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“Fellowship and Withdawal”

Fellowship Responsibilities to Uphold the Truth

We all have a responsibility to uphold the truth. In Matt 18:15-20 Jesus instructs us on how to handle problems of wrong doctrine or conduct that may arise in ecclesial life. His instructions involve a three stage process of trying to recover the brother or sister involved by appealing to them to repent. Exhaustive efforts must be made in each stage before proceeding to the next stage.

The appeal is to be made first of all individually, then with two or three others, then by the ecclesia. If "he neglect to hear the ecclesia" he is to be withdrawn from. 

1. Matt 18:15: "if he shall hear thee thou hast gained thy brother". The object of the process is at all times the recovery of the brother or sister involved. Matt 18:11, 14, 12-13, 21-22, 23-35.

2. Matt 18:11:  The spirit of Jesus teaching is that there must be exhaustive efforts in all three stages before withdrawal is contemplated. We must still extend fellowship to the brother or sister involved while the process is carried out.

3. Matt 18:16, 20: The facts and circumstances of the offence must be clearly identified, defined and demonstrated by witness.

4. Matt 18:15-17: "if he shall hear thee". The process involves sufficient time spent in personal contact with the brother or sister involved.

5. Matt 18:17: "if he neglect to hear the ecclesia" but persists unrepentantly in the offence despite every effort being made to recover them, "let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican" i.e. someone who is lost and in need of saving, who we must continue to seek to recover but not fellowship. The object of withdrawal is the recovery of the brother or sister involved and the preservation of pure doctrine in the ecclesia. I Cor 5:4-5,7-8;  II Cor 2:5-8; II Thess 3:6,14-15; Eph 5:11; I Tim 1:18-20; II Tim 2:15-18,23-26; Rom 16:17-18; Tit 3:10-11; I Tim 6:3-5; II Tim 3:1-5.

If the brother or sister involved cannot be won over by the ecclesia to change then they must be withdrawn from. It is not an option to retain them in fellowship with their error, even if they agree not to promulgate it. The Ecclesial Guide "36 Individual Offences" says "The ecclesia is then to admonish the offender if he be found in the fault. If the offender refuse to hear them, it is their duty to separate him from their fellowship by withdrawal."

The Ecclesial Guide in "32 Sin and Withdrawal" stresses that withdrawal is not expulsion or excommunication, "Withdrawal means that those withdrawing do modestly and sorrowfully step aside from the offender for fear of implication in his offence. Expulsion means thrusting out, which is a different thing, and implies and generates the arrogant attitude of ecclesiastical excommunication. The careful preservation of right forms in these things is a help to the preservation of the right spirit."

Withdrawal of fellowship is a continuation of the process of recovery of the brother or sister involved who is lost. Withdrawal of fellowship should be done in the right spirit, which is very different to expulsion and excommunication, John 6:37; 9:34-35. Withdrawal of fellowship is not the objective of this but the recovery of the brother or sister involved.

Fellowship Responsibilities with Nearby Ecclesia's

While the teaching of Jesus and the Apostles regarding this process in its context applied to individuals, since an ecclesia is a group or community of individual believers, the same principles apply to ecclesias in relation to each other. The Ecclesial Guide "37 Ecclesial Differences" says that while ecclesial differences "are different from individual offences they are best dealt with by the same general rule Christ lays down for them."

The principles taught by Jesus and the Apostles regarding this process are drawn from the treatment of idolaters in the Mosaic Law, where communities were to be dealt with on the same principles as individuals. Compare Deut 17:2-7, 13; Deut 13:1-18 with the application of the same principles in the New Testament in Matt 18:16,20; I Cor 5:13 (direct quote); I Tim 5:20 and Titus 3:10-11; II Pet 2:1;  Gal 6:16; Rom 15:4, I Cor 10:11.

Bro John Carter demonstrates this in his article Inter-Ecclesial Responsibility Christadelphian July 1945. That this is Christadelphian practice with a practical application is seen in So Do Unto Them Christadelphian October 1924. 

This process can only be fully applied in practice to individuals and ecclesias that are close enough for us to have ongoing personal contact with, i.e. within our orbit of influence. All New Testament passages regarding withdrawal are in the context of local situations where these requirements are met.

Withdrawal of fellowship from an ecclesia under these circumstances is very different to "Block Disfellowship", as bro Alfred Nicholls points out (The Christadelphian September 1982)

Fellowship Responsibilities with Ecclesia's at a Distance

Where we are too far away to adequately apply the principles of Matt 18:15-20, the principles of II John 7-11 apply “if there come any unto you.” The instructions are to “look to yourselves” and not receive into the house (i.e. the ecclesia) nor bid God speed to any who come to us who bring not the doctrine of Christ lest we be partaker of their evil deeds.

On the basis of II John, we recognise in fellowship all those near and far whom we are willing to receive and welcome in fellowship with in the ecclesia irrespective of whether we are practically able to or not. Conversely we do not recognise in fellowship all those near and far whom we are not willing to receive in fellowship, whether we know of them or not. The Ecclesial Guide "42 Ecclesias in Relation One to Another" states "The bond of union is the reception of the one faith, and submission to the commandments of the Lord. It is nothing less than a calamity when rupture on secondary issues sets in, where these other conditions of union exist."

In apostolic times this was implemented in two ways:

1. A Letter of Commendation or Introduction was accepted as identifying visitors as brethren who came from an ecclesia known to uphold in fellow­ship the apostles doctrine. Rom 16:1-2; II Cor 3:1.

2. If visitors were unknown or there was doubt about them they were to be interviewed to identify whether their beliefs were of God or the world. I John 4: 1-6 cp II John 7-11. This was necessary because "many false prophets were gone out into the world" deceiving. Acts 20:30; II Cor 11:13-15.

We are not responsible for the evil deeds of offending brothers or sisters that we receive in fellowship if;

• Their offence is not known or is hidden from us.

• The process of Matt 18:15-20 is in progress and has not been completed.

• We genuinely do not identify them as an offender. If an offender deceives in order to have fellowship when the conditions for it do not exist, then the responsibility rests with them, not with those receiving them.

Ecclesial Independence

Each ecclesia has the responsibility to preserve the Truth in its midst by applying the principles of Matt 18:15-20 and II John 7-11. The ecclesias are to uphold the truth as a basis of union between themselves and only recognise in fellowship other eccle­sias who uphold the truth in doctrine and fellowship. Ecclesias who maintain the truth in their orbit of influence and only receive or visit other ecclesias that do the same are disclaiming fellowship with any ecclesia who tolerates error.

If all ecclesias applied these principles, then fellowship between ecclesias would be self regulating, being automatically restricted to those upholding the truth. Any ecclesia that tolerated error in doctrine or conduct would find themselves automatically isolated.

Ecclesial independence therefore is not a licence to tolerate error. Where an ecclesia knowingly persists in tolerating in their fellowship those in error, they can expect themselves to be subject to investigation and consequent refusal of fellowship by other ecclesias. They have in practice rejected the commandment of II John to not tolerate error in fellowship and are compromising the accepted basis of fellowship. They are therefore failing in their responsibility to other ecclesias to uphold the truth in their midst.

Each ecclesia is responsible for handling problems in their own orbit of influence where they can practically apply the principles of Matt 18: 15-20, as they did in apostolic times, I Pet 5:1-2; Acts 14: 23; I Thess 4:9-10. Ecclesial problems in distant places should be left to the ecclesias in the vicinity to manage. 

If a distant ecclesia has any concerns about a situation they are free to enquire to the ecclesias involved but must respect their judgement on how best to implement the principles they mutually uphold. In cases of doubt, an ecclesia must be alert in applying the principles of II John 7-11, but such cases will be rare if ecclesias fulfil their responsibilities. Usually the Statement of Faith of another ecclesia is accepted as covering an individual.

The withdrawals of other ecclesias should be respected and supported by refusing to recognise in fellowship the individuals or ecclesias withdrawn from, unless the withdrawal is set aside as per the Ecclesial Guide "42 Ecclesias in Relation One to Another". If the matter comes before another ecclesia because the brother or sister withdrawn from has applied to it for fellowship the second ecclesia should facilitate reconciliation with the first ecclesia. If this fails, it may investigate the matter for itself in conjunction with the first ecclesia, after which both will vote together for a joint decision.

Such a procedure protects ecclesial independence as an ecclesia has no right to judge except for itself, while at the same time requiring agreement on the principles involved that are the basis of fellowship between ecclesias. If the two ecclesias who are agreed on the basis of fellowship and the principles involved in the case, disagree on the facts and circumstances of the case and/or how the principles should be applied in the case, then each ecclesia should abide by its own decision without disrupting fellowship between them. The one can fellowship the brother concerned, the other cannot. Fellowship between ecclesias who recognise the same principles and basis of fellowship should not be disrupted by a difference in judgement of the facts and circumstances involved and/or how the principles should be applied in a particular case.