“Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” Proverbs 11:14
The Bible Fellowship Church takes this proverb to heart. As a fellowship of churches we are committed to ensuring that there is an abundance of Spirit-filled, competent church leaders who provide guidance for the daily and long-term direction of our denomination. It is why each spring we meet at BFC Conference to fulfill the legal requirements of a nonprofit corporation, to communicate the progress of our shared programs, and to discuss the implications and ramifications of our shared doctrine. We prayerfully consider the issues, and when there are issues to decide, we vote and the collective will of the members becomes our decision on the matter. It’s been that way for 140 years, since 1883, and it has served us well. In an abundance of counselors there is safety.
Within each local church there is also an abundance of counselors. Each church chooses lay elders from within the congregation to guide the church, to cast vision for the church, and to attend to the affairs of the church. It follows this proverb and fulfills the mandate given by the Apostles for the structure of a local church (see Ephesians 4:11-12, 1 Peter 5:2-5). This, too, has served us well since we evaluated our doctrine and instituted the biblical mandates for the organism and organization of the church over 50 years ago. Each local church meets annually as a congregation to review the previous years’ activities, to discuss and resolve issues, and to elect men to serve the church as Elders and Deacons. In an abundance of counselors there is safety.
When we look at the landscape of Evangelical churches we discover that local churches tend to have a life-cycle that parallels us as human beings. For the first few decades of a church’s life there is great excitement, members are involved, decisions are made together, and the ministry grows. When, however, a church enters its mid-life, the newness is gone, the excitement lessens, decisions are made by one person, and a church begins to have to hire individuals to staff the programs that were once led by volunteers. As the congregation grays, the energy is gone, the programs cease, and, unless there is a renewed vision, the passion for ministry fades. The energy of the leaders and the church congregation diminishes and eventually ceases to exist. It happens, but it doesn’t have to happen.
There are within the Bible Fellowship Church many local churches that have surpassed the century mark for their existence. Each church had its ups and downs, but continued to pursue the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ within the church which provided for new leadership throughout the generations. We praise the Lord for this and glorify Him for building His church. But not all of our churches have been so successful. The lack of success may be a result of not being intentional about developing multi-generational disciples who can provide continual leadership within the church. In an abundance of counselors there is safety.
There is a personal component to this proverb as well. We all think that we are masters of our own lives. Many of us believe that, left to ourselves, we can answer any question, rise up above every circumstance, and succeed in every endeavor. How has that worked in your life? When Jesus left the disciples on the top of the Mount of Olives, He didn’t leave them alone. He had promised them that He would send His Holy Spirit in an indwelling way within each one. Not only that, Christ left them with “one another.” Collectively, the disciples were to carry on His ministry of proclaiming the Gospel and of the building of His church.
The New Testament is replete with the one another’s that are to characterize our relationships. We don’t need to live life alone. In fact, we need each other, and in the abundance of counselors there is safety. Every believer needs to belong to a church as a committed member, to belong to a small group to share life’s journey, and to be accountable to a few like-minded believers so you don’t fall, because where there is no guidance a person falls, but in an abundance of Spirit-filled counselors there is safety. Enough said.
Article by Dr. David Allen, Executive Director of the Bible Fellowship Church