To enter into a guerilla movement seeking to reverse a decision you dislike is dishonourable, dishonest and contrary to the principles of unity

Over the last few weeks, a number of young guys – bear in mind, I’m a young guy myself – in the Free Church have spoken with me about how troubled they are that the Free Church has changed her position on worship. They are disappointed; some feel betrayed and let down; some have made foolish remarks; some have given voice to their hurt in the matter; some feel the church’s leaders should have listened more to the people in the pews. And most of these young guys are asking how they can stay members of a denomination that permits hymn singing and musical accompaniment in worship – a position they are not at all in favour of.

I should say, in this blog I’m not going to argue for what the Free Church has done – we’ve made a decision, and regardless of its merits, the only real question is how you should live with the decision. To enter into a guerilla movement seeking to reverse a decision you dislike is dishonourable, dishonest and contrary to the principles of unity.

I am convinced that once the Assembly of the Church has reached a decision, we must, with humility, put the peace of the church ahead of our preference, i.e. live with the consequences. So how can these young men, who are sometimes vocal in their discontent, be advised to put the peace of the church first?

Membership of Congregation
The first step is recognising you are members of a local congregation, not the denomination. The local church is where you live out your Christian life – they are your main community of Worship, its elders your principle source of Instruction, its members your Fellowship, and your witness is a part of its Evangelism. When you become a member of a Free Church congregation you are not subscribing to everything the Free Church holds to – you are rather agreeing to be part of that local fellowship, which lives under the leadership and discipline of Christ’s under-shepherds, the local Kirk Session.

This is why, incidentally, if you move congregations you do not automatically become a member of the Free Church you start attending – the elders of your new church will look for your previous church to vouch for your Christian profession and character, perhaps asking for a certificate stating such.

Congregations of the Denomination
While you are members of a congregation, that congregation is part of the Free Church of Scotland. The denomination is a complex idea, but it grows out of pragmatic necessity – not all Christians will agree all of the time, but in order to express some sort of unity at a national level, Presbyterian Church government demands we lay down some principles our local leaders agree on, and subscribe to. This is why all elders sign “The Formula” – which is their subscription to the denomination’s confessional doctrine, Presbyterian government, and “purity of worship”.

In this case, a plenary assembly (i.e. a full representation of every congregation) decided that a congregation could remain within the Free Church’s Presbyterian Polity if they used hymns or instruments.

The tough question for elders is whether they can agree to remain part of the Free Church’s Presbyterian Polity, when other congregations can worship the same God, with different words, or with musical accompaniment. I think, given that we’re now three weeks past the Assembly, and there has been no division in the church, most elders are coming to realise that this is a change they can live with – unhappily, perhaps in the hope that it will be over-turned in the future – but nonetheless a decision they will live with for the time being. Most Kirk Session will not, in fact, use this permission right away anyway, if ever – so locally, most Free Church congregations will be unchanged.
Advice for Trouble Young Men

So, let’s get the picture clear – you are a young guy, not an office bearer (so not required to sign “the Formula”), in a congregation whose elders have decided not to use the permissions granted by the Assembly, but have also decided not to break from the Free Church. You are unhappy with the decision, so what should you do?

1) You are not required to agree to everything the Free Church holds to (not the whole doctrine of the Confession; not the principles of Presbyterian church government; and not even what she holds to be true concerning purity of worship) – but you are required to have the humility to put up with it in such a way that the peace of the church is not hindered, and the teachable spirit that is open to correction and persuasion.

In being a member of a Free Church congregation, you are only submitting to that Kirk Session’s brotherly discipline as Christ’s under-shepherds, and to share in the Christian goals of the congregation under their leadership and the stewardship of the deacons they appoint. Or, Respect the elders Christ has appointed to shepherd and lead you.

2) If you have difficulty with their decision to remain part of the Free Church’s polity, by all means, take that up with them – but do so in private, with humility. The temptation today, with access to cheap self-publication in the form of blogs, is to mouth off in public, the 21st century equivalent of pamphleteering. There has always been a tendency to form little cores of discontent, unrestful cliques within congregations. Don’t yield to these temptations.

If you are part of a local congregation whose elders have decided to remain as part of the Free Church, then your public comments and unrest slander and attack the elders you’ve chosen to submit to. Or, Avoid making a fuss that will disrupt the peace and unity of your church.

3) What about if you simply can’t shut up and put up with the decision of your elders? What if you feel so strongly about this, that you are convinced they are wrong and you need to protest loudly and often? Then leave. Christian unity is the best witness we have to Christ. Your congregation’s unity will not be served by your noisy disruption, and your personal witness will be best served by your being in fellowship with like minded Christians. Whatever other wonderful gifts and talents you have, they are made useless by noisy protests about how awful the Church has become. Or, If you really can’t do #1 & #2, consider leaving for a more agreeable denomination.

4) If you choose, however, to stay then you will face difficulty. It will be unwise for you to speak out often, if at all – for young guys that takes a lot of humility. Your elders might recognise your gifts and desire to give you more responsibilities in the congregation – eventually these roles will cross an imaginary line where subscription to the denomination’s polity will be required. You should be ready to acknowledge that in staying, whilst you might rightly desire the office of overseer, you simply will not be able to. If that is a cost too high, again, there is no dishonour in leaving to another denomination where you can fully agree with their stance. Or, Count the cost of staying where you are.

The Free Church has a huge amount of work to do in reaching the people of Scotland. It is my hope and prayer that many of these troubled young men I’ve spoken to will see their way clear to commit their gifts and energy in sharing in that work.

Gordon Matheson is a Minister in the Free Church of Scotland and serves a congregation in the Sleat region of the Isle of Skye. He blogs at Jedi Rev http://jedirev.WordPres.com (yes, he actually owns a lightsabre!) where is article first appeared. It is used with his permission