Definition of a church. Most Missionary Baptists would agree that the following is the proper definition of a church; A local visible assembly of scripturally baptized believers covenanted together for the purpose of carrying out the great commission; Matt. 28:19-20. Believers are those who have trusted in Jesus Christ as Savior. Scriptural baptism is the immersion in water of a believer by the dewly constituted authority of a New Testament Church. A local visible assembly refers to a group or a body being assembled or congregated together in one place. Thus in this case, by the word "church" we refer to a scripturally baptized congregation of believers in Jesus Christ who have agreed to come together in one place to carry out the commission of Christ. This is the type of body which Jesus Christ established which he called his "ekklesia", assembly, which we call church.
The establishment of a church. Jesus Christ by the authority of God established his first New Testament Church using believers who had been baptized by the proper authority, John the Baptist. Of course, one of those men was never a believer and was never a member of the church. Jesus had an assembly or congregation of scripturally baptized believers. They were certainly local and visible as they companied together always. Their purpose for companying together was to carry out the commission of Christ. By the time Jesus ascended into Heaven, this one church that he had established had increased to at least 120 members; Acts 1:15. On the day of Pentecost Jews came from many regions of the known world for the feast of harvest; Acts 2:5, 9-11. Acts 2:41 teaches that 3,000 were converted, baptized and added to the congregation. Verses 44 and 45 teach that they were all together and had all things common. Probably within a short time those new converts who were scripturally baptized returned to their respective cities where they formed congregations for the purpose of carrying out the commission of Christ. Those congregations were churches. Acts 8:1-4 says that a great persecution came upon the church at Jerusalem and they were scattered. It would appear that those scripturally baptized believers went to various cities where they formed congregations for the purpose of discipling, baptizing and teaching.
Acts 13:1-2. The church at Antioch sent out Paul and Barnabas under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. They were authorized and sent out to establish churches or assemblies. Those men were sent out to make disciples, baptize them by the authority of the church at Antioch and teach them. When those disciples began to congregate together for this same purpose they fulfilled every characteristic of a church and thus were a church.
The pattern which Paul and Barnabas followed in no way endorses or embraces the current practice of arm extension. In the practice of arm extension a local church sends a man to another place which may be another country where he makes disciples, baptizes them and teaches them; however, those members become members of the church that sent that man out.
This practice raises the following objections. (1) It is unscriptural. The practice of arm extension is never in any way, shape or form illustrated or implied in the New Testament. (2) It perverts the true meaning of a church. A church, "ekklesia", assembly must by definition be a local body. Under the practice of arm extension there are two visible bodies which never physically come together. It implies that a church may consist of more than one congregation. (3) It establishes a church hierarchy in that the sponsoring church holds authority over the second congregation which is referred to as a mission. Although the "mission" is in every sense a church no matter how large or small, it is regarded as subsidiary and subservient to the sponsoring church. This, therefore, makes the pastor of the sponsoring church the overseer of more than one congregation thus making him a bishop in the Catholic or protestant sense.
The doctrine of arm extension is an invention of man and is not found in the New Testament and should not be practiced by the Lord's churches today.
Establishing churches, New Testament style. "The Scriptures teach that the disciples should assemble themselves together. In commanding them to not forsake the assembling of themselves together, Heb. 10:25, nothing less is meant than the disciples should habitually and regularly assemble themselves together for worship. An assembly of baptized believers is a church." (The Baptist Way Book, Ben M. Bogard, Bogard Press, 1946, p.46)
"A church of Jesus Christ is a congregation of baptized believers associated in faith and fellowship of the Gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ, governed by his laws and privileges, invested in them by his Word." (Baptist Doctrine; E. C. Gillentine, Bogard Press, 1949 p.25.)
A New Testament church is an organization of scripturally baptized believers associated together under covenant." (Bible in Eight Ages, L. D. Foreman, 10th edition, Foreman Payne Publishers, 1955 and 1973, p.362.)
Were there ever missions in the New Testament or did missionaries only establish churches? Let's examine the book of Acts and see. The book of Acts gives us the first 32 years of church history immediately following the death of Jesus. It tells us of the type of worship they practiced and the way they evangelized. I intend to prove that missionaries in the New Testament established churches. They never established a mission. They never practiced any form of arm extension. Let us see the examples.
The apostle Peter was in Joppa when he was called to Caesarea; Acts 10:1 and 5 which verses read "There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,...And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter:" He preached to the people there; 10:34-44. They were baptized; 10:47, "Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?" Peter spent some days there teaching. The next time any thing is heard of Caesarea there is a church there; Acts 18:22, "And when he had landed at Caesarea, and gone up, and saluted the church, he went down to Antioch." It would appear to me that those disciples were a church after they were baptized in chapter 10. There is no indication that they were ever considered members of the Jerusalem church.
The establishment of the church at Antioch; Acts 11:19-26. "Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only. And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord. Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch. Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord. Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul: And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." There baptism was from Jerusalem; 11:19. They were of those who had been scattered; Acts 8:1 and 4. Barnabas was sent from Jerusalem to exhort the brethren in Antioch; 11:22-23. He was not a missionary at this time. Apparently he continued with the congregation since he was sent out by them as a missionary according to Acts 13. When the disciples began to regularly congregate together as is recorded in verse 26 they became an authority within themselves as a church with all the rights and privileges as a church to carry out the commission.
Antioch sent out two missionaries, Acts 13:2-3.
Paul and Barnabas in Antioch of Pysidia. Acts 13:14-52. They stayed at least two weeks since they preached two sabbath days, Vs 14-16 and 44. Many believed, Vs 48 and 52. "And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed...And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost."
Paul and Barnabas in Iconium, Acts 14:1-5. They preached and many believed, 14:1, "And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed."
Paul and Barnabas in Lystra, Acts 14:8-20. Some believed, Vs 20. "Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe."
After leaving Lystra they went to Derbe. When they left there they passed through those three cities of Lystra, Iconium and Antioch of Pysidia. They considered the congregations of disciples there as churches; Acts 14:21-23. "And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed." In Acts 16:1 we find that Paul and Silas (Paul had changed partners) went to Lystra where they found a young disciple named Timothy.
Paul and Silas in Philipi; Acts 16:12-40. The salvation of Lydia is recorded in verses 14 and 15. It appears from verses 15 and 40 that the disciples congregated in her house. "And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us... And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed." The salvation of the jailer and his family is recorded in verses 31-33. The next available information concerning the church at Philipi is that Paul wrote a letter to the church there; Phil. 1:1. "Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philipi, with the bishops and deacons:". It would appear to me that when Paul and Silas left Philipi they left a church or congregation there. There is no evidence that the church at Antioch extended an arm to those people, waited till they had a certain number in attendance and were relatively free of financial burden to organize the church there but rather, when Paul and Silas left, they left a church which fulfilled every characteristic of being a New Testament Church.
Paul, Silas and Timothy in Thessalonica; Acts 17:1-9. They were there at least three weeks, vs 2. Many believed, vs 4. Paul later writes to the church there; I Thes. 1:1 and II Thes. 1:1. "Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ...Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:". There is no indication of a church organization ceremony.
Paul in Corinth; Acts 18:1-18. Timothy and Silas joined him and they stayed about a year and a half; verses 5 and 11. Many believed; verses 4 and 8. Paul wrote three letters to the church that was left there upon his departure, two of which are recorded in the Bible; I Cor. 5:9, 1:2 and II Cor. 1:1. There is no indication of an arm ever being extended.
Paul in Ephesis; Acts 18:19-20. Paul went to Ephesis but didn't stay long there. While he was gone Apollos preached in Ephesis; however, he baptized in the name of John the Baptist. This didn't constitute scriptural baptism and Paul re-baptized the converts; Acts 19:1-7. He later refers to them as a church, calling them "the faithful in Christ Jesus"; Eph. 1:1. The Ephesians, as did many others after receiving scriptural baptism, formed themselves into a body of Christ, a congregation, a church.
I encourage you to think about these things. Just because arm extension has been practiced does not necessarily make it a good practice, especially if it is not found in the Bible. Someone must lead out in correcting what may appear to be a minor error but what, if left alone, may result in further error.