OUR CHANGING WORLD

 

Mike Puckett, an old friend of ours, is now minister of the First Christian Church in Wylie, Texas. ACC trained, he once worked among Churches of Christ. His letterhead reads: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty, in all things, love.”

In a recent visit with the Highview Church of Christ in Louisville, where Ed Schreiner has ministered for 28 years, I saw something amazingly unique for one of our churches. A young brother requested, in view of Jas. 5:14, that the elders anoint him with oil and pray that his health might be restored. While he sat on the front seat, three elders laid hands upon him as one of them anointed him with oil (which they had on hand). Each shepherd prayed for his recovery. All this during the main service while some 200 members of the Body looked on. One of the pastors told me afterwards that they had done this numerous times, though this was the first time in the building, the best he recalled. The congregation is not “charismatic” as that term is commonly used.

And I saw still more laying on of hands at the new Southwest Church of Christ in Dallas (see “A Massive Walkout in Dallas” in our December issue). Eight elders were ordained to office after many weeks of intensive study, prayer and fasting. I was pleased to learn that they had followed the procedure suggested by this journal (see “Spirit-Filled Elders” in our November issue). A committee served the congregation in executing the election procedure, with all those being considered staying out of it. Once they were elected, the shepherds-elect spent much time in study and prayer together. The congregation fasted the weekend of the ordination service, and the night before the eight men with their wives spent an entire evening in prayer together. Sitting in a circle, one brother prayed for the one next to him, by name of course, then each of the other six prayed for that brother. They searched their hearts together before the Lord in accepting the charge of shepherds of God’s flock. On that Lord’s day morning, one of the election committee gave a charge to the eight men in behalf of the congregation. As he called their names they stepped to the platform one by one, and there they knelt. The committee of brethren then stood before them and layed their hands upon them, as they were prayed for. The ordination officer (who really should have been, in the light of scripture, an evangelist, but I do not know that he was) asked the congregation if they accepted these men as their shepherds and if they would submit to their leadership. They responded in unison, I will. The Supper followed, with half of the new elders presiding over the first part and the other half the second part. Each of them shared briefly with the congregation, with considerable said about commitment and their common tasks. It was a deeply spiritual, moving experience. And what a loving community they are: zealous, joyous, intelligent, vibrant, and embracing. We had Mother Pitts with us (my name for Ouida’s aged Mother all these 31 years) with all her East Texas main-line Church of Christ ways (which isn’t bad!). Her comment afterwards: “That is some Church of Christ! And I’ve never had so much hugging and kissing. Let’s come back here often!” What impressed me most was that I had at last seen elders ordained in a Church of Christ. Ours are selected (often self-selected by the eldership itself!) but almost never ordained. Neither is this church “charismatic” in that sense; but oh, how they are charismatic in the scriptural sense!