The churches growing out of both the Reformation Movement and the Restoration Movement inherited this unquestioned view of church organization. Among the early leaders and supporters of the Restoration Movement, we can see how the shift from an organism to an organization under the influence of Barton W. Stone and his periodical, Christian Messenger. He sites the reorganization of a group and the number of people “added” or joined to them.[1] A note from Samuel Garth, designated “clerk,” came to Stone on September 8, 1830, in which he writes of a group of people who “constituted a small church of 6 members only, but adds a note that six more were added to the church. We must ask to what were they added because the church to which they were added was the one that was constituted of six members. (pg. 259)[2] Was it the called out body of Christ or a local church organization?
Allen Wright writes Stone on April 9, 1833, “A little upwards of two years, I collected and formed a congregation of 24 members.” He proceeds to give the number of people he had recently baptized, adding, “The Baptists are in confusion.” (pg. 156, 1833 Vol 7 ). On the following page, Isaac Chaplin of a church that was constituted of nine members now numbers about 25.” It seems that we begin to see brethren “collecting” saints into an organization and adding to its membership. Report after report is given in each issue concerning this human collection of people into their organization and the growth of more numbers being added to it.
Another, named John McCann, writes on February 9, 1833, that they had organized a church at Williamtown, KY. He writes, “The church organized consisted of four members and six had immediately professed faith and put on Christ by submitting to his commands.” (pg. 89, Vol. 7, 1833). On page 90, the editors write of Eld. Walter Scott’s work in Carthage with the report, “since his arrival there, they got up a little Christian institution of fifty in number.” Who authorized this little “Christian institution”? From whence did it originate?
[1] Christian Messenger, December 1941 Vo. 12, No 2 pg. 64
[2] Alvin Jennings, Star Bible Publication, Fort Worth TX, Reprinted, 1978 Vol. 4, 1829 Christian Messenger)