“Ecclesia Reformata, Semper Reformanda.”
In his forward to “The Work of the Pastor” by William Still, Sinclair Ferguson notes how:
“William Still…followed in the footsteps of the Good Shepherd who knew his sheep and cared for them…The central task of his life, to which he devoted both his love and energy, was pastoring his congregation…He was convinced that the best church life is relatively uncluttered and ‘unstarched’. In order to effect this he was radically committed to the apostolic principle, ‘we will give ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:4)’ and lived it out day by day.”
It is perhaps not without surprise, therefore, that our dear brother and long-standing elder in Gilcomston Church, Frank Lyall, recalls in his introduction to the same book that:
“[under the leadership of William Still]…Gilcomston South developed in various ways, but, in the early years, not without pain…WS sought the simplification of church structures. He passionately believed that the congregation should worship as a family…Many traditional activities therefore ceased in Gilcomston…”
The purpose of bringing this to your attention, dear reader, is not because when a new minister starts a revolution must follow, but rather because all local churches throughout history need the redeeming and reforming grace of the Lord every day. Church is not a static, inanimate entity but rather the living body of Christ(1 Cor. 12:12-27). Living things change all the time – the vital question is, then, are we – the church – changing more and more into the likeness of Christ or are we reverting more and more into the likeness of Adam(Rom. 5:12-21)? We don’t need revolution. But every church needs continual reformation. Ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda – the church reformed, always reforming was first coined by Jodocus van Lodenstein in 1674 but has become something of a slogan within the reformed church to express the desire that we submit to Christ and his kingly rule and authoritative Word on a continual basis, not just for an initial moment.
This was the ‘heart’ that underpinned the ‘letter’ of all the decisions of Mr Still’s ministry. Our task as Gilcomston Church, then, isn’t to copy the ‘letter’ of WS ministry but to imbibe the ‘heart’ of it. Surely our heart-cry is that “we will give ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word.” (Acts 6:4)
And it is for this reason and this reason alone that we are changing certain parts of the rhythm of life here at Gilcomston Church. It is because we agree with the importance and centrality of prayer that we will now gather in person on the first Wednesday of every month – to pray. It is because we agree with the importance and centrality of the ministry of the Word that we want to train up future preachers of the Word and future leaders of the church, and so we are (re)starting an internship programme beginning in the Autumn.
It’s not because Gilcomston Church is Mr Still’s church and so we want to copy him – it is because Gilcomston Church is and always has been Christ’s church, and we want to honour the Lord Jesus as WS did all his life. What a joy it is to belong to a church with such a heritage!
Let us be clear, though, friends: it is the church reformed, always reforming… We cling to the Gospel. We delight in the Word. We follow Christ as he commands and calls us to. We stand in the stream of the reformation on the rock that is Christ. We shall not be moved. We are however a church filled with sinners, me at the top of the list. We are saved sinners, of course! We have been reborn and remade and renewed and redeemed, but the old self – that Adam-shaped shadow remains until Christ returns, which means that sinfulness and selfishness crouch at the door all the time(Gen. 4:7). Our response, therefore, must always be to return again and again and again to the perfect and never-changing authority of the Word. Whilst never budging from our statements of faith and whilst remaining rock-solidly immovable as we observe all Christ commands us to do(Matt. 28:20), let’s stay fresh; alert; living; let us be willing to try new things that may help us as a church be obedient to Jesus.
We want to pray together – what’s the best way to facilitate this? Let’s try meeting together in person on a Wednesday evening once a month. We want to train preachers and ministers and workers in the kingdom – what’s the best way to facilitate this? Let’s try developing an internship programme.
It’s for these reasons we as a church are trying new things. It’s because we want to imitate the ‘heart’ of WS and other faithful ministers of the Gospel, and because the church reformed is always reforming.
Ecclesia Reformata, Semper Reformanda.
Soli Deo Gloria.
N.O.