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Before ascending from the earth,
Jesus Christ organized his church on earth. The New Testament
provides various details on how this was accomplished both
before and after the ascension of Christ.
How closely do the Christian churches of today resemble that
which was established by Jesus Christ and the early apostles
of the Church? This section examines the
Structure of the
Church of Jesus Christ, as well as the
Name of the Church of
Jesus Christ, in order to provide insights and perspectives
into this important aspect of the ongoing ministry of
Christianity on earth. |
STRUCTURE OF THE CHURCH OF
JESUS CHRIST
For the Church of Jesus Christ to carry out the work of
building the kingdom of God on earth and into the eternities
it must be organized effectively. God is a God of order and
his son Jesus Christ came to organize his church on earth
before his ascension into heaven.
Jesus Christ established his church according to certain
organizational principles (Luke 10:1, Luke 6:13-16, Mark
3:14). His apostles reaffirmed these principles, as evidenced
by such events and writings as the appointment of Matthias
after the death of Judas (Acts 1:25-26) and the validation of
church structure by Paul in his many letters (Eph 2:20, Eph
3:5, Eph 4:11, and 1 Cor. 12:28).
Christ Established an Unpaid, Participatory Ministry
The ministry established by Christ and his apostles is unpaid
(1 Peter 5:2, John 10:12, and Luke 10:4), and encourages the
involvement of all of its members. The opposite of this
structure is a church in which ministers are paid to minister
as a career, and the members belong but have little to no
involvement in the operations or ministry. When people are
selectively involved in a church they are not given the
opportunity to feel a spiritual and temporal commitment to the
gospel of Jesus Christ. Christianity was meant to be a
participatory community, where people serve and minister to
one another, allowing there to be many to do the work of the
Lord and eliminating the need for paid ministers.
The Original Church Structure was Lost
Following the ascension of Christ and through the centuries
that followed, men changed the ordinances and doctrines
established by the savior, including the organization of the
Church. The result of these changes led to the propagation of
sects and ushered in the period in western history known as
the “Dark Ages” (approximately A.D. 400 to A.D. 1,000). Amos
prophesied of this period when he said there would be “a
famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for
water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. … They shall …
seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it” (Amos
8:11–12). Christ also knew that this apostasy would take place
and prophesied of a restoration when through the prophet
Isaiah he said “I will proceed to do a marvelous work among
this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder” (Isaiah
29:14).
The Structure of the Church of Christ was Restored
The restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ included a full
restoration of the structure of the Church, beginning with
restoration of the authority of the priesthood. In 1829 both
the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods were restored to the
earth, laying the ground work for this revelation given in
April of 1830: “The rise of the Church of Christ in these last
days, being one thousand eight hundred and thirty years since
the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the flesh,
it being regularly organized and established agreeable to the
laws of our country, by the will and commandments of God…”
(D&C 20:1)
This revelation inspired the direction that the Church would
be organized with the same offices as during the time of
Christ’s public ministry, including “Apostles, prophets,
seventies, evangelists (patriarchs), pastors (presiding
officers), high priests, elders, bishops, priests, teachers,
and deacons” (Gospel Principles 112). The commitment of the
Church to restoring and maintaining the same ecclesiastical
structure as during the time of Christ on earth is stated in
the 6th Article of Faith: “We believe in the same organization
that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles,
prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth”
(Articles of Faith 1:6).
The Church has grown and become more complex than it was in
the early days. The Lord has revealed the changes necessary to
adapt to this growth and complexity. Each structural component
comes about through revelation and mirrors the framework of
the early church of Jesus Christ.
NAME OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST
Does it matter what the name of a Christian Church is? There
are perhaps tens of thousands of different names given to
Christian churches throughout the world, each one having a
story behind it as to how it came into being. “Catholic” means
universal; “Baptist” is a derivative of “baptism”; “Methodist”
was named for its structured worship practices; and then there
are the nearly limitless names among the vast array of
non-denominational Christian churches.
A Church Name identifies its Believers
A church name does far more than serve as an identifier on the
outside of the building. At the individual level a name is not
just about alignment to a particular denomination; it is that
which boldly proclaims who you worship and whom you follow. If
a church is named “Fellowship of the Woodlands,” it is not
immediately clear what that church stands for or who it
worships. If a church is named “Saint Peter,” then the
question naturally follows if they worship Saint Peter.
A scripture from the Book of Mormon sums the subject up
thoughtfully, where Jesus Christ appears to the people of
America and becomes involved in a conversation regarding the
naming of his church (3 Nephi 27:3-7): “And they said unto
him: Lord, we will that thou wouldst tell us the name whereby
we shall call this church; for there are disputations among
the people concerning this matter. And the Lord said unto
them: Verily, verily, I say unto you, why is it that the
people should murmur and dispute because of this thing? Have
they not read the scriptures, which say ye must take upon you
the name of Christ, which is my name? For by this name shall
ye be called at the last day; And whoso taketh upon him my
name, and endureth to the end, the same shall be saved at the
last day. Therefore, whatsoever ye shall do, ye shall do it in
my name; therefore ye shall call the church in my name; and ye
shall call upon the Father in my name that he will bless the
church for my sake.”
An Example of a Meaningful Church Name
Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles wrote
an article in 1990 in which he describes a church name, phrase
by phrase, to expound on its meaning—in this case the name of
the church being The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints (Russell M. Nelson, “Thus Shall My Church Be Called,”
Ensign, May 1990, 16). The following is a summary of that
article:
The Church
“The first two words of the name the Lord chose for His
earthly organization… Note that the article The begins with a
capital letter. This is an important part of the title, for
the Church is the official organization of baptized believers
who have taken upon themselves the name of Christ.” (D&C
10:67–69; D&C 18:21–25.) The foundation of the Church is the
reality that God is our Father and that His Only Begotten Son,
Jesus Christ, is the Savior of the world. The witness and
inspiration of the Holy Ghost confirm those realities. The
Church is the way by which the Master accomplishes His work
and bestows His glory…”
of Jesus Christ
“By divine directive, the title of the Church bears the sacred
name of Jesus Christ, whose church this is.” (See D&C
115:3–4.)… We worship God the Eternal Father in the name of
His Son by the power of the Holy Ghost. We know the premortal
Jesus to be Jehovah… We know Him to be “the chief corner
stone” upon which the organization of His Church is based.
(Eph. 2:20.) We know Him to be the Rock from whom revelation
comes to His authorized agents (see 1 or. 10:4; Hel. 5:12) and
to all who worthily seek Him (see D&C 88:63)…”
of Latter-day
“It is true that scriptures foretell the final days of the
earth’s temporal existence as a telestial sphere. The earth
will then be renewed and receive its paradisiacal, or
terrestrial, glory. (A of F 1:10.) Ultimately, the earth will
become celestialized. (See Rev. 21:1; D&C 77:1; D&C 88:25–26.)
But its last days must be preceded by its latter days! We live
in those latter days, and they are really remarkable. The
Lord’s Spirit is being poured out upon all inhabitants of the
earth, precisely as the prophet Joel foretold. His prophecy
was of such significance that the angel Moroni reaffirmed it
to the Prophet Joseph Smith.” (See Joel 2:28–32; JS—H 1:41.)
Saints
“The word Christian appears in only three verses of the King
James Version of the Bible. In contrast, the term saint (or
saints) appears in thirty-six verses of the Old Testament and
in sixty-two verses of the New Testament. Paul addressed an
epistle “to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the
faithful in Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 1:1.) To recent converts
there he said, “Ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but
fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.”
(Eph. 2:19; see also Eph. 3:17–19.). In his epistle to the
Ephesians, Paul used the word saint at least once in every
chapter! A saint is a believer in Christ and knows of His
perfect love…”
Nelson’s explanation answers the question, “What’s in a name.”
One can see that there is the possibility of assigning deep
spiritual meaning in each element of a church’s name, thus
Christian Churches are urged to do the same for their own
congregations.
Conclusion
While on earth Jesus Christ provided guidance on how his
Church was to be organized, which was further outlined by the
authors of the New Testament. Although the structure of the
Church of Jesus Christ was eventually lost during the period
of apostasy, it has been restored again on earth with
apostles, prophets, and a priesthood to represent God on
earth.
There is nothing wrong with calling a church “catholic” to
mean the universal church of Jesus Christ—or calling the
Church Saint Lukes, New Life, Valley Christian, or Holy
Family. However, if one considers a church name which
reaffirms our taking upon us the name of Jesus Christ,
becoming one of the saints of God, and being a part of His
Church in these latter-days—then the meaning of a church name
takes on a whole new significance and should be carefully
considered.
Doctrinal
Study: The
Lord's Church: Church Organization
Download the
Sword Series™ essay on Church Organization |
