Book Review

The Local Church—A Living Body

John Keith Davies, Great Britain: CPD Wales, 2001, 271 pp., ISBN 0 85234 495 3.

John Keith Davies served as a Baptist pastor in Wales for over 37 years and helped to plant four independent congregation. This book was his final literary work completed just before his death in 1999, then collected and edited by his children for publication. It is a manual or handbook on body life and church order covering a variety of practical topics on the nature of authentic, Biblical community.

The Local Church is divided into four parts. Part one is titled “The local church and its life” (15-101). First, a Biblical case is made for the New Testament understanding of a regenerate church membership where meaningful participation of each body part is the norm. Davies then discusses the local church and its relationship with other churches. He stresses the Baptist doctrine of local church autonomy but also stresses the importance of cooperation among churches. Doctrinal agreement is paramount for real cooperation:

Where truth is denied there can be no fellowship at all. Any organization or so-called church that denies the truth is to be avoided or withdrawn from. Doctrines necessary for salvation and for local church life are fundamental to fellowship between churches. Any relationship with another church has to be approached carefully and the basis for the relationship must be clear from the outset. It makes no sense at all for churches that believe the Scriptures to be their final authority in all matters of faith and practice to belong to an organization that does not. Similarly it makes no sense for such a church to belong to an organization where error is accepted as valid and is thereby approved (68).

Finally, in this first section, Davies also examines the local church’s relationship with the state. Davies writes as a citizen of a nation that has a state church (Anglicanism). He argues that “The state and the church are separate with different functions in different spheres” (96). Therefore, he says that it is not appropriate for the state “to pay people as employees to teach religion” or for religion to be part of state school curriculum (96). In addition, he argues that it is wrong for the state “to employ men to preach and teach Christianity to military personnel and prison inmates” (97) or for the church to accept public funds for their work, because “[s]tate financial aid can lead to a loss of freedom of action and can eventually lead to state control” (97).

Part two is “The local church and its membership” (102-66). The author here covers the topics of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. He argues for traditional, strict, Baptistic interpretations of these ordinances (not sacraments!). Baptism is for believers only and by immersion. The Lord’s Supper is limited to baptized believers and is hosted only by the local church. Davies rejects “open table” practices, arguing that the Lord’s Supper should not be a “semi-public” event, but it is best restricted to the members of the local church in order to provide proper attention to discipline. One may not fully agree with his close communion argument, but one must also admit that the author makes a winsome defense of the practice. Davies also stresses in this chapter the privileges and responsibilities of service in the church by all the members. Finally, he argues for proper harmony and balance in the roles of men and women in the life and ministry of the church, contending for the Biblical exercise of male headship.

Part three is “The local church and its leadership” (167-201). Davies argues for the Biblical roles of both elders and deacons. He stresses the role of deacons as servants and not as a “board of directors.” He also argues for the concept of plural leadership or plural elders in the church, but concurrently contends for the special and singular leadership of the pastor. Davies concludes that a church cannot be run by committee. It needs the leadership of the pastor. He frankly acknowledges that the recent rediscovery of plural eldership in many Baptist churches in the last thirty years has been a mixed blessing: “Although there have been blessings, there have also been problems, largely because the principle of plurality was accepted without working out carefully its implications” (184). Men should not be placed in the role of elder just to fulfill a desire for plurality. They should be spiritually qualified and the distinct role of the pastor among the elder should be recognized and respected. Better to have a single elder than place men who are not fit for the eldership in the role “to satisfy some mathematical scruple derived apparently from Scripture” (268).

Finally, part four is “The local church and its mission” (202-71). Here Davies focuses on the church’s responsibility to do mission and outreach. He advocates church planting, in particular, once a church has grown beyond a size where intimate fellowship among its members is no longer viable. Davies also maintains that we should beware of falling into the trap “of allowing the end (the saving of the lost) to justify any and all means” (226). When “results” control our practice of evangelism, Davies notes, “anything which produces results is [considered] legitimate, even the slick, high-powered, costly, gaudy, entertainment-centered, gigantic crusade. It is evangelism so long as it produces results. The integrity of the gospel of the grace of God is thereby relegated to a level of secondary significance” (226). In the end, he contends of the old method of evangelizing—the foolishness of preaching.

This book is striking for its many sound observations that run so counter to the church growth mania of the contemporary evangelical church in America. For example, in his discussion of the church’s meeting place, Davies observes, “The church itself, similarly, should not be too large for fellowship to be real and meaningful. When a church gets too large for meaningful fellowship it is time to plant another church” (31). Later Davies offers these further observations on size:

Growth is evidence of life, but numerical growth can bring problems. A large church can easily become complacent, and often has a higher proportion of passengers in its membership than a relatively small church. This is true even where a large church seems to have lots of so-called converts while a small church may appear to have few. Small however, does not necessarily mean beautiful. A small church can be as dead as a large church, but it certainly looks more pathetic. Small numbers do not guarantee effectiveness or spirituality in a church. Yet small companies do have many advantages where there is genuine spiritual life. Small churches can experience a greater sense of fellowship where every member knows and is known. In smaller churches pastoral work can become a reality (266).

He concludes, “In order for the church’s fellowship and pastoral care to be a practical possibility between 100 and 150 members is likely the maximum size of membership” (270).

This book is to be highly recommended to both pastors and laymen. Perhaps Davies’ book comes across as so fresh and Biblical because evangelicals in the United Kingdom already know well what it is like to live as believers in a post-Christian, secular culture. The Local Church would make a great study for a pastor and deacon body to work through during the course of a year of service together. I do not agree with every viewpoint expressed in the book, but it offers a treasure trove of wisdom from a laborer who spent many years of fruitful service in the vineyard and has now been called home. Go to your local second hand bookshop and sell your copies of The Purpose Driven Church and The Purpose Driven Life and use the proceeds to buy this book.

Jeffrey T. Riddle
Pastor, Jefferson Park Baptist Church

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Book Review

The Local Church—A Living Body

John Keith Davies, Great Britain: CPD Wales, 2001, 271 pp., ISBN 0 85234 495 3.

Jeffrey T. Riddle Pastor, Jefferson Park Baptist Church

Jeffrey T. Riddle
Pastor, Jefferson Park Baptist Church