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The Exclusivity Of The Local Congregation

by Ron Daly

Exclusivity is the state or condition that pertains to or is characterized by exclusion. In the context of our study, the exclusivity of the local congregation, we mean that it alone is authorized and perfectly suited to do every single thing that God has assigned to it as a part of it’s mission on earth. No other organization human or divine, coexists with the local congregation to share in the work that God designed it to do. If so, where is the passage of Scripture that so teaches? God is glorified when the local congregation performs the work that her Lord has placed within her purview. When other organizations are built, supported, and maintained by congregations or individuals to do what God has specifically and exclusively assigned to the local congregation, the men out of whose wisdom such human organizations are brought into existence are the ones who are glorified, not God. God is glorified when His plan is respected as the means by which we build a rock solid foundation in religion. God’s plan for the promulgation of the blessed gospel of peace only makes allowance for one religious organization to defend and support the truth of the gospel, and that organization is the local congregation.

The new covenant teaches that God has provided authority for only one "society," "body," or "company" of people to function as the entity through which the gospel is to be proclaimed, namely the local congregation. The local congregation, when fully constituted of the systematic arrangement prescribed by the God of heaven consists of a body of disciples overseen by elders and served by deacons (Acts 14:23; 20:28; Philippians 1:1). The arrangement is not only the result of divine planning, but it is also completely adequate in every way to do everything that God has assigned her to do in benevolence (Acts 6:1-6; 11:27-30; 1 Corinthians 16:2); worship (Acts 2:42; 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34; 14:15); and proclaiming the gospel (2 Corinthians 11:8; Philippians 1:5; 4:14-17; 1 Thessalonians 1:8; 1 Timothy 3:15).

No other organization is authorized by direct statement, approved apostolic example, or implication to supplant the work of the local congregation or to compete with the local congregation in the performance of its works. If so, where is the portion of the sacred text that authorizes human societies, institutions, boards, organizations, or foundations to do the very thing that God designed the congregation to do? Preaching the gospel is an inherently religious work, and God authorizes one inherently religious organization to engage in this work, and that organization is the local congregation.

Some people erroneously reason that human religious societies, foundations, boards, and institutions other than the local congregation that conduct lectureships and gospel meetings have the proclivity to become "missionary" organizations and rival the congregation only if they are "church supported." An organization is a missionary society if it does the work of a missionary society, and it violates scriptural principles whether it is supported by congregations or individuals. Again, preaching the gospel is an inherently religious work, and God has given only one religious organization the right to "sound out the word" (1 Thessalonians 1:8), namely, the local congregation. Are the same people willing to argue that the all-sufficiency of the local congregation is challenged and the wisdom of God is impeached only when other organizations are supported by congregations? If so, are human organizations authorized to do everything the local congregation is designed to do? If not everything, who has the perfect wisdom to tell us which work that God has specifically assigned to the local congregation human societies may do without challenging the all-sufficiency of the congregation? Then, perhaps they can tell us why the local congregation would even need to exist, if other organizations, human or divine, may do its work, particularly in the realm of proclaiming the message of truth.

Why is it that some evidently believe that an unauthorized missionary society consists of an organization that receives contributions from congregations to preach the gospel, but the same organization doing the same work is not an unauthorized missionary society if it is supported by individuals? Have we become so unidirectional in our spiritual vision, that in the sphere of evangelistic work we are only able to see that there is no authority for congregational contributions to fund religious missionary organizations so that they may proclaim the message of salvation, but we give a nod of approval to individually funded human organizations to do the same inherently religious and spiritual work of proclaiming the message of salvation? The fact is, God has specified only one organization in the sacred writings that is to be supported by the voluntary contributions of individuals in order to fulfill its mission or preaching the gospel. It, as nearly all of God’s people once believed, is the exclusive organization that God gave the work of preaching the gospel of Christ. The local congregation is the body of disciples that God, through the Holy Spirit, by the pen of Paul says is the "pillar and support of the truth" (1 Timothy 3:15).