Fellowship In Tulsa

Tulsa - January 2007

Pointing to changes made at the just-concluded General Conference, some self-described 'conservative' apostolic ministers have secured a 2,000 seat convention center in Tulsa for a "where-do-we-go-from-here?" meeting in January 2008. Apparently somebody thinks that hundreds of ministers are ready to ditch the UPCI in favor of a new and improved network of fellowship.

I have no issue with men coming and going, moving from this organization to another. A commitment to God's Word is the essential pledge, not an affiliation with some organization. But this shuffling of membership cards provides one who is staying an opportunity to make a couple of observations as I watch from the sidelines.

I hope that those leaving realize that they will take a huge dose of human nature with them when they go. Complaints about weak leadership, disagreements on standards, musical preferences, and a thousand other issues will arise within hours of the new alliances being forged. Even among conservatives there are conservatives. Once the honeymoon is over the same thing they've complained about here will show up there. Weakness in the pulpit. Worldliness in the pew. Weird behavior at youth conventions. That's just the way it is. Those things show up wherever humans gather. Even Holy Ghost-filled humans.

What is the value of organization - or whatever you choose to label your ministerial alliances? For many, it seems that friendship and common ideals are the basis for fellowship agreements. Missing from most discussions I've heard recently is what I consider to be the most significant reason to seek or abandon an organization: obedience to the Great Commission. I am grateful that I've found friends within my fellowship, but God did not promise me that I'd be popular when He called me to preach. I am glad that I know some ministers who agree with my personal standards, but God did not ask my opinion regarding His Word. But He did, quite clearly and distinctly, demand that I do my part in reaching the lost world with His Gospel. I hear a lot of talk these days about aligning with those who embrace my standards, but I don't hear much being said about how can we do a better job of delivering the apostolic message to a vastly underevangelised world. And for me, that is the major reason for alliances.

Which leads to observation number three. Is it possible that I can make decisions based on my personal standards that set me at odds with the Word of God? For instance, if I know that withdrawing my support from a truth-proclaiming fellowship may force them to pull missionaries off the field or will severely cripple ministries recently put in place, am I violating a higher law if my exit is based solely on a decision made that I THINK may have harmful consequences? At just what point do my personal convictions take precedent over specific scriptural commands? When does the bad that I think might occur in the future become more important than the good that is happening now? At what point am I justified in taking action that I know will negatively affect another's ministry? After all, God's church is just that - HIS, not mine.

Some will read these few lines and say I'm being unkind to those whose convictions compel them to depart. Not so. Not any more than those who are leaving insinuate that those of us who stay are Hollywood-loving compromisers. I write with no malice, and hope that every person finds whatever it is he seeks. But whether you stay or go, there will be other battles. More lines drawn in the sand. And when that day dawns, I pray that maintaining my personal convictions has not become more important to me than obeying His Word.

©2007 Doug Ellingsworth