Cases of Difficulty or Difference

Those words are tantalising, and even confusing, aren’t they?  Especially as those who have been reconciled to the Father through the work of Christ, we would expect more success and pleasure to come our way, especially in the context of the ministry within the local church!  We would expect that our efforts would result in more unity and momentum than we land up experiencing.  In reality though, for all of us, so often, so much of life seems to be made up of “difficulty” and “difference”!

The painful reality experienced by all people everywhere, Christians as well as others, is that as a result of the Fall, our existence seems to be a series of difficulties punctuated by a few joyful successes.  Life in a sin-cursed universe makes us feel out of sync.  Differences exist that cause problems, and disappointingly few things happen without any hitch whatever.  Lest that sound too negative, we rejoice that despite our status as sinners deserving death and destruction, so much actually does go right.  Amidst the pain there are indeed many pleasures!  We deserve nothing, but such is God’s common grace to us.

More specifically, in the “nitty-gritty” realm of reality, even Christians struggle to live together in harmony with one another in the local church.  Because of differences of opinion and expectation, because of sinful pride and lust for power, difficulties are experienced by seemingly well-intentioned brothers and sisters in Christ.  Consequently, painful and sordid sagas develop between pastor and flock, or between fellow-leaders within the flock, or between members of the flock.  It is precisely for this reason that our Sola 5 Constitution addresses the matter.

Sadly, (the word “tragically” should even be used here), when these situations develop, they are allowed to fester and age, until the stench eventually causes some in the congregation to tentatively suggest, “Should we not maybe get some help in sorting this thing out?”  The prayer under-girding this article is precisely that every believer, every member of our Sola 5 family, would be aware of how godliness and maturity ought to find expression in the local church when trouble and division demand our attention.  We ought to seek the help of our brethren sooner rather than later.  Every pastor knows the pain and frustration of being called in to help resolve a domestic or marital siege when the hostilities have been raging for months and years!  If only an issue can be addressed early on before it becomes impossibly complex….

So what does the Sola 5 Constitution say?  Paragraph 6.9 reads as follows: “The churches of the Association shall seek to assist each other in cases of difficulty or difference which threaten the peace of one or more churches.  The guiding principle for these situations is expressed in chapter 26 of the [1689 Baptist] Confession of Faith.”  Three sub-paragraphs follow, in which the following is stated:

“1.  When involved in cases of difficulty or difference, member churches are encouraged to take the initiative in calling for the assistance of sister churches, especially those in membership with Sola 5;
2.  If necessary, the Steering Committee may also take the initiative by organising the appointment of a church council as envisaged by chapter 26 of the Confession of Faith.  This council will seek to effect reconciliation consistent with the truth of God’s Word.  It shall provide counsel and publish its findings in an appropriate and sensitive way; and

3.  While accepting the autonomy of the local church, member churches also humbly recognise their weakness and proneness to sin.  They and their members are therefore willing to receive biblical counsel and admonishment.”

So, in effect then, the Sola 5 Constitution

1.      makes provision for assistance to be rendered for churches struggling with divisive issues;

2.      allows the affected local church to take the initiative in seeking such assistance;

3.      but allows for the Steering Committee to offer help where it senses this need;

4.      this help will normally come in the form of a “church council” that will receive submissions and offer biblical solutions and guidance;

5.      such solutions must only be made known to other interested parties in an appropriate and sensitive way.

At the very heart of the matter lies the simple yet profound truth that there is practical benefit in local churches holding communion together!  This benefit is not merely a matter of local churches conspiring and cooperating together by pooling of their resources to fulfil a missions or theological education mandate.  It pertains to the spiritual and practical benefit of having problems solved by means of fellow believers being involved in our internal disputes.  According to Sam Waldron’s masterful treatment of chapter 26 of the Confession, there is divine warrant for such communion; this communion has providential limitations; it has spiritual benefit and its special advantage is precisely these “advisory assemblies” envisaged by our Constitution.

In Waldron’s view, for this process to happen productively, certain Biblical realities must be recognised:

a.   Members of local churches must not be wise in their own conceits (Gal 2:2; Prov 3:5-7; 12:15; 13:10);

b.   We must endeavour to preserve unity (Eph 4:1-3);

c.   Such efforts by those outside the local church are only advisory, not authoritative or prescriptive (1 Cor 7:25, 40).  Hebrews 13:17 equates the leaders of the local church with governors, given charge by a king over a province of his kingdom.  Such governors may seek advice from one another, but they are legally responsible only to the king.

The reasons why such wise advice is unfortunately spurned would probably include the fact that we seem not to have given enough thought to the following issues:

·      Authority and dignity of the gathered local church;

·      Autonomy versus isolating independence;

·      Independence versus inter-dependence;

·      The value of peace and unity versus the debilitating threat of division and strife;

·      The process of actually calling for help;

·      The pre-requisite of fresh, meaningful and authentic relationships between individuals and church families.

May God help us as an Association of like-minded brethren, to come to the firm conviction that to make use of this particular provision of our Sola 5 Constitution, is by no means a sign of weakness!  It is an indication of maturity realising that these “issues of difference and difficulty” adversely affect the testimony of the local church in the community.  Nothing less than God’s honour is at stake here!

Christo Beetge