Philemon 1:4-6 (NIV)

An open letter to all members in our fellowship of churches

My dear brothers and sisters,

Henry Kriete has written an excellent letter about what's wrong with the ICOC. There is very little about the letter that I personally disagree with and I feel that the things that Henry has written about needed to be pointed out and still need to be addressed. I pray that God will convict the hearts of leaders and members a like to repent, apologize and eliminate those things from our fellowship that are not Biblical. Restoration of the New Testament church is a never ending process. The moment we feel that we have "arrived", no longer needing to call ourselves and our brothers back to a more biblical fellowship, is the moment that we cease to become more and more "like Christ" personally and collectively as the body of Christ.

That having been said, I have a strong conviction that much of the progress we have made in restoring the New Testament church is on the verge of being lost unless we remind ourselves about the long list of things that are "right" about the ICOC. I have personally been a part of the church for 30 years and have seen God work in a untold number of ways. My fear is that we are on the verge of losing something that is very precious and unique in this world. I am not a proponent of "tossing the baby out with the bath water" (a strikingly appropriate figure of speech for this situation!). The things that should bring us together and keep us together in true unity are those core convictions from the word of God that we share in common.

Before I begin to list some of the things I think are right, let me comment on the name "International Churches of Christ". I'm not convinced that the name itself is one of the things that we need to preserve - it is one of the things that should be considered and debated. However, it is the name that we currently recognize and we understand who it refers to. A letter must be addressed to someone - so I'm addressing it to the ICOC.

Lastly, I do not think for a moment that I am able to list everything that is right with the ICOC, nor do I believe that there is anything "sacred" about my list. In fact, my intent is not to try to list everything, but rather to begin to "balance" the current discussion and the thinking of those in the church by looking at the positive, affirming the good that we have achieved and committing to preserve what is good and right, while we seek to eliminate what is wrong.

What is right? (no particular order)

- studying God's Word with people before they become part of our fellowship. Eph 4:20-24 is clear that to "come to know Christ" requires teaching. Many of the other things I've listed as being "right" with the church are things that are taught in "the studies". I'm not sure that conformity to a single, uniform set of "studies" is necessary, but it has served the church well in ensuring that everyone who becomes a member of the church understands from the Bible many of our most important convictions.

- the Biblical conversion process: faith, repentance and baptism by immersion for the forgiveness of sins. While this is not totally unique among Christian Churches at large, we are among the very few that really teach and practice equal emphasis each part of the conversion process.

- the centrality of the Cross of Christ in true conversion. Every "new Christian sharing" session underscores how vital the deep, personal understanding of the true nature and significance of the cross is in changing the hearts of people.

- that a heartfelt conviction about one's own personal sin is a prerequisite to true repentance (2 Cor 7:10-11).

- making the clear distinction between "light & darkness". We have made it clear that it is wrong for a person to call themselves a Christian and yet "walk in darkness" (1 Jn 1:6). It is not an issue of perfection, but of heart and conviction.

- the greatest command for each individual is to love God (Mark 12:29-30). This forces us to realign our priorities and is the foundation of our relationship with God

- new disciples being baptized on a weekly basis, resulting in true church growth. Growth is a necessary (but not sufficient) indication of the spread of the gospel (Col 1:6).

- truly loving one another. It is Christ's supreme command (Jn 13:34-35) regarding our relationships, and implementation of it always results in a distinctiveness that is unique and undeniable. One of the most common comments by visitors to our worship services is "I noticed the love".

- being "fruitful" is a goal of every disciple. At times our definition of fruit has been too narrowly focused on converting other people and too "numbers oriented", but Jesus' is clear that fruit is the natural and healthy result of discipleship (Jn 15:8), and one of the key evidences of true discipleship.

- teaching the biblical relationship between Christ's Church and the Kingdom of God. This understanding is virtually nonexistent in the religious world, and has many practical implications.

- practicing "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness" (Matt 5:33). At times this has been applied narrowly as a pseudonym for "attend every function of the church," and often the "righteousness" part has been neglected, but this verse is indispensable in helping disciples keep Godly priorities. It is the natural outcome of loving God with all your being, not an additional command.

- Biblical discipleship - calling every person to be a disciple of Jesus rather than a nominal, "watered down", denominational Christian. We are disciples of Christ, no one else. When we have tried to expand the unique relationship between Christ, the master teacher, and the individual disciple to include "discipling" by other people, we have overstepped biblical discipleship. There should be imitation of the Christ-like attributes & spirit that we see in our brothers and there is a place for the giving & taking of godly advice, but our singular allegiance must be to the "good shepherd" (John 10), to heed to his voice only.

- exalting Christ as the true & only head of the church (Col 1:18). We have wavered a bit on this by allowing men too much authority and control over the church. We need to reaffirm this core Biblical conviction & commit to practice what we preach!

- "sharing your faith" is the responsibility of every disciple. The true implementation of the "priesthood of believers" (see 1 Pet 2:5) is more apparent in our fellowship that any that I have seen among groups that stick closely to the Bible.

- that daily prayer and daily Bible study are essential for every single member of the church, not just the leadership.

- sacrificial giving of a significant portion of one's income is not only essential to meet the financial needs of the church, but essential to deal with the greed (Lk 12:15) that "so easily entangles" us.

- a world vision - the conviction that the whole world needs to hear the gospel message, accompanied by an organized plan to realize that vision. Although it is not "the greatest commandment", the great commission (Matt 28:18-20) is and should be one of the fundamental guiding principals in everything we do, both personally and as a church. It is Jesus' specific instruction to disciples on how to implement the "second greatest" commandment, that to love our neighbors (Mk 12:31).

- true fellowship (Acts 2:42) with other disciples on a weekly basis, where there is genuine sharing of victories & defeats, accomplishments & struggles, hopes & fears, laughs and tears. The world we live in is characterized by shallowness and a thin facade when it comes to interactions between people. It is so refreshing to move below the surface to have deep, meaningful and life changing conversations.

- racial, economic and cultural diversity in the church. Even though it has not always been implemented fully and there have been instances of the type of favoritism that is forbidden (James 2:1-13), we have made great strides at implementing diversity.

- strong, decisive & confident leaders. Leaders in the church should call each member higher, not only by their words but by their lives (Heb 13:7). Nothing is more discouraging than weak leaders who are afraid to take a stand, which is the state of much of the "Christian world". There have been clear abuses of leadership and a "system" that has promoted too much authority - these things must be dealt with. However, the absence of clear leadership results in another set of problems that are equally as damaging.

- the conviction that the whole Bible is God's complete & inerrant revelation to man. It is sufficient for each of us to be "thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Tim 3:17). It truly is "the standard" for our individual lives as well as for the conduct of the church. The closer we cling to it, the fewer problems we will have personally & as a church.

- interesting & spirited worship services where attendees are involved, not merely spectators.

- a small group of fellow disciples (a "Bible Talk" or house church group) who really know what is going on in your life & who are genuinely willing to help in any way they can. Individual needs are met and individuals are less likely to "fall through the cracks" or quietly drift away from God & the fellowship without someone knowing and caring enough to "restore him" or help "carry each other's burdens" (Gal 6:1-2).

- regular confession of sin to another person (James 5:16).

- strong emphasis on the importance of marriage & the family.

- real help to parents in raising their children to love God and developing their desire to be disciples. Significant resources are spent on camp, middle school and teen workers. Each week a large number of disciples sacrifice being in worship services in order to provide fun and interesting Bible based classes for the children in Kids Kingdom.

- an international fellowship of churches with the same core beliefs, that teach and practice most of the things on this list. It is truly a blessing to worship with disciples in other cities, perhaps even in other countries (as I have been privileged to do), and find that you have much in common and to build an instant bond of fellowship.

- our concern for the poor and needy. It is apparent in the Gospels that this is very close to the heart of Jesus. We have done much in the past with our special offerings and programs such as Hope Worldwide, Hope for Kids and Hope for Children. It is a beginning, but the needs are staggering. I'm sure that here have been situations where we have not taken care of the benevolent needs of our own members. This needs to be addressed without forgetting about the "neighbors" that we have never met (Luke 10:29-37).

That's the end of the beginning of my list - one man's thought's & perspective. I did not spend months agonizing over it, as I'm sure Henry did with his letter, and I'm not sure that it is even a good starting list, but it is a start - the first 28 things that came to my mind. I plan to continue to build and refine my list for at least another 30 years, as I watch God continue to work through his church.

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