I had dinner with a cousin-in-law involved in the 'Boston movement' or 'International Churches of Christ' here in Jakarta.

We talked some about his church. They ahve about 1500 peole in their congregations, and he said they didn't have any local elders yet. they've been around here for around 8 years, I'd imagine from what I've heard.

He said that the requiremetns for a Biblical elder were pretty stringint, so it was hard for them to have elders. They do have evangelists. I suppose it's easier for them to run on a sort of clergy type model where gifts or talents are used as a measurement of who is qualified ot be an evangelist. There isnt' a specific list of qualifications to be an evangelist.

I asked him a little about the qualifications for elders. They believe an elders children must believe, so they only appoint elders iwth baptized children. But if a man has a little baby later in life, from what I understand, that can knock him out of being able to be an elder in their church, since the baby hasn't been baptized yet. I wonder if they withdraw eldership when a man's wife becomes pregnant.

He said that elders come from malasia, America, India and other places, though, to help out. They have a lot of other types of ministers, teachers, Bible talk leaders, zone leaders, and evangelists.

I pointed out to him that Paul and Barnabas 'planted churches' through preaching, left them, and found men qualified to be elders when they came back through maybe a year or two later.

-- Anonymous, March 11, 2001

Answers

They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. (1 John 2:19)

-- Anonymous, March 11, 2001

John, Are you saying that you don't believe the Boston movement people are not true disciples of Christ? Do you think they are all going to hell?

What would you say to a CoC person who quoted the same verse about Christians from a CC church that changed it's congregation name from CoC to CC about 70 years ago over the issue of music? Is that a valid use of the verse?

-- Anonymous, March 11, 2001

However, the Bible did not command us to appoint music ministry in every city. the Bible did instruct us to appoint elders, pastors.

-- Anonymous, March 14, 2001