Phrases Used by Some Churches of Christ That Are Headed in the Wrong Direction

          I am so thankful to be living in the Southern portion of the United States, where it is often referred to as the “Bible Belt” of this country. There are over 40 congregations of the church of Christ in my area, which is a substantially larger amount of churches of Christ than you may see in even our neighboring counties. In this way, I am greatly blessed to be surround by so many brothers and sisters in Christ! I am also blessed to live in a country that has many churches of Christ in many different states, so that my family and I can assemble with the saints (Hebrews 10:25).
         Unfortunately, although there are many strong and faithful congregations that are dedicated to teaching and preaching the Word of God exactly as God intends, there are some congregations who have been influenced by false teachers who have worked their way into the congregation. These false teachers, through their words and influence, can cause a once faithful congregation to slowly and gradually become less like the church of the First Century, and more like their denominational neighbors. 
       False teachers have various tactics that they use to make a once strong congregation become more liberal. They may not show their hand right away, but at some point, these false teachers will work for some sort of change in the way services are conducted. It is for this reason that these false teachers are known as “Change Agents.”
       Change Agents work to gradually create an environment of constant change in a church. That is their method of sliding in some liberal and unscriptural changes into the worship services and other practices of a congregation of the church of Christ. These changes are small at first, but they add up to big changes that eventually causes a once Scriptural congregation to fall into liberalism.
There are certain words that Change Agents like to use and to place on certain aspects of worship. These words, if you know what to look for, will give you an indication that false teaching may have infiltrated a congregation, and that congregation may be heading in the wrong direction towards liberalism. Here is a list of those words, and a description of each.
        1. Executive Minister: This is a term that, unfortunately, is becoming more common lately. This is a term that is used to describe the preacher of a congregation of the church of Christ. The word “executive” being used denotes an air of leadership or seniority over others. The word “executive” according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary means  “having administrative or managerial responsibilities.”There are a couple of things wrong about this label given to some preachers of the church of Christ today. One is that only qualified elders can be looked to as leaders of a congregation (Acts 20:28). A preacher may serve as an Elder if he meets the qualifications to be an Elder, but otherwise, the preacher is not called to exercise oversight over a congregation in the Gospel.  By calling him an “executive minister,” this give him a leadership role that is often seen among preachers in denominations.  Some may say that it is just a title, and this is not what is meant, but friends, we have long said, there is something in a name, and that is true.  Also, a preacher is not the only minister in a congregation, for all Christians are ministers (Matthew 20:26).  
       2. Worship Leader:  In some churches of Christ, the song leader in the worship services is called a “Worship Leader.”  This person typically does not only lead the singing in a worship service, but he also determines how all of the acts of worship will take place. One issue with this term is that the song leader is just one worship leader in a service.  In any given service, there is a song leader, a prayer leader, a Lord’s Supper leader or leaders, a leader in the giving, and a preacher who gives the sermon (Acts 2:42; Acts 20:7; I Corinthians 16:2). Also, as stated before, only elders can be called church leaders.   
        3. Children’s Church: Some churches of Christ have what is called “Children’s Church.” This takes place when teachers, small children and teenagers are separated from the regular worship assembly and are taught separately during the entire worship services. They do not sit and worship with their parents during the worship services but are taught by adult teachers until services are over. 
      Children’s church is not scriptural for several reasons. One is that a congregation is supposed to assemble together in one place for worship (I Corinthians 11:20; I Corinthians 14:23; Acts 2:1). By being separated from the regular worship services, teachers cannot partake of the Lord’s Supper as they are commanded to do every Sunday (Acts 20:7), and the teens cannot hear the Plan of Salvation which is to Hear (Romans 10:17, Believe (Mark 16:16), Repent (Acts 2:38), Confess (Matthew 10:32), and Be Baptized (Acts 22:16; I Peter 3:17-22).  Then, remain faithful unto death (Revelation 2:10).  This is a divided assembly.  Some may say, but this happens on Sunday evening, and the teachers have already partaken of the Lord’s Supper for that day.  It is never right to divide the worship assembly.  There is a difference between Bible Classes and Worship Services.  Bible Classes do not take place during the worship service times (Matthew 28:18-20).  The elders may see fit to have Bible classes, and this helps people learn at different levels in groups with teachers.  God commands a general assembly of the Saints in a congregation (I Corinthians 11:18), and this cannot be forsaken by the members of the church, even if they claim they are doing a “children’s church” service  (Hebrews 10:25). 
         I hope that what I have said in this article helps you to see the errors in some of the labels and practices that are becoming a trend in some churches of Christ today. As Christians, we are to keep ourselves “unspotted from the world” (James 1:27). Likewise, the church of Christ, which is the only church that Christ began, should not make herself more similar to man-made denominations. In a future article, I will list other signs that false teachings have infiltrated into a congregation of the church of Christ. A false teacher will not tell you he or she is a false teacher, so you must guard yourselves through diligent Bible study to know if and when their negative influence is being made known.  May we all do as Paul tells us to do in Matthew 7:15, which is to, “Beware false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”

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