Articles
"Church of Christ Preachers"
When someone finds out that you are a Christian, almost inevitably the next question they will ask you is, “Where do you go to church?” Usually they want to know, “What kind of church do you go to?” Similarly, when people find out that I am a preacher, they almost always want to know, “What kind of preacher are you?” Strangely enough I have found that simply saying, “I am an evangelist” or “I preach the gospel of Jesus Christ” does not satisfy their curiosity.
Probably what they are looking for is a quick and easy answer to this question like a Presbyterian, Episcopalian, or Baptist preacher would give. All he has to say is, “I am a [insert denomination] preacher” and the question is immediately answered. But I cannot give any such answer. Even though I preach for a church that has a sign which reads “Church of Christ” I cannot, in good conscience, say that I am a “Church of Christ preacher.” Such would equate the body of believers which belongs to the Lord to a denomination comparable to the Baptist or Presbyterian church. It would also imply that the local group of Christians which meets at here McRae Road is somehow formally tied to other churches with the same name in a more or less denominational way. This is simply not true.
The problem is that when people today think of “church” they typically think of an organization separate from its members which has its unique history, structure, and doctrines. This is precisely what is meant when one says, “I am a Baptist or Presbyterian.” As an evangelist (which, incidentally, simply means “one who proclaims the gospel”) I do not represent any such institution, either in a universal or local sense. The only thing I represent is Jesus Christ and His gospel. Because of that my goal is not to preach “Church of Christ doctrine” but to preach the gospel in its entirety, simplicity, and power (see Acts 20:27; 1 Cor. 2:2 and 2 Tim. 4:2). Akin to that, my goal is not to convert people to the “Church of Christ” but to convert people to the Lord, who will then add them His kingdom of believers (see Acts 2:47 and Col. 1:13).
Using the phrase “Church of Christ” to distinguish ourselves from Baptists or Presbyterians betrays a sectarian attitude, which is one of the fundamental flaws of denominationalism. Whether intentional or not, it speaks of an allegiance to a denominational structure or creed rather than to Jesus and His word. Can you imagine how taken aback Paul or Peter would have been if asked, “What kind of preacher (or Christian) are you?” Perhaps Paul would have answered, “We are ambassadors for Christ” (2 Cor. 5:20). Or maybe Peter would have responded, “I am a slave of Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:1). Why must these designations be insufficient today?
Just as there are no “Church of Christ” Christians or preachers, there are also no “Church of Christ” songbooks, bookstores, magazines, newspapers, colleges, lectures, buildings, sermons, commentaries, Bibles, etc. Or at least there shouldn’t be. Because it is not an institution the church has no authority to ordain, endorse, or otherwise put its official stamp of approval on any of these things. Only Jesus can authorize something. After all, He is the head and we are His body.
I am not saying that we should never use the phrase “church of Christ.” It is a perfectly legitimate way of referring to local congregations or the universal body of Jesus (see Rom. 16:16; Eph. 2:22-23). But we must be careful when using this terminology. First, we ourselves must understand that this phrase refers to nothing more than the collection of God’s people (either in a specific community or in the whole world) who are striving to glorify Him. Second, if given the opportunity, we need to make it clear to those we talk to that we do not represent a visible, structured, authoritative organization (aka “denomination”), but simply that we are members of the family that belongs to God and Jesus. In other words, we are not “Church of Christ Christians.” We are simply Christians.
