INTRODUCTION

by G. V. Growcott

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This is our basis of fellowship, and our position on current problems. The first part is made up of the standard Christadelphian "Constitution" booklet.  This booklet, standard among us as our common basis of unity and identity for 100 years, and doctrinally unchanged from the days of bro. Roberts, consists of four parts: (1) Statement of Faith; (2) Doctrines to Be Rejected; (3) Commandments of Christ; and (4) our Ecclesial Constitution. The second part is the "Berean Restatement" concerning current problems, adopted in 1960. The third portion includes questions which the ecclesia has decided on as the minimum which must be understood prior to immersion, or acceptance into our ecclesia. This is made up of the ecclesia's position on head coverings, and a list of baptism questions. The fourth portion is the Guide to the formation of Ecclesias, long the only constitution which the Lampasas Berean Ecclesia had.

It is perhaps a little unfortunate (in that it may have misguided some) that the "Constitution" booklet contains both matters vital to fellowship and matters of mere local arrangement--not clearly distinguished apart. Three of the four sections (Nos. 1, 2, 3 above) are in their entirety vital to fellowship. Rejection of any part of them, or holding of any view contrary to or subversive of any part of them, is an urgent matter of fellowship. These are all printed in boldface type.

But the "Constitution" part itself contains both fellowship and non-fellowship matters. We have therefore herein distinguished between them by printing the vital fellowship parts in boldface, with non-fellowship parts light. The Ecclesial Guide has been printed without attempting to boldface items of first principle.

It is true there are other matters that can affect fellowship. This body of material is not, and could not be, absolutely exhaustive, and include every point, negative and positive, that could affect fellowship. It would be unreal to say, "As long as you accept and believe and defend in your fellowship stand everything contained herein, then you can believe and teach anything else with impunity, and it cannot be made a matter of fellowship."

The Body cannot so tie its own hands beforehand with what amounts to a blank check for speculation. The brethren who formulated this material could not foresee all error for all time, or all truths that might be called in question.

But, on the other hand, any addition to what has been adequate for sound fellowship for 100 years should be taken very, very slowly and cautiously; and only under the irresistible pressure of positive necessity. Every year that passes adds the value of increased stability to this overall statement of our Faith. And that stability is largely the fruit of its unchanged, untampered-with, un-added-to continuity.

Any additional fellowship requirements or restrictions added unilaterally by individual ecclesias are to be discouraged and avoided. This way so easily lays the potentiality of anarchy and schism. What local decisions an ecclesia makes (in the interests of preserving its local harmony and soundness) are far better kept entirely separate from, and secondary to, this basic body of fellowship-defining material we ALL have, and subscribe to, in common.

The ideal is that all ecclesias have exactly the same Constitution, as far as concerns matters of fellowship. There seems to be no reason for sacrificing this ideal for the sake of numbers. To so do would in time mean a multitude of varying bases, instead of our present common and uniform one.

There is such a thing as ecclesial autonomy, and such a thing as interecclesial unity of action. It is not always easy to say exactly where one should end and the other begin. As far as the matter of Fellowship is concerned, the more we are completely at one in our written Constitutions, the better. And variation between Constitutions as concerns anything to do with fellowship is a danger--at least potentially--of weakness and disunity.

Some, while showing lukewarmness regarding the application of the Statement of Faith positively in the interests of sound fellowship, have chosen to bind themselves negatively by professing inability to do anything to defend their group against any error not specifically spelled out in the Statement of Faith.

Fellowship is a very serious relationship. It is profitable only when it is wholesome and sound. There are many clear scriptural commands concerning it, and no amount of specious reasoning, or invention of such straw-man, bogey-terms as "block disfellowship" can get rid of them. they deal with facts and conditions, not technicalities to hide behind. Properly applied, they produce a sound and harmonious fellowship. Evaded, they produce hand-wringing, increasingly-degenerative chaos. "By their fruits ye shall know them."

Each ecclesia is responsible for sound doctrine and conduct among its members. But when known error in its membership hides behind the shield of an ecclesia's professed allegiance to the Statement of Faith, and that ecclesia does not take the proper action, then it is unfaithfulness for other ecclesias to merely "deplore" the situation, and profess to have no ability, or responsibility, to do anything about it.

Fellowship is not merely breaking bread together, though that is its most visible and solemn manifestation, and they are inseparable. But fellowship is far more. We are in fellowship with those 10,000 miles away to just as great a degree as those with whom we meet weekly. Here is its beauty and power: it has no limits of time and space.

Fellowship is the total oneness of the whole Body, based on THE TRUTH, believed and practiced, and preserved soundly among us according to the commands God has given us.

Fellowship is a beautiful, inspiring thing. It is a high responsibility, a glorious privilege, a joyful and unearthly relationship of minds and hearts united by and in THE TRUTH. Any group that cheapens its conceptions of fellowship, cheapens and commonizes itself. Any group that is careless about fellowship has lost the Beauty of Holiness. Any group that sets itself busily and misguidedly to brush away as inconvenient the solemn obligations of fellowship, is doomed to disaster.

The material on the following pages is the bond of eternal Truth that binds us together and makes us a unity in Christ; the only reason and justification for our corporate existence. We urge everyone to read and study it very carefully; keep going over it; master it; test yourself on it; discuss it; have classes on it. Let us be sure the entire Berean Fellowship--EVERYONE in it--knows what they are, and who they are.

We are not just another surface religious group, associated for mere convenience to satisfy the natural "religious" urge of the flesh. Everyone has to have a "religion," even if its's just themselves, even if its's just the superstition of Evolution. But there is only one narrow, total-life-demanding way to be a part of the Body of Christ, and related to eternity.

We profess and aspire to be that One True Body of Christ on earth, that rarest of jewels in the huge flesh-heap of mankind. And the TRUTH OF GOD--these truths embodied in this material that forms the statement of our Faith--is our whole life and purpose and meaning and reason for being. If it does not fill our heart, and form the very core of all our interest, we may be part of the external organization of "The Truth," but we are certainly not part of the Living Body.

We should ALL be thoroughly familiar with this material: this is more important than any consideration of its presentation to others. If we are not, we are failing in our duty to the Truth and to the Body; we are not fulfilling our part in order for the Body to be the true and healthy Bride of Christ; we are not a fully living, active, useful, strengthening part; we're just a drone, part of the passing background.