Young, Restless, Reformed and the Local Church

“… the danger is always there whereby people become attached to the man rather than to the message or to the church. We are commanded to love the body of Christ; and our leaders are useful only to the extent that they are instrumental to that end… ” Carl Trueman

“We believe the local church is the focal point of God's plan for displaying his glory to the nations.” 9 Marks Ministry

One of the dangers that Carl Trueman pointed out in the Young, Restless and Reformed (YRR) movement, was its lack of anchor in the local church [see my previous post]. This, I think is an important point to note. In the individualistic, consumer culture that we have bought into, modern day Christians think that we are free to have a “me and my Jesus” religion, a hodge-podge concatenated faith put together from the buffet that is popular Christian merchandising.

The Church
But, reading Scripture, we get a very different picture, the church, as the community of God's people, is key in Christian discipleship. Jesus died for His church [Ephesians 5:25], which is His Body[1 Cor 12:12-27], His Bride[Ephesians 5:32], and God's family [1 Timothy 5:1-2], what Christ Himself will build on earth[Matthew 16:18].

He has given His church authority on earth to carry out spiritual warfare [2 Cor 10:3-4], proclaim the Gospel, and exercise church discipline [Matthew 16:19, 18:17-18]. He appoints leaders over His flock in the church [Ephesians 4:11-12], and has given it the "means of grace" for His people. All this for the purpose of bringing His people to maturity and final conformity to the image of Christ. In His wisdom, He has appointed the local church as the main context, in which we grow in Christlikeness.

The Local Church
Now, its true that those verses up there don't just talk about the local church, but the church universal. However, the place where we plug into the church universal cannot but be the local church. Take the three means of grace that the Reformers associated with the church, (i) Word, (ii) Sacraments - Baptism and the Lord's Supper, and (iii) Church Discipline. Now, you could arguably get (i) in a parachurch organisation, and some would even venture as far as to celebrate the Lord's Supper (which they shouldn't), but what parachurch organisation would baptize, or exercise church discipline ? Now, none of these contribute to your salvation, but they are commands of the Lord, and designed for your sanctification. So, like it or not, we need to plug into a local church - hence Trueman is right, YRR would be less than Biblical, and less than Reformed if the local church were not affected.. end of story (?)

Touched by the YRR or Reformation Theology
Well, yes, but working that out in the life of an individual affected by YRR, or awakened by the truths of Reformed/Calvinistic theology is a far more complicated process. I can't help but feel for the guy in the Adventist church.. after all, didn't Paul himself have a great desire to see his own people saved ? [Romans 10:1-4] Leaving a local church is no small matter, and not to be taken lightly.. after all, it isn't just some organisation or club that you can enter or leave at whim.. it is family.. perhaps in the case of a "fringe group" like the Adventist (?) , the choice is clearer.. but, what happens if you find yourself in a fairly evangelical, but not necessarily Reformed/Calvinistic church [think Willow Creek, Rick Warren, evangelical Methodist..] ?

Working it Out
Well, it seems to me that there are 4 options for someone who isn't in a Reformed / Calvinistic church, awakening to Reformation truths - 1. Reform the church from within; 2. Leave the church to join another; 3. Form a new church or denomination; and 4. Give up the YRR / Reformed / Calvinistic vision altogether, and be content with your lot in life. Now, 4. would be unhealthy if you believe in truth, but 1. to 3. do present dilemmas of their own. Let's reflect:

1. Reform the Church from Within
The NT’s call to unity within the body is unmistakable [John 10:16, John 17:21]. We are called to unity. And we are called to the work of collectively working for the purity of the church [no matter how pure your current church is, anyway]. We don’t just attend the church, we are the church. One of the great metaphors of the church is family, and you don’t just leave family, or scream, "Heretic!" at Dad or Mum or Bro or Sis lightly. If we are in a position of leadership, or any other position to affect positive change in our churches and denomination, I think we should stay. One thinks of how in the 1960s in Singapore, when most of the mainline churches had became flat-out liberal, evangelical young people awakened by Inter-Varsity, prayed, served and waited patiently for that generation of Elders to die[literally], before taking back those churches for the Gospel. Now, we are blessed with no more liberal churches in the mainline denominations here. Although I'm more Free Church than Anglican Ecumenical, standing on Scripture, I think our default position should be to stay and work for the purity of the church..
Yet, let's be realistic, how many of us actually have the capacity, tenacity and ability to influence change, without compromising our own faith and sanity ? Perhaps, even this is a special calling.

2. Leave the Church to join Another
Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology (page 880 and following) gives 3 possible reasons for leaving a church
(i) Doctrinal – when the doctrines of the church have deviated to the point of the church becoming a false church;
(ii) Conscience – when you are not able to preach or teach according to your conscience informed by Scripture; and
(iii) Practical – when, for practical reasons, you would do more harm than good by staying e.g. your ministry is constantly frustrated by others, staying would disrupt the evangelistic efforts of the church etc.
But, Grudem is wise to state that these are guidelines, and to advise that special care be taken in thinking through the reasons for leaving.

Now, well and good if you live within the vicinity of a church pastored by one of the good ol' T4G or Gospel Coalition guys, and the likes. By all means, move, join them and flourish in Calvinistic fervour. But.. what if you don't ? What if what you've got is the best bet at this point ? Not openly heretical, pastor isn't gay, preaching still comes from the Bible, Gospel is still preached.. but, perhaps Arminian, or Seeker-sensitive, or legalistic, or just not Gospel-centered? What if the "reformed" folk in town, also happen to be the KJV-only folk? Or what if you're baptistic and continuationist in your convictions, and the next best thing is a cessationist presbyterian set-up, or a pastor that speaks in tongues and drives a BMW ? At the end of the day, perhaps our current church is the best there is at present ?

3. Form a New Church or Denomination
Now, I am not kidding with this point - it may be the only option. But planting a church is no laughing matter. In fact, I am told that most church plants actually fail. Some really good questions to ask may be, (i) Are you called to do this ?, (ii) Do you have the resources ?, (iii) Do you have the training - seminary etc. ?; (iv) Do you have the people to form a sizeable fellowship ?; and perhaps, most importantly, Carl Trueman's question (v) How much is about genuine mission, and how much is about self-promotion and self-perpetuation? For the majority of us, this wouldn't really be a realistic option...

Conclusion
Now wouldn't it be great if the YRR and this new awakening to reformation truths were to burst forth in the reformation and renewal of whole churches and denominations, and the planting of new churches that were distinctly God-glorifying, and Gospel-centered? It seems to me then that for this to happen, the demographic that needs to be impacted the most by YRR and the like, are Christian leaders - pastors and elders in our churches, and lecturers and students in our Bible schools and seminaries. Aren't these the ones responsible for steering the direction of our churches for the future? And until that happens, perhaps, dare I say, the YRR would just be yet another passing fad.. sniff.. :-(

So, what can us normal people do then ? Well, I guess, some of us would have to make some tough choices about our church situation.. And, in that process, we could continue to let the truths of the Reformation change our lives and behaviour, we could continue to share, we could continue to pray and serve and love, we could continue to be rested in the Jesus who said, "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Matthew 16:18, and we could continue to hope...