Christ is Head of the church
The church of Jesus Christ in the United States of America has long been encamped under the shade of the theistic worldview of our nation’s founding fathers. From the Declaration of Independence of 1776 (which speaks of all citizens of this nation being “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights”) to the Constitution of 1787 (which prohibits the passage of any law restraining the free exercise of religion), to the Bible being taught in public school classrooms until the early twentieth century, to the rise of the “Moral Majority” later in twentieth-century American politics, Christians in this country have enjoyed an atypical pilgrimage toward the golden shores of heaven.
As twenty-first century followers of Christ, we have all at some point read passages like 1 Timothy 3:12 (“all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted”) and have assumed they apply to a former time, or to foreign lands, but not to modern America. We have read passages about submitting to the governing authorities (Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-20), and typically have not had to think deeply about these texts other than on an academic or hypothetical level. We have read stories about valiant heroes of the faith (in places such as Hebrews 11, and in the subsequent annals of church history), and have wondered to ourselves whether we would similarly demonstrate the bravery and courage shown by so many martyrs and other stalwart defenders of the faith.
Though we may not have been able to appreciate it fully in the moment, our experience as Christians in America changed drastically a little over six months ago. As an invisible virus with a high contagion risk and a supposedly high morbidity rate began spreading, the world as we know it all but shut down. Sports teams stopped playing. Schools shut down. Businesses closed their doors. And, of course, churches stopped gathering in person. Pastors began trading their pulpits for a computer screen, small groups began meeting over Zoom rather than in person, and the ordinances essential to Christian worship (baptism (Matthew 28:19) and communion (Matthew 26:26-28; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)) were put on hold.
Mission Bible Church was no exception. Through prayer, with sincerity, and in good conscience, the elders of MBC made the decision, many months ago, to comply with the order of the governing authority—specifically, the Governor of the State of California—to refrain from assembling in person. The decision was made not only as an act of obedience, but as an act of love for those who might be at risk of exposure to what had been broadly represented to be a deadly virus. Our decision was also layered on top of the reality that, at the time, we were a church without a full-time facility to call our home. Thus, for a season, doing church online was our only viable option.
As more time has passed, however, and as the elders of Mission Bible Church have studied the Scripture, met together, prayed, and otherwise analyzed what is happening in both the church and in the world, we have mutually and humbly come to the conclusion that the time is now to publicly declare that we will no longer adhere to government-imposed standards, regulations, or requirements that in any way impede or otherwise significantly interfere with the ability of our flock to worship and praise our great God, to fellowship with the people of God, or to share the saving message of the gospel with those who need to be reconciled to God. There are a number of interwoven strands of thought which support this decision, which will briefly be laid out below.
First, our decision is rooted in the theological reality that governing authorities have no authority to wield their powers vis-à-vis the polity or liturgy of the church. The church has one Head—the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:22; Colossians 1:18). Christ alone is the “blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords” (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14; Revelation 19:16), and He alone is the Ruler over all matters pertaining to how the church worships, praises, gathers, assembles, and reaches the lost for Christ. His authority is “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And [God the Father has] put all things in subjection under [Christ’s] feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:21-23).
While civil authorities do have, within the sphere of influence God has allotted to them (Romans 13:1-6), the ability to set speed limits, to levy taxes, and to pass food safety regulations, no civil authority has the right to encroach upon King Jesus’ exclusive dominion over His church. A civil authority who bans the singing of congregational worship songs (which collides with the language of Ephesians 5:18-19 and Colossians 3:16), or tells Christians brothers and sisters that they can interact at church only if they are at least six feet apart or wearing masks, or to tell Christians that they are to remain outdoors (no matter the weather conditions), or to assemble only as a fraction of the church, is a civil authority who has overstepped his or her authority. Such a civil authority has stepped into territory reserved by the Chief Shepherd and His appointed undershepherds (the pastors of the church).
Second, our decision is grounded in the logical reality that the virus which has undergirded this pandemic is not nearly the deadly outbreak it was feared to be. It has not been lost on the elders of Mission Bible Church that the heightened sense of fear about the severity of COVID-19 has been greatly exaggerated. In the early stages of the pandemic, government authorities were predicting that millions would die as a result of COVID-19. That statement is now provably false. COVID-19 is not a modern-day bubonic plague, black death, or Spanish flu. Notwithstanding the underwhelming evidence of morbidity, churches like ours have been instructed by civil authorities that we cannot assemble in the manner we have historically and customarily assembled.
To add to the confusion, and further undermining the position of the governing authorities on this subject, non-church assemblies have been happening (and continue to happen) throughout our land, with little-to-no government intervention. For instance, during the same time that churches have been told they cannot assemble, people of various loyalties, bents, and affiliations have been assembling in droves for the purpose of protesting, advancing political causes, and winning political elections. The refusal of the governing authorities to shut down such other large assemblies reveals, at best, logical inconsistency in their position, and at worse, animus toward religious assemblies in general, and the Christian church specifically.
Third, our decision is rooted in the economic reality that the restrictions being placed on churches (including our own) by government regulations has already sounded the death knell for many churches across the United States, and promise to do the same for still many more churches. Though we are well aware of the reality that Jesus has declared that He will build His church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18), we also are keenly aware of the truth that the “church” Jesus spoke of there now finds its expression in countless local churches across the globe. While the worldwide church’s flame will never be extinguished, the sad truth is that individual lampstands may flame out in the months ahead for no other reason than current government regulations have made their ongoing existence a financial impossibility. While God has shown His favor to our church in so many ways over the past six months—and by His grace alone we find ourselves in a healthy economic position—we are aware of many smaller-sized, faithful churches that are struggling greatly during these times, and it is our intention to publicly stand in solidarity with them through this statement.
Fourth, our decision is rooted in the future reality that we will, as elders, each give an account one day for how we shepherded the church—Mission Bible Church in particular (1 Peter 5:4). We will give an account for how we interpreted Scripture, how we taught biblical truth, and the biblically-informed wisdom calls we made—including this one. It is our settled and mutual conviction—in light of all that has been discussed here—that when each of us stands before the Chief Shepherd one day, the decision that is here being communicated is the decision we will want to stand on. We do not stand for fear-based frenzy or for political correctness or favor. Instead, we stand for bold allegiance to Jesus Christ and His design for the church—no matter the cost.
We do not take the matters we have addressed here lightly. To the contrary, we take these matters very seriously. We are saddened that the world is in the state it is in, we are grieved that our governing authorities continue to take steps which make it increasingly more difficult to function as a church, and we are troubled that we are now at the point where we are drawing the proverbial line in the sand. But draw that line we must, as we are convinced that the people of God must be able to assemble as the people of God, in the way Christ has designed for us to assemble—not the way any particular secular ruler may prefer us to do so. And the line must be drawn now, not at some later date, before further restrictions on our ability to gather and worship as the people of God are attempted, before further territory is illegitimately ceded to Sacramento, and while other Bible-teaching churches are also taking the stand alongside us.
And so now, we confidently entrust ourselves and the dear people of this church to God, and as we submit to His sovereign purposes (Ephesians 1:11; Psalm 115:3; Job 42:2) in this matter, we say to our government—in alignment with the apostles of the early church—“Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge” (Acts 4:19). But as for the elders of Mission Bible Church, “we must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).
Forward in Faith,
Elders of Mission Bible Church
Albert Kilgore, Desmond Outlaw, Jesse Randolph, Brett Skinner, Tony Wood
