuments of the age. Intellectual development under the monk Erigena (died 877), Anselm of Canterbury (died 1109), and Thomas Aquinas (died 1274), made use of the ancient philosophies of Aristotle and Plato, in rethinking the Christian faith, and thereby changed the course of Christian theology.

In the 800's, after Charlemagne revived the Roman Empire, schism (division) began to separate the Church at Rome and at Constantinople (the continuing capital of the eastern half of the former Roman Empire). Finally in 1054, doctrinal disputes, difference in ceremonies, culture and language, brought about the separation of the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church (in the west part of Europe).

5. Preparation for Reformation

The schism of the Eastern and Roman Churches served to further weaken the influence of the Roman papacy, already weakened in prestige and moral character, and to prepare the way for Reformation. The universal Roman language of Latin was still used by the Roman Catholic Church, even though over years of illiteracy, Latin had been transformed into the Romance languages (French, Spanish, Italian, etc.) in the various areas. Europe was fragmented by language and cultural differences, and growing nationalism (interest in one's own country), further diminished the Pope's influence over Europe. Although there were frequent revivals among monks, and the development of the Friars (brothers), under Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) and Dominic (11170-1221), the medieval system gradually lost its vigour. The people became disillusioned with the decayed moral standards of the clergy, as celibate (unmarried) priests and bishops passed on their positions to their sons. Graft and misappropriation of donated money was common. Growing scholarship enabled some alert men to read the Bible for themselves and to identify some beliefs of the Church as unscriptural, such as the veneration of the Virgin Mary, and the belief in purgatory, a sort of pre-heaven punishment for sin. Money could be paid to buy an "indulgence" which would release a person from penance (punishment for a sin imposed by the priest), or from purgatory (either for oneself or a loved one already dead). In this degenerating climate, critics of the Church became more and more vocal and persistent.

6. The Pre-Reformation

In 1173, Peter Waldo, a wealthy merchant of Lyon, France, gave away his fortune and began preaching a message of poverty and religious devotion. Denying the Pope's authority, and the existence of purgatory, his followers, the Waldenses, were excommunicated in 1184. Similarly, some priests and monks advocated a return to the Bible as a standard of faith, rather than the Church or the Pope. Translations of the Bible into the language of the people began to appear. The first English translation was made in 1382 by the priest John Wycliffe. His followers, the Lollards, were severely persecuted by the Church leaders they threatened by their teachings. This first great English reformer influenced John Huss of Bohemia, who attacked the practice of selling indulgences, questioned the authority of the pope (there were actually three popes in 1409, because of a confused papal election), and was excommunicated in 1412. He was condemned by the Council of Constance, and burned at the stake in 1414, even though he had been promised safety.

7. The Reformation

The event that brought the Reformation to Germany took place on October 31st, 1517, when Martin Luther, an Augustine monk and Roman Catholic priest, posted on the Church door at Wittenberg, a set of 95 Theses (propositions), attacking the system of indulgences. His study of Scripture showed clearly that the forgiveness of God is a gift of His grace, not a result of good works. Despite opposition from the Pope, and the Diet (council) of Worms in 1521, Luther had protection from the state, which was also seeking independence from Rome, and the Reformation spread, reaching almost half of Europe by about 1550. The countries closer to Rome geographically, tended to retain their ties to the Pope. Protestantism developed as a series of semi-independent religious movements which all rejected the authority of the Pope.

Cultural, geographic, political, and religious differences resulted in many divisions of the Protestant movement. There were four main ones during the 1500's: Lutheran, Reformed (Presbyterian), Anglican (Episcopalian), and Anabaptist (in order of establishment). The Lutheran movement, based on the teachings of Martin Luther, spread through northern Germany and Scandinavia during the 1520's, and in many cases became national established churches. The Reformed or Presbyterian movement came from the teachings of Huldreich Zwingli during the 1520's, who urged reforms more sweeping than Luther's. In the 1530's the French Reformer, John Calvin, combined the ideas of Luther and Zwingli, from his base in Geneva. In England his followers were among the Puritans; in France they were called Huguenots. The Anglican movement came from the English Reformation. It began in 1534 when King Henry VIII had a dispute with the Pope over the dissolution of his marriage, and the King declared his independence from the Pope. The Anglican Church was established with much dispute and bloodshed, as successive monarchs established first the one church and then the other. Queen Elizabeth I in 1559 established the moderate form of Anglicanism that we know today, as the state religion of England. The Anabaptists were smaller groups that differed from both Roman Catholic and major Protestant Churches, believing that others had not reformed sufficiently. These rejected the validity of infant baptism, and believed one must be baptized (or re-baptized) on one's own profession of faith. Among these groups are Hutterites, Mennonites, and Quakers.

8. Further Divisions

From these four main groups have come a multiplicity of other churches, each one founded by an individual or group who disagreed with the thrust of the main body and, feeling there was no hope of reforming it, withdrew and separated. One such group of Puritans (those daring to "purify" the Church) in the late 1500's withdrew from the Anglican Church, and became known first as Separatists, and later as Congregationalists, because they believed in the rights of local congregations. Another group of Separatists took refuge in the Netherlands under John Smyth in the early 1600's. Their views on believers' baptism by immersion caused them to be called Baptists. The Pilgrims, another refugee Separatist group from England, sailed from the Netherlands in 1620, for the colonial Americas. In the early 1700's, John Wesley set out to reform the Anglican Church, with his evangelical doctrines stressing the need for personal religious experience. The Anglican response to his reform was not satisfactory, and he organized the Methodist movement, taking the name from their strict methods of self-discipline in personal piety. The rapid growth of Methodism in England and later in America influenced many other Protestant churches, and many new evangelical denominations were begun besides.

One thing this brief outline shows, is that the present differences between denominations have deep historical roots. The Reformation set the precedent of separation, and the process has continued to this very day, However, a foreign visitor recently remarked on the luxury of having so many churches to choose from. In his country there is only one Protestant church.

9. The Presbyterian Church in Canada

The Presbyterian Church in Canada may be traced to the Reformation in Scotland, which is almost synonymous with the name of John Knox. In 1559 he returned from exile in Switzerland, and sought to spread the Reformed views of John Calvin in his native land. In 1647, the English Parliament called the Westminster Assembly, a council of clergymen, to advise the government on church affairs. The Assembly drafted the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, and a manual for worship. The theology of these documents still remains influential today. Parliamentary acts of 1690 and 1707 established Presbyterianism as the national religion of Scotland. Establishment, however, was a mixed blessing, as major schisms (splits) occurred in the Church of Scotland, over the issue of state control of the Church, in 1733, 1761, and 1843.

Meanwhile, the secessionist and free churches were very active in missionary work among the immigrants streaming into the Maritimes, and Upper and Lower Canada. Each succeeding schism in the Scottish Church produced splits among sympathizers in Canada. Although the Presbyterian missionary impetus and organizational roots are Scottish, Presbyterianism in Canada was a missionary effort among immigrants from all countries. For this reason, and because the issue of state control in Scotland did not apply in Canada, regional union of the multiplicity of Presbyterian bodies was accomplished very easily, and by 1868 there were only four. In 1875, following Confederation, one national Church was formed, the Presbyterian Church in Canada.

In the late 1800's, the ecumenical movement began to gain momentum, and in 1902 negotiations were begun for the merger of the Presbyterian, Methodist, and Congregational churches in Canada. By 1910 a basis of union had been tentatively approved by all three bodies. The First World War interrupted progress until 1921, but in the meantime, opposition to the union had increased to 40% among the Presbyterians. When the union was consummated in 1925, 60-65% went into the United Church, while the minority re-organized as the continuing Presbyterian Church in Canada. Some feared compromise or dilution of the faith expressed in the Westminster Confession; some feared what they perceived as the fervent, "emotional", personal faith of the Methodists. More than 60 years later, what are the differences between the United and Presbyterian churches? The tone of compromise set in the United Church has continued, showing itself in the tolerance for a modernized worship style, and a greater range of theological viewpoints, especially in the liberal end (interpretation of scripture as myth, emphasis on social issues and human sexuality).

C. OUR CHURCH GOVERNMENT

The word "presbyterian" is an adjective referring to a form of church government developed by John Calvin and other Reformers during the 16th century. We believe that this order is based on the Biblical order, but not that it is the only acceptable form. The Church is seen as a community or body, in which only Christ is the King and Head, and all members are equal under Him. "The Priesthood of all believers" means that the ministry is given to the entire church. Ministers are ordained not to a different spiritual status, but to fulfill a particular function. All clergy are therefore equal; there is no higher order or special status (e.g. for Moderators of General Assembly). Ordination may be terminated by death, deposition, or voluntary demission.

In some Presbyterian bodies (as ours), women are eligible for ordination. Only ministers may administer the sacraments, perform ordinations, and serve as "moderators", chairing the four ascending levels of church "courts", or decision-making bodies: Sessions, Presbyteries, Synods and the General Assembly. All but Sessions comprise an equal number of ministers and ruling elders. Decisions are made by majority vote, and are legally binding, but decisions may be appealed to the higher courts. The system has worked well, because court members pray for the Holy Spirit's guidance that their decisions may be in Christ's will.

1. Local congregational government

(a) The Session: On the congregational level there is the Session which is made up of elders (ruling elders) and the minister (teaching elder) who serves as Moderator (chairman). The elders are elected by the members of the congregation. The Session supervises the spiritual life and order of the congregation. It has power to receive, dismiss and discipline members, to determine hours and modes of public worship, to control use of Church premises, and to supervise all groups and organizations in the church. The Session is not responsible to the congregation, but to God, and under Him, to the Presbytery and higher Church courts. Elders are ordained to their offices by the minister. Ordination is for life, but the exercise of the office may be for a term of years.

(b) The Board of Managers: In each congregation, the Board of Managers is charged with raising and spending money, and caring for the church property. The Board is responsible to the Session, and reports to the congregation at the Annual Meeting. Each year, the congregation elects one-third of the Managers to a three-year term.

2. The Presbytery

A Presbytery is formed by all ministers (in pastoral charges or not) of a particular area, together with an equal number of ruling elders (Representative Elders) appointed by the sessions of the area. While only the local congregation has the power to elect ministers, the presbytery must give its approval and install the minister in office. Once installed, the minister may not be dismissed by the people or leave the people without the consent of the presbytery. Ministers are members of the presbytery, not of the congregation where they serve, and are responsible only to the presbytery for what is preached from their pulpit. The presbytery may remove a minister, organize new churches, merge churches, or dissolve congregations, as well. The well-being and vitality of its congregations is the main concern of this court, and every Presbyterian congregation must be under the care and authority of a presbytery. We are in the Presbytery of Westminster, which includes the Lower Mainland and Sunshine Coast. There are 44 presbyteries in the The Presbyterian Church in Canada.

3. The Synod

A Synod is made up of several presbyteries, and is responsible for the good order and effectiveness of presbyteries in a given area. All the members of the presbyteries are also members of their Synod. Synods meet once a year, usually in October, and their jurisdiction is slight, chiefly in co-ordinating church program matters among the Presbyteries (e.g. grants for aid-receiving churches and projects). There are 8 Synods in Canada (the numbers of presbyteries in each are shown in brackets): The Atlantic Provinces (7), Quebec and Eastern Ontario (6), Toronto and Kingston (10), Hamilton and London (8), Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario (3), Saskatchewan (2), Alberta (4), and British Columbia (4).

4. The General Assembly

The highest court is the General Assembly, which meets once a year in the first week of June. The commissioners to General Assembly are one-sixth of the ministers of Presbytery Constituent Rolls, and an equal number of elders. As with other courts, the Moderator is a minister elected by the commissioners, and, strictly speaking, serves only when Assembly meets, and cannot speak for the Church. The Moderator, however, does focus the unity of the denomination and represents the Church on religious and state occasions, in the year following the General Assembly. The General Assembly has charge of all the general concerns of the church's faith, doctrine, order, property, mission, education, and discipline, and is the final court of appeal. These various concerns are handled by agencies elected by the General Assembly: the Assembly Council, the Assembly Office, the Life and Mission Agency, the Service Agency, and several committees, such as History, Church Doctrine, Ecumenical Relations, International Affairs, Theological Education, the Presbyterian Record, and the Pension Board, all of which report directly to the General Assembly.

TOPIC 5. WORSHIP