A Cambridge God Adventure 14) Reality check

Perhaps a word on the role of Church Meetings! Baptist polity involves members of a local gathered church being responsible for meeting together in order to discern the mind of Christ for their congregational life. Such 'government' meetings are the heart of all vital decisions. It is a high claim. Our pattern was to hold monthly meetings at which all matters of church life - big and small - were discussed.  Though these occasions (like committees) can garner a bad reputation, they became for me the second most exciting parts of the God adventure (behind the prayer diary).  Even when they didn't turn out as I had hoped (especially when they didn't) I discovered in church meeting how much we grew in our spiritual life together through the years.

However....taking part in a radio phone-in panel on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire late one Sunday evening, the last caller gave his name and asked to speak to the Baptist on the panel. 'I want to ask you how your Baptist church meetings work.  Is your democracy based upon humanistic enlightenment principles of the eighteenth century.  You know, everyone has a vote and you act on the majority'?  Yes, he really asked this.

I answered: 'No, it's not democracy.  What happens when issues come before the people of God is that first the elected leaders think and pray them through as they seek to discern God's will so that when the full church meeting occurs prayer is already at work. When it is a major issue we really stress the need for prayer. And when we vote it's not based on what we like or dislike but what seems good to the Holy Spirit and to us.  We dare to believe that we might together know something of the mind of Christ and that people will vote for God's will.'   The presenter asked if this answered the question. 'Yes', he said and with thanks to our listeners some music faded us out.

Afterwards, the Anglican on the panel said 'You know I never understood that Baptist meeting thing until you explained it.  That really is amazing....that it can work like that.  Amazing!'  And I confessed to him: But is it true? That's the principle but, frankly, church meetings need spiritual maturity and  fallen people (in fallen churches) can easily demand their own likes. Yet, from my experience, when a people really want to learn and do God's will together there is no better way than to share in Church Meeting.'  I know it is not always so but to be able to confront conflict, disagreements, personality clashes in the context of prayerful togetherness meant developing genuine fellowship and growth. My Cambridge experience of church meeting was a glorious treasure over fourteen years. Really!