Our study of the Great Commission as contained in Matthew 28:18-20 and related passages is not yet complete. The process of analysis, which we have engaged in, must be followed by synthesis. Our understanding of the constituent parts of the Great Commission must be put together so that they are seen as a system. We do not want to commit the proverbial error of failing to see the wood for the trees — to be so absorbed in examining the trees to the extent of forgetting why we were in the forest in the first place. We wish to establish churches of the kind intended by God, as shown in the Scripture. That involves the concept of the flagship church, alluded to in earlier chapters which require further elucidation.
1. Analysis And Synthesis
We have adopted the following a priori assumptions in our analysis of the Great Commission:
(i) The Bible is our sole authority in all matters of faith and practice;
(ii) Jesus Christ is the sole Head of the church;
(iii) The Great Commission carries within itself its own methodology.
All true Evangelicals would not deny the propriety of the first two assumptions, which the Reformed Christians glory in. The third assumption flows from the previous two. The Great Commission is often considered in some of its parts in discussions on missions, without proper exegesis of the whole. Indeed, in the process of working out the practice of missions, these three assumptions are often overlooked. Instead, approaches that consist of a mixture of pragmatism and biblicism have been adopted, producing views of missions that are less than satisfactory.
We have engaged in the analysis of the Great Commission, a process which is crucial to any serious investigation of any subject (Ritchey, 1991). This applies to theology as much as to other fields of study. For instance, when preparing a sermon from a passage of Scripture, analysis is carried out by applying the rules of interpretation to arrive at the correct meaning, and to draw out principles. The analysis is followed by synthesis when the findings are arranged to constitute a message with a definite theme, in which illustrations are used and applications are made to the prospective hearers. It remains for us to synthesise out study of the Great Commission.
In our analysis, we have drawn out principles and methods connected with the Great Commission. We have noted that the principles derived from Scripture must be followed all the time, while the methods of Scripture are to be followed as far as possible, with allowance made for adjustment to local or special situations. The Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20 is a command to the local church to plant other local churches. The constituent parts of the Great Commission show that we are to make disciples in order to constitute them into local churches, and to establish the disciples in the faith. The methods, principles, and outcome may be represented by the following diagram:
The principles adduced in our study of the Great Commission include:
(i) Local church growth must go hand-in-hand with wider church planting;
(ii) The gospel must be preached from a chosen passage of Scripture with the Bible opened;
(iii) Preaching the gospel is to be done publicly and from house to house;
(iv) Preaching in circuit is to be engaged in, i.e. to go to the same households or preaching points on a regular basis, until the people are converted or the preachers are unwanted.
The methods adopted by the local church, or a grouping of local churches, to plant other local churches will be in accordance to these principles. Similarly, the outreach efforts of a local church to win souls to Christ are to be carried out in accordance to these principles. People groups need to be identified and reached according to their circumstances. Preaching teams of two to five persons are to be sent out on regular circuits. A team consists of those who bring the gospel, while a group consists of those who hear the gospel. A group may be just one person, or some five persons of a household, or some fifteen persons in a migrant workers’ dormitory. When done on a weekly basis, two to five groups would constitute a circuit. The methods of outreach would differ according to the circumstances. Children might need to be fetched to church for Sunday School classes, migrant workers might need to be visited after their working hours, the outreach team might need to be men only on some occasions, two languages might need to be used at the same time, and a recorded Bible passage (by handphone) in the native language might need to be played (from a mini-microphone via bluetooth) before preaching in the common tongue. Urban situations might entail travelling in a car, while rural settings might require travelling on a motorbike or by boat. Such adjustments to local circumstances need not break the established principles.
The ‘Outcome’ is the type of churches we wish to found. It is obvious that the churches planted would generally take on the characteristics of the parent-church, with due allowance given for differences necessitated by local circumstances. The eagerness to plant indigenous churches should not be at the expense of overlooking the biblical characteristics required of all churches. Indeed, we might question the propriety of emphasising the planting of indigenous churches rather than biblical churches. In the former, attention is focussed on the externals of the churches while in the latter, it is on the spiritual character of the churches. The concern that alien characteristics will be introduced into local situations will not arise if the emphasis is placed on being biblical rather than being cultural. There are non-negotiable biblical characteristics that churches must strive to have. These cannot be ignored under the excuse of cultural differences or the demands of local circumstances. That there are non-negotiable characteristics expected of churches is seen in Paul’s reminder to the Corinthian church of what he “ordained in all the churches”, of practices that do not belong to the “custom” of “the churches of God”, and of the fact that “God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints” (1 Cor. 7:17; 11:16; 14:33). It is also seen in John being commanded by the Lord to write to admonish the seven churches in Asia, in the book of Revelation (Chaps. 2-3).
In less than 50 years of existence, the churches in Asia were departing from the faith. Except for the churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia (Rev. 2:8-11; 3:7-13), each of the other seven churches in Asia was issued a warning to repent of wrongs, despite having many things right. Just as constant repentance is needed in the Christian life, constant reformation is needed in the life of the church. In the personal life, self-examination is needed. In the life of the church, feedback in the form of self-assessment and adjustment is needed. Churches might begin well but go wrong in later years. Others might have been taught wrongly, or inherited wrong practices, which need to be corrected. The process of adjustment and correction in order to be more biblical in doctrine and practice has been called ‘reformation’. If wrong principles are adopted, no amount of feedback and correction can get the church to be where it should be. An adjustment for the better in one direction will be accompanied by departure in another direction.
Apart from guarding against the possibility of going astray, there is the positive exhortation for the local church to be sanctified — “…Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish (Eph. 5:25-27).” The sanctification of the universal church occurs when local churches are sanctified and cleansed “with the washing of water by the word”. Just as the individual believer must grow to spiritual maturity and be ready for life in heaven (2 Pet. 3:18), so also the local church. In heaven, everyone will be made perfect. The imperfection of the present life will not affect or hinder our transformation to perfection in heaven. However, there are degrees of blessedness in heaven (cf. Luke 19:16-19). One would want to have a head-start upon arrival in heaven, to receive the blessing of the Lord and to serve Him there (Matt. 6:19-20). Similarly, the bride of Christ would want to prepare herself to be holy and without blemish for when the Lord comes to fetch her for marriage (Rev. 19:6-8). There is a responsibility placed upon local churches to be sanctified by God’s word.
This leads us to the consideration of the type of churches we ought to be, and desire to establish, and the concept of the flagship church. In a local church, the spirituality of the members rarely rises above the spirituality of its leaders. Church leaders must be selected carefully. Church leaders must also grow and remain fresh spiritually. In a network of churches, the spirituality of the planted churches seldom rise above that of the flagship church, especially in the earlier years. The flagship church should set itself as the example for the other churches.
There are, therefore, three strong reasons why the church should be reforming itself. Firstly, the church is in danger of going astray while in the world. Secondly, the church is being sanctified by the Lord in preparation for heaven. Thirdly, the church must set itself as the model for other churches that are planted.
2. The Ideal Church
We have heard often that there is no perfect church this side of life. While that may be true, it should not deter any church from striving to be better. Our analysis of the Great Commission has revealed the ideal church that we should strive to be, and that we want to establish. Here, we have deliberately used the words ‘to establish’ and not ‘to plant’ because a newly planted church will take a while to be strengthened to become a model church, albeit imperfect. The work of carrying out the Great Commission is not complete merely by gathering the baptised disciples into a local church, much less by winning souls to Christ only. All three elements of the Great Commission must be engaged in — viz. going to make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Holy Trinity in order to constitute them into a local church, and teaching them to observe all the Lord’s commands. All three elements are to be carried out until the end of the age. What are the characteristics of the ideal church? The results of our analysis may be summarised under three headings.
The three offices of Christ
Jesus Christ is the only Head of the church universal, which is invisible in the sense that the true believers are known only to God (Eph. 5:23; Col. 1:18) (Poh, The Keys, 2017). Since the universal church manifests itself in the world as visible local churches, Christ is also the only Head of each local congregation. As Head of the church, He occupies the offices of Prophet, Priest, and King. A church that submits to Christ’s headship will submit to Him in His three offices. Prophethood is linked to the preaching, the teaching, and the doctrine of the church. Priesthood is linked to the worship ( including the ordinances), the prayer meeting, and pastoral oversight in the church. Kingship is linked to the government, the discipline, and the missions of the church. This may be represented by the diagram below.
The churches that we want to establish must clearly be submitted to the headship of Christ in His three offices (Poh, 1997). A church that is submitted to Christ’s prophethood will exhibit the primacy of preaching in its worship services, the pre-eminence of teaching in its overall life, and the importance placed on correct doctrine, often shown by adopting a good Confession of Faith. A church that is submitted to Christ’s priesthood will uphold the Regulative Principle of worship (Reisinger & Allen, 2001; Aniol, 2015:162-172), the correct administration of the ordinances, and the importance of corporate prayer. A church that is submitted to the kingship of Christ would want to implement the biblical form of church government, uphold corrective discipline, and engage in local outreach and wider church planting.
Jesus Christ is also the only Mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5). As Mediator, He occupies the offices of Prophet, Priest, and King. The three offices of Christ not only help us to understand what the church should be like within itself, but also how to go about reforming ourselves. A believer will submit to Christ in His three offices. Prophethood is linked to the mind of the individual — the faculty of knowledge, thought, and reasoning. Priesthood is linked to the heart, or affection, of the individual — the faulty of feeling, conviction, and persuasion. Kingship is linked to the will, or volition, of man — the faculty of choice, decision, and action.
The 1689 Confession states this of Christ offices — “This number and order of offices is necessary… (1689:8:10).” Not only must the number be kept, the order must also be observed. In the reformation of the church, the members must be given correct teaching until they are convinced, leading them to correct actions. To demand for action, without the heart being persuaded of the truth known in the mind, would result in resentment. To appeal to the emotion without understanding the reason for certain actions would result in only temporary changes. All three faculties of the human personality must be addressed, generally in that order, viz. the mind, the heart, and the will. This does not exclude the possibility that, under exceptional circumstances, the order might have to be ignored but with the view of returning to the norm of that order in due course.
The threefold ministry of Christ
The Lord’s ministry included preaching the gospel of the kingdom to save souls, teaching to build up the faith of disciples, and doing good works in conjunction with preaching and teaching (Matt. 4:23; 9:35) (Poh, 2017). The apostle Paul tells us to imitate him just as he imitated Christ (1 Cor. 11:1). We are not only to imitate Christ in His character (2 Cor. 3:18; Phil. 2:5-8), but also in His ministry (Phil. 4:9; 1 Tim. 3:15; 2 Tim. 2:1-7; 3:10; Tit. 1:5). How did Paul know of the Lord’s method of ministry? From the direct revelation he received from the Lord as well as from the oral and written witness of the other apostles and early disciples.
As an apostle, Paul received direct revelation from the Lord. In Galatians 1:12, he says this of the gospel, “For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.” The instruction on the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 11:23ff. was received directly from the Lord: “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you…” In 2 Corinthians 12:7, Paul says, “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.” Much of what Paul taught came by direct revelation from the Lord. However, we must not limit the Lord to this mode of revealing His will to Paul. Many of the Old Testament prophets knew the will of God from the writings of the earlier prophets. A case in point is when Daniel knew, or was reminded, of the seventy years set by the Lord for the exile of His people from the writings of Jeremiah (Dan. 9:2).
Paul also learned of the Lord’s ministry from the verbal and written accounts of the other apostles and early disciples. In 1 Corinthians 15:3, he says, “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures…” Paul’s conversion occurred around AD 30 (Bruce, 1977: 475). Born in Tarsus, he was brought up in Jerusalem (Acts 22:3) at the time of the Lord’s public ministry. He would have known the facts about Christ, and might have heard Him preaching while an unbeliever. He would have heard these gospel facts about Christ taught by the Christians whom he persecuted. His encounter with the risen Lord confirmed the truth of these gospel facts. Continuing with his narrative, Paul says, “…and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.” A large part of what he says obviously had been transmitted to him by the other apostles and early believers. Ananias who ministered to Paul when he was converted, and other disciples in Damascus, couldn’t have kept quiet about what they knew of the Lord (Acts 9:10-19). In Romans 16:7, Paul says, “Greet Andronicus and Junia, my countrymen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.” One understanding of these words is that the ministry of Andronicus and Junia with the apostles in Jerusalem, before Paul was converted, was well known and appreciated by the apostles. Being fellow prisoners with Paul would likely mean that they had shared the same cell or adjacent cells at some point, during which notes would have been exchanged between them.
In 1 Corinthians 9:14, Paul says, “Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.” While it is possible that this teaching was also revealed by the Lord, it would seem more likely that Paul was referring to the Lord’s teaching in Matthew 10:10, “…a worker is worthy of his food.” We have noted that some scholars are of the view that Matthew’s Gospel was already in circulation by AD 50. Paul would have access to Matthew’s Gospel. Paul’s first missionary journey began in AD 46. The first epistle to the Corinthians was written in AD 55. Paul’s third missionary journey was from AD 53 to 57, when he stopped at Miletus in the later part of that journey. He summoned the Ephesian elders to meet him, during which time he reminded them of his earlier ministry in Ephesus (Acts 20). The first missionary journey was carried out in obedience to the command of the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:1-3). The subsequent journeys were carried out in obedience to the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20 (Acts 15:36ff.; 18:23ff.). All the journeys fulfilled the demands of the Great Commission and were patterned after the missions of the Twelve and the Seventy (Matt. 10:1ff.; Luke 9:1-11; 10:1-12) — starting from the local church in Antioch, to plant local churches, travelling in circuit, preaching publicly and from house to house, preaching the gospel of “repentance toward God and faith toward Jesus Christ”, preaching until the hearers were converted or he was unwanted.
Extending our view even wider, we see that Paul’s ministry was modelled after that of the Lord in that he preached the gospel to save souls (Acts 20:20-21), he taught the disciples “the whole counsel of God” in his three years in Ephesus (Acts 20:27), and he engaged in good works (Acts 20:35), saying, “I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” The apostle, whose outstanding characteristic was preaching and teaching God’s word, had quietly been doing much good works at the same time (cf. Rom. 15:25-27; 1 Cor. 16:1-4; 2 Cor. 8:18-21; 9:1-5; Tit. 3:8, 14). The apostles of Christ never elevated good works above preaching and teaching, neither did they neglect good works (Gal. 2:10). They were mindful of the Lord’s words in Matthew 6:3-4, “But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.”
In missions circles, ‘holism’ has been pitted against ‘prioritism’ — one emphasising social transformation, the other emphasising spiritual transformation, respectively. I have interacted on this issue elsewhere (Poh, 2008:49-51) and reckon it sufficient to reproduce the relevant words here:
…in order of importance, the means to be used [for reaching the unreached] should be: (i) the personal presence of the missionary, living among a people and bringing the gospel to them directly; (ii) the use of tools such as literature and electronic broadcasts as complements to verbal gospel proclamation; and (iii) the use of those tools when the presence of missionaries is not possible. All these means are meant to bring the gospel to the hearers. The danger of missionary endeavours turning into mere social activities is very real. A missionary doctor may end up healing the sick without healing the soul. A radio broadcast may end up becoming Christianised entertainment devoid of gospel proclamation.
What we have discussed above are the methods of delivery of the gospel, their relative importance, and inherent dangers. More serious are the methods of outreach, or approaches to soul winning, which may be classified under three categories: (i) Level 1 approaches, which involve direct gospel delivery of all sorts which we have considered; (ii) Level 2 approaches, in which good works (or social concerns and community projects) constitute the front end of contact with souls, which is accompanied by secondary gospel presentations; (iii) Level 3 approaches, in which good works are carried out with the aim of paving the way for future gospel presentations. Level 1 approaches do not need elaboration here. Examples of Level 2 approaches include opening a rural clinic in which all the patients are required to hear a short gospel message before seeing the doctor, running a kindergarten in which the teaching contents are based on the Bible, giving free tuition to students which begins with twenty minutes of gospel proclamation, and the like. Level 3 approaches are purely community projects or social works that provide a Christian presence, to show forth the love and concern of Christians in practical ways. My contention is that Level 3 approaches cannot be regarded as true missionary work unless it is coupled to Level 1 approaches. For example, a play school is operated to take in only toddlers of those who attend church on a regular basis, and a bakery is started to provide employment in a poor community at the same time that there is active evangelism and church services.
In a closed community where evangelism is illegal or dangerous, Level 3 approaches have been attempted such as working as language teachers and doctors, or opening factories to provide employment to the people. If those approaches are not accompanied by definite attempts to befriend and win the trust of individuals so that the gospel can be shared, despite risks, they cannot strictly be called missionary work. Of course, it is within the right of Christians to engage in Level 3 approaches if they insist to do so, but they are merely engaging in good works, which are different from missionary work.
Paul’s ministry was modelled after the threefold ministry of Christ. The churches we found should engage in a ministry modelled after the threefold ministry of the Lord.
The Three-Self Principle
The local church, as seen within itself, should be submitted to the three offices of Christ. The local church, as seen in relation to the world, should have a ministry modelled after the threefold ministry of Christ. The local church, as seen from without, should be characterised by the three marks of being self-governing, self-propagating, and self-supporting. This has been observed by others and called the ‘Three-Self Principle’ (Nevius, 1899).
Self-governance arises from the nature of the local church which consists of baptised believers who are gathered together voluntarily and bound by covenant to worship and serve the triune God, in accordance to the Scripture. This is ‘the gathered church’ principle (Poh, The Keys, 2017). Christ the Head has given the power of rule to the membership of the church, which power is executed by the elders (1 Tim. 5:17; Heb. 13:7, 17). The elders rule by making decisions which are consented to by the gathered church (1 Cor. 5:4-5; Acts 15:22). This is the principle of ‘the autonomy of the local church’. Local churches are independent of one another, yet they voluntarily have fellowship with one another for mutual edification, mutual protection, and concerted propagation (Rev. 1:9-20; 2 Cor. 8:18).
Self-propagation arises from the Great Commission which is a command given to the local church, to plant other local churches (Matt. 28:18-20). All the necessary power to carry out the Great Commission has been given to each local church, although a group of local churches may voluntarily act in fellowship in order to accomplish more. The church in Jerusalem spawned many churches (Acts 9:31), and so did the church in Antioch (Acts 13:1-3). Just as the church in Antioch did not rely on directives from Jerusalem to engage in missions, so also the church in Thessalonica did not rely on directives from Antioch (1 Thess. 1:8).
Self-support arises from the teaching of the Lord as given to the apostle Paul. The ministry of the word in a newly founded church may be supported by external help for a time but it is God’s will that the church should work towards being self-supporting. In connection with those who “labour in word and doctrine”, Paul quotes from the Old Testament these words (1 Tim. 5:17-18), ‘For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”’ That these words apply to those who “labour in word and doctrine” is confirmed by 1 Corinthians 9:3-12, where the same Old Testament passage is quoted and applied to full-time preachers. It is often claimed that Paul engaged in a ‘tent-making ministry’, that is to say he made tents to earn a living while preaching the gospel. This argument has been used to support the so-called ‘bi-vocational ministry’ which is much in vogue in some circles. However, in Acts 20:34-35, Paul tells us that he provided for his own necessities and for those who were with him for the purpose of setting an example to care for the weak. In this particular instance, Paul makes it clear that he is not setting the example of how the ministry of the word is to be supported in the local church. Rather, he is setting the example of how the church is to care for the weak. The norm for us today is that the members of the church should support the ministry of the word (1 Tim. 5:17-18; 1 Cor. 9:3-12).
When does the newly founded church become self-governing? A preaching point turns into a local church when the baptised believers covenant to bind themselves together as one. A church may exist for a time without elders of its own, while functioning under the oversight of the founding church (Acts 14:23). It may become autonomous, at least administratively, when an eldership (or presbytery) exists with at least a pastor and a ruling elder (Acts 14:23 cf. 1 Tim. 5:17; 1 Tim. 4:14 cf. 2 Tim. 1:6). A church that has only a pastor, or only a ruling elder, should place itself under the oversight of another established church. A church that has more than one ruling elders may function for a time without a pastor, while seeking for one. When the prospect of finding a suitable pastor is bleak, the church should place itself under the oversight of another church for its well-being.
When does a newly founded church become self-propagating? The church should begin to be involved in local outreach and wider church planting immediately, according to its ability. If it is able to do more, then more should be done. If it is able to do little, let the little be done. The church is not to wait until “it is ready” before being involved in missions, just as a new convert should not wait till “he is ready” before bearing witness to others. We are never more ready than when spiritual life is given to us — both as individuals and as a church. Our abilities and opportunities grow as we use what little gifts and resources we have. “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much (Luke 16:10).” Self-propagation requires the leadership of a pastor. While the church engages in outreach and church planting, according to its ability, from the beginning, self-propagation truly occurs when a pastor is appointed to take the lead. This is clear from the example set by Paul and the Lord (Acts 15:36; Luke 9:1; 10:1). Local outreach and wider church planting constitute spiritual warfare — the weapons used being the word of God and prayer, coupled to careful planning (Eph. 6:17-18; Luke 9:52). In the Old Testament times, kings led their armies into battle (2 Sam. 11:1). Under normal circumstances, the pastor of the local church must take the lead. In exceptional situations, a godly and able ruling elder provides the leadership until a pastor is found or when the new pastor is settled into ministry.
When does a newly founded church become self-supporting? In the nation of Israel, the tribe of Levi was supported by the other eleven tribes (Num. 18:21, 24). God’s people contributed a tenth of their produce (Lev. 27:30, 32), and additionally gave to special needs (Deut. 12:6-7, 17-19; 14:28-29). The tithe should be seen as still applicable to God’s people in the New Testament age. The principles of giving are clearly taught in the New Testament — we are to give regularly, willingly, according to our ability, and privately (1 Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 8:3-4; 9:6-15; Mark 12:41-44). There are those who consider the principle of ‘giving according to one’s ability’ as abrogating the tithe. In the absence of explicit abrogation of the tithe, it is better to see tithing as ‘giving according to one’s ability’. It should be possible to support the pastor fully if there are ten earning members who contribute ten percent of their income regularly. Over and above the support of the pastor, the ministry of the church often involves extra expenses, especially in the areas of hospitality, missions, and helping the weak. Furthermore, expenses are involved in the maintenance, or rental, of the place of worship. Instead of ten working members, twelve might be needed who contribute ten percent of their income, for the church to become self-supporting. Other expenses needed by the church would be made up for by the contribution of non-members and visitors in the congregation. The principle of “giving privately” means that the members are not required to make known the amount that they give, nor should they be made to pledge giving any fixed amount.
It might take time for a newly founded church to become fully independent of the founding church. Often, self-governance and self-propagation are achieved earlier while self-support takes longer. Blessed is the church that becomes self-supporting early in its existence! Blessed is the church that is not only self-supporting but also supporting other new works! God who owns “the cattle on a thousand hills” (Psalm 50:10) has declared (Mal. 3:10):
“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.”
3. The Flagship Church
The churches we desire to establish should have the characteristics of submission to Christ in His three offices, engagement in the threefold ministry of Christ, and adherence to the Three-Self Principle. This is looking at the church from within, looking at the church in relation to the world, and looking at the church from without. This paradigm of “looking from within”, “looking from without”, and “looking in relation to the world” may be expressed also as “looking up in relation to God”, “looking within to our character”, and “looking out in relation to others”. This paradigm is discernible in many scripture passages, although not always in that order, e.g. Gal. 5:22; 1 Tim. 6:11; 2 Tim. 2:22; etc. The bride of Christ is being sanctified so that it will be worthy of the Groom on the wedding day (Rev. 19:6-8). To establish churches that show these characteristics, the founding church must itself show these characteristics. As more churches are planted, and working in fellowship together, the founding church would function as the flagship church. In the old days, a fleet of ships would have a leading ship which carried the special ensign of the commanding officer, called the flagship. The flagship would generally be larger and more well equipped than the other ships. In actual combat, the preference would be for the flagship to be faster while carrying more firepower. The term “flagship” has been used widely in many spheres of life — in banking, business, education, etc.
The concept of the flagship church is found in the Scripture. The church in Jerusalem spawned many churches in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria after Pentecost (Acts 9:31). The apostles and the brothers of the Lord were travelling about planting and strengthening the churches (1 Cor. 9:5; Acts 9:32ff.). When the gospel was received in Samaria, the church in Jerusalem was informed, upon which Peter and John were sent to settle the situation (Acts 8:14). Similarly, when the gospel was received in Antioch, the church in Jerusalem was informed and Barnabas was sent to settle the church (Acts 11:20-26). The church in Antioch soon developed into a flagship church under the leadership of Paul, “the apostle to the Gentiles” (Acts 11:25-26; 13:1-3; Gal. 2:6-10). The church in Antioch spawned many churches through the ministry of Paul and other missionaries, in a sphere of ministry that was vast (2 Cor. 10:12-16). The church in Ephesus developed into a flagship church among the churches in Asia. It is mentioned first among “the seven churches in Asia” (Rev. 1:11), and addressed first in the admonition to the seven churches (Rev. 2:1). Since Revelation is a book of prophecy, the number ‘seven’ should be seen as symbolic of all the churches of Christ throughout the gospel age. Paul spent three years in Ephesus to establish the church, from which other churches were planted. There were actually more churches in Asia than the seven mentioned in the book of Revelation, including in Colossae, Hierapolis (Col. 4:13), and Troas (Acts 7:20; 2 Cor. 2:12; 2 Tim. 4:13).
What should be the characteristics of a flagship church? The flagship church should be the model for the newly planted churches — in doctrine, in practice, and even in spirit (cf. Eph. 4:1-6). The flagship church takes initiatives, acts as a centre of reference, and coordinates the work of missions. It may not be numerically large but is biblically strong — as shown by its submission to the headship of Christ in His three offices, its engagement in the threefold ministry of Christ, and its adherence to the Three-Self Principle. It shows respect for the associated churches which are autonomous and independent, love for them in desiring their wellbeing, and generosity in sharing gospel blessings with, and from, them. The concern for correctness in form, in substance, and in service all arise from the presence of Christ by His Spirit in the church, and among the churches (Eph. 3:20-21; Rev. 1:12-20).
The concept of the flagship church — planting and establishing other churches which continue to co-operate in the work of missions and in mutual edification — seem to have been grasped by the English Separatists of the 17th to the 19th centuries (Lovegrove, 2004). Although there is nothing to prevent an independent, like-minded, church from joining an existing network of churches in its vicinity, the network of churches envisaged by the early Separatists were made up of churches spawned directly by a flagship church, or indirectly by other churches in the network, or “sphere of ministry” (2 Cor. 10:13-16). Some of these networks of churches formed into more structured “regional association of churches”, while others remained unassociated (Poh, 2013: Ch. 6). This seems to be what is meant by the compilers of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith (1689:26:14):
As each church, and all the members of it are bound to (d) pray continually, for the good and prosperity of all the churches of Christ, in all places; and upon all occasions to further it (everyone within the bounds of their places, and callings, in the exercise of their gifts and graces) so the churches (when planted by the providence of God so as they may enjoy opportunity and advantage for it) ought to hold (e) communion amongst themselves for their peace, increase of love, and mutual edification. (Emphasis added.)
(d) Eph. 6:18; Psalm 122:6; (e) Rom. 16:1, 2; 3 John 8, 9, 10.
Each church in the network should engage in constant evaluation and reformation as and when needed, based on feedback and self-assessment in the areas of submission to Christ in His three offices, engagement in the threefold ministry of Christ, and adherence to the Three-Self Principle. The eldership of the church plays a key role in the evaluation and the review of the life of the church. Being in close fellowship with like-minded churches, especially those within the same network of churches, is an asset. The role of the likes of Jethro to Moses (Exod. 18:13-27) and Aquila and Priscilla to Apollos (Acts 18:24-28) should be valued. Continual self-assessment and reformation are needed because: (i) it is required by the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20); (ii) it is demanded by Scripture (Rev. 2-3). The role of the flagship church comes to the fore here (Rev. 2:1; 1 Tim. 3:14-15; Eph. 4:1-6). The flagship church should be a role model for the other churches. It should consider the welfare of the churches in its network or sphere of ministry, in the long term — including their growth to maturity, their involvement in missions, and the training of preachers and gospel helpers. Helpful literature might be made available, invitation might be extended to join local outreach efforts and wider missions trips, and an avenue of training workers might be started.
We have referred to the flagship publication and other ministries such as the training school for preachers, orphanages, etc. These entities need not all be under the direct administration of the flagship church. Gifts, resources, and opportunities differ among the churches and the minsters involved. When the network of churches becomes too big, or when the unique opportunities of gospel ministry demand it, or when the peculiar circumstances occasion it, one of the churches may develop into a flagship church in its own right. All the churches should rejoice in this, as it is a happy development in which fellowship between the churches, and between the networks of churches, are maintained. Parents are happy, and everyone rejoices, when children grow up and set up homes of their own. Similarly, when a new network of churches evolves out of an existing network every church should rejoice. There is no necessity for carnal rivalry between churches in the same network, or between networks of churches. Sadly, breaches of fellowship often occur, followed by unhappy parting of ways.
We harbour no illusion about fellowship between churches, or between believers. We are sinners, interacting with other sinners, in a fallen world. Although redeemed by the blood of Christ, remaining sin in us and the provocations of the world will cause many disappointments, heartaches, and sorrow. Misunderstandings, differences of opinion, envy, and jealousy will come into play to disrupt fellowship between brethren. Paul — and we can be certain, the other apostles as well — had their fair share of these (Acts 15:1-29, 36-41; 2 Cor. 12:11-21; 13:7-10; Gal. 2:11-21; Phil. 1:15-17; 2 Tim. 1:15; 4:9-10, 14-15). Issues will have to be dealt with, and relations will have to be mended as best we can, but the work of missions must continue on — in obedience to the Lord, and to the glory of the triune God.
Summary
Analysis and synthesis are necessary procedures carried out in any serious investigation of any subject. Our analysis of the Great Commission yields principles and methods that must be synthesised into a system in which the methods employed yield the results desired. The principles of Scripture must be followed all the time while the methods of Scripture are to be followed as much as possible, with allowance for adjustment to local or special situations. Although it is impossible to find a perfect church on earth, the Scripture puts before us the characteristics of an ideal church which we should strive to be, and to found. The ideal church should submit to Christ in His three offices of Prophet, Priest, and King. Its ministry should be modelled after the threefold ministry of Christ. It should uphold the Three-Self Principle of being self-governing, self-propagating, and self-supporting. The flagship church in any network of churches should set the example in all these areas. Constant self-examination and reformation will be needed to stay on course. Instead of carnal rivalry, there should be mutual care and support among the churches arising from the presence of Christ, by His Spirit, in their midst. The work of missions must continue despite the inevitable disruptions in fellowship between believers, and between churches.
References
1. Aniol, Scott. 2015. By The Waters Of Babylon: Worship in a Post-Christian Culture. Kernel Ministry.
2. Bruce, F. F. 1977. Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free. W. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co.
3. London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689.
4. Lovegrove, D. W. 2004. Established Church, Sectarian People: Itinerancy and the Transformation of English Dissent, 1780-1830). Cambridge University Press.
5. Nevius, John. 1899. The Planting and Development of Missionary Churches. https://archive.org/details/plantingdevelopm00nevi/page/n4. (Last accessed, 12 November 2018.)
6. Poh, B. S. 1997. A Multifaceted Jewel. Good News Enterprise.
7. Poh, B. S. 2013. A Garden Enclosed. Good News Enterprise.
8. Poh, B. S. 2017. The Keys of the Kingdom. Good News Enterprise.
9. Poh, B. S. 2017. Thoroughgoing Reformation. Good News Enterprise.
10. Reisinger, E. C. & Allen, D. M. 2001. Worship: The Regulative Principle and the Biblical Principle of Accommodation. Founders Press.
11. Ritchey, Tom. Analysis And Synthesis. http://www.swemorph.com/pdf/anaeng-r.pdf (Last accessed, September 2019). This is a helpful introduction to the concepts of analysis and synthesis.
Recommended Reading
1. Nevius, John. 1899. The Planting and Development of Missionary Churches. https://archive.org/details/plantingdevelopm00nevi/page/n4.
2. Reisinger, E. C. & Allen, D. M. 2001. Worship: The Regulative Principle and the Biblical Principle of Accommodation. Founders Press.