Those of us who are active in branch church work often have to contend with arguments pertaining to the conduct of our church's affairs. Ours may be a new church, or it may be one with many years of service to its community. While it is interesting and sometimes enlightening to peruse the records of the church, what will aid us most is the understanding that our church is the continuing demonstration of its members' love for the healing Truth.
History has many valuable lessons to teach us, but the passage of time, mortal mind's limited sense of God's eternity, has nothing to do with the function of the church—that of representing the Christ and uplifting humanity.
In Science and Health Mrs. Eddy points out that "man in Science is neither young nor old." Science and Health, p. 244; Many Christian Scientists are proving the applicability of that statement and are putting off limitations related to age. Should we not endeavor to see our branch churches in the same light? The action of Truth has no relation to time. Emphasis on time is an error that limits expansion and promotes decay.
Part of our important daily prayerful work in Christian Science for The Mother Church and all its branches is to see them as free from the mortal sense of time. If we accept a belief of temporal continuity for our church, we also welcome in, unwittingly, the mortal limitations that accompany false beliefs about age.
For example, if we believe that we have a young church, we may also accept some of the negative qualities associated with a mortal sense of youth, such as inexperience, immaturity, and "growing pains." We can nullify such belief by studying and applying the spiritual counterfact: Church is built on Principle, and so is guided by the ageless wisdom of the one Mind, God. Our branch church business can be carried out smoothly and creatively because of the efficiency of Mind and the freshness of Soul.
If we are members of a branch church that has served many years, we may find certain other arguments to be overcome. They may take the form of fear, of a membership declining both in number and in willingness to work, of stagnation and apathy, or perhaps of stubborn cliquish thought. But senility is no more a part of a branch church than it is of God's man!
We need not burden ourselves or our demonstration of church with a narrow sense of human accomplishment. We need not be duped by personal sense into thinking that we are personally responsible for the functioning of the church. It hampers progress to yearn over some time in the past as "the golden age of my church." We cannot do effective work for our church if we are constantly depending on a human memory, probably faulty, for comfort. We must turn away from human memory and mere speculation to the infinitude of Mind.
Jesus told Peter, upon the latter's recognition of the Christ, "Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."Matt. 16:18; This rock is not slippery with the fungus of mortal memory or weakened and impaired by the erosion of age. It is sure and strong, because it is the understanding of Truth's power. This rock of spiritual foundation is timeless.
The Bible says of God's compassions, "They are new every morning."Lam. 3:23; Whatever the human need, divine Love is ready to meet it—now. Church exists in the eternal now, expressing the continuity and ever-renewing nature of God's compassions.
As we lift our thoughts from equating church with bricks and mortar, the physical structure, to apprehend the spiritual meaning of church, we will find countless ways to show the Christ's redemptive power. We can tackle the specter of changing neighborhoods by rejoicing over new opportunity. We can meet the suggestion of poverty by acknowledging Truth's affluence. We can refute the argument of inexperience with the truth of Mind's omniscience. We can counter senility with the freshness of Soul. We can destroy the lie of helplessness and lack with the truth of Love's ever-presence.
The Revelator exhorts, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." Rev. 2:7. In proportion as we realize that our branch churches are now and always sustained by eternal Spirit in their healing mission, we will see that they are, in fact, "neither young nor old," but are steadily increasing in their effective outreach to all mankind.
