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Common Sense Bible Study (3)
Not everything in the NT, even if consistently done, constitutes a rigid pattern. We probably “instinctively” recognize this but may not question it until someone pushes the issue. For example, local churches are always identified by the city in which they are found: “the church of God which is at Corinth” (1 Cor 1:2); “to the angel of the church of/in Ephesus/Smyrna/Pergamos, etc.” (Rev 2-3). Is this a pattern of specific authority? I know of no one who holds that view (though I’m sure some-one does J), and many congregations do otherwise (churches identify themselves by street names, general location [Eastside, Westview, etc.], topographical features such as a nearby river or mountain).
In addition to the immediate context of a given statement or example, we must also consider the “remote” context – the additional information available that helps clarify an issue. Are there other related facts or principles that specify a particular meaning or action?
Concerning church nomenclature, the NT contains a variety of descriptive terms: “to all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints” (Rom 1:7, which does not seem to be an address to a single local church, cf. Rom 16:5, 15); “to the churches of Galatia” (Gal 1:2, designating local bodies in a region); “to the church of the Thessalonians” (1 Th 1:1). No teaching of which I am aware limits the scope of a local church geographically; i.e., only one congregation per city. Wherever saints agree to worship and work together, regardless of where they individually live, they are a local body of believers. How might they distinguish themselves from other nearby congregations, or how might they identify themselves to the community or establish themselves as a legal entity?
The NT terminology simply reflects the state of the church in its infancy; there was generally one body in a given city. My conclusion is that local churches have latitude in how to designate themselves, so long as the descriptive terminology otherwise reflects Biblical truth. In our mobile society we usually choose a name reflecting the location of the meeting place, not the residence of the members. This congregation owns a building in Centreville and has agreed to make it the primary place of worship, but we all live in various locales.
The NT includes universal and limited commands, truths embedded in examples, incidental details, temporary situations, etc. It takes prayerful effort and careful study to discern one from the other.
