The Puritan Pattern, a case for the smaller church

In the 17th century the church's' work was carried forth through programs, edicts, enforcers and bureaucratic administrations. Ministers were choked in politics. In the midst of this cold and messy church environment Puritans set forth a warm and simple church model which they believed to be the church of God's design. Beginning with this post I will identify some elements of a Puritan church model and implications that can be drawn from them.
(1) The church is the congregation, and it is one congregation only. Congregational doctrine all the way back to the Cambridge Platform of 1648 declares that a church consists of no more members than can conveniently meet in one place at one time. Churches with multiple congregations meeting at different times under different banners or worship styles are outside the one congregation-one church identification with historic congregationalism recognizes as Biblical. Churches with arrays of program and worship options fail to provide a most essential option, the option of wholly belonging to the whole church.
(2) Church members are united in church covenant. By the church covenant Christians pledge to help one another walk in all the ways of the Lord to advance Christ's Kingdom. Church members regard one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, and in some senses they place their spiritual family ahead of their natural families. For obvious reasons churches simply cannot receive anonymous member candidates by formalities such as the show of hands. Neither can they afford to casually write off those who have ceased to participate in church life. All who enter into covenant must be regarded as family and loved and pursued as family. The Biblical/logical basis for church covenant is this: by the Scriptures we see that Christians are to be under the rule and discipline of churches, and churches can only have the ability to carry forth their rule and discipline as Christians individually, willfully, voluntarily submit to one another in the church by means of a covenant.

There is no virtue in being simply a small church. Small churches are frequently way outside of God's patterns. But small churches at least have the opportunity to be churches abiding within Biblical patterns wherein the pastor knows and shepherds his flock, the church is one undivided congregation led by the Spirit of God, Christian brothers and sisters watch out for each other, everyone can participate in the business meetings and folks are knowledgeable of each other's prayer requests.

Mega churches can broadcast the Gospel and send missionaries to the ends of the earth, but they cannot do that which is most necessary to fulfilling The Great Commission; they cannot be churches cut in the Biblical pattern which can be reproduced over and over around the world. American Christianity has an abundance of church staff, facilities, scholars, schools and programs. What is lacking is the existence of genuine churches cut in the pattern of Scripture, and these churches can exist with or without paid staff and facilities.

(3) Christ is preeminently present within His churches. Christ is present everywhere, but He is present in a special sense amidst His gathered congregations. The goal of every church should be to be known as that special place where those seeking to find the Lord and His help may do so. Within a worshipping congregation is a presence of Christ that cannot be transmitted through radio, television, the Internet or the printed page. It is the congregation's most valued asset, and folks must be present to experience what they otherwise cannot know.

John Bunyan, among other Puritans, saw the heavenly city of Revelations 21 as a metaphor for Christ's church, especially as it shall emerge upon the earth in the latter days. Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them. . .(Rev.21:3). That God is with His people is the covenant promise made to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and David, repeated by the prophets, typified in the tabernacle and repeated in the last chapters of the Bible. Christ's presence is a reality within the worshipping congregation. The church exists to bear the moral image of Christ who dwells within her, and she exists to point to her own grand finale where tears are wiped away and joy reigns supreme. Everything not appropriate to Christ's presence and the church's end destination must be kept out of worship services and church business. Those things appropriate to the presence of Christ including kneeling in prayer, seeking God in salvation, singing Christ's praises and encouraging and exhorting one another must be continued.

The Puritans had vision---they believed that a kingdom of churches would gain in influence and momentum upon the earth until the very end of time. Today, the closest that many conservative Christians can come to having vision is to say that when Christ returns He will make all things right. But by the power of Christ's word and spirit His Kingdom will be advancing when He returns to receive it, and the gates of hell will not prevail over His church!