Why I Am A Member Of The City of Angels Christian Church (Part Two) Guest Editorial: Marty and Cathy Wooten

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 It is our desire to be members of a congregation devoted to the same central purpose of Jesus Christ; that is, to save as many as possible. (Luke 19:10: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”) The Gospels clearly indicate that all aspects of Jesus’ ministry support that goal – healing the sick, teaching, preaching, and most importantly, dying on the cross. (John 12:32: “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself. “) Over the years, it has been exciting and fulfilling to be part of a fellowship of churches with an evangelistic passion for their families, communities, and nations of the world. Leading church plantings to Denver, Colorado and Berlin, Germany were, for us, not only fun, but some of our most memorable experiences. We believe it is not enough to be in a fellowship that merely acknowledges the importance of an evangelistic purpose, but one which also has a specific plan of action and the passion to accomplish it. Thankfully, it is not necessary to “reinvent the wheel” regarding successful evangelistic methodology, but it will always be necessary to continue the emphasis on the importance of genuinely loving the lost and one another.

If the central purpose of a fellowship is to impact the world for Christ, then unity is an absolute necessity for success (John 17); unity within an individual church and between a larger fellowship of churches must take place. No doubt, some degree of impact can be achieved in an isolated congregation, however, Christians and churches evangelizing independently of one another miss proven dynamics for effective evangelism. We optimize our chance for success if we organize and work cooperatively with one another using all the available human and material resources we share. This universal principle applies to any group — family, community, sports team, corporation, or political party. If success is dependent on unity, then it is logical to assume the higher the level of unity attained, the greater the resulting success. Therefore, we are committed to a working, effective, and healthy unity between churches.

The issue of “church autonomy” has historically caused a great deal of controversy and division among the Churches of Christ. Emerging out of the conflict with denominational church structures, the intense lobbying for church autonomy soon became a fundamental “doctrine” of the Churches of Christ. Any attempts at cooperation were deemed unscriptural and were swiftly labeled as heretical. This preoccupation with the independence of churches tragically lessened the impact of churches on many important fronts, in particular, world missions. Congregations with a strong passion for reaching the lost remained in isolation, without adequate resources to fulfill their evangelistic dreams.

It is not helpful to leave the idea of “autonomy” vaguely defined. We believe in it and oppose it at the same time, depending on how it is defined. If “autonomy” is understood as little to no interaction between churches, in regards to the equitable sharing of human and financial resources, then autonomy will only weaken the efforts of congregations with the same central purpose. Yet, if opposing “autonomy” leads to a dictating hierarchy of immature co-dependent congregations and leadership, then we strongly affirm the necessity of autonomy, that is, the establishment of healthy boundaries between Christians, churches, and a world-wide leadership.

It is only recently that we have become aware how devastating the emphasis on church autonomy has become. Churches in many cities have been left directionless, passionless, and without visionary leadership. On the other hand, the unhealthy and destructive aspects of our past world-wide structure must continue to be acknowledged and in our new fellowship changed. We are in agreement with the McKeans and many others in our fellowship that to sit back and watch the continued devastation of “isolated autonomy” is also unacceptable, particularly when so many are reaching out for revival and direction. We cannot ignore Paul’s expression of love and concern for the Corinthian church; Timothy was sent by Paul to remind the congregation of the importance of a “life and doctrine unity” between the Corinthian church and the other churches under his care. (1 Corinthians 4:17) For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.

Albert Wagers moved the crowd with his restoration story
Proper and careful communication is imperative if genuine unity is to be achieved. Disunity is fueled by the inappropriate use of certain terms and phrases and carelessness in our communication with one another. As disunity widens, more careful attention must be paid to this area. The misuse of a single word can cause intense emotional reactions, and thus, can be the deciding factor between whether people are destroyed or healed by our words. Biblical truths can be missed due to thoughtlessness and insensitivity. Though some may consider this careful diligence a compromise of convictions, the Bible is clear that we should speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:14) and that whatever comes out of our mouths should build up and benefit those who listen (Ephesians 4:29) . Truthful and loving communication is a characteristic of a mature disciple of Christ.

Following the recent turmoil, it is so heartbreaking that many churches have been left without visionary leadership and powerful biblical preaching and teaching. All of these dynamics are necessary to reach the world for Christ. Christians must be motivated by the truths of God’s Word, and thus, properly inspired to reach others for Christ. Disciples seeking to be part of evangelistic fellowships and church plantings, as well as, becoming preachers and teachers must be trained in legitimate methods of biblical interpretation and proper ways to inspire and motivate. This commitment must be at the foundation of all of our “disciple making.” No compromises on these important principles are acceptable. Some of the deepest, challenging books of the Bible, i.e. (Romans and Hebrews) were written to strengthen and inspire God’s people in the early church. We cannot expect God to bless our efforts if we do not imitate the hearts behind these written examples of ministering to others. Zeal is crucial to igniting an evangelistic movement of God’s people. Yet, zeal without the temperance of knowledge cannot be sustained and is destructive to the advancement of the Gospel. There are many challenges that will threaten our zeal, but the truths in the Scriptures will always be there to revive it. (Romans 10:1-4) We must ensure that every disciple in our young movement has the opportunity to be trained to inspire, accurately teach the Word of God, and be part of a visionary fellowship devoted to the purposes of God.

By joining the City of Angels Church, we are thankful that many of our dreams have been rekindled and that we have the opportunity to use more of our talents and experiences to help strengthen the faith of other disciples. In the congregation, Kip’s strengths are evident in his vision, powerful preaching, teaching, and strong leadership. We believe that our strengths are in shepherding, biblical study, teaching, and writing. It is our prayer that by combining our strengths, we can fortify our weaknesses. Together with the help of several other mature Christians in the fellowship, and hopefully with other disciples who will join us in the future, we can witness God giving the increase to our planting and watering around the world.

Marty and Cathy Wooten
martinwooten@yahoo.com
cathywooten@hotmail.com