Article March 3, 1928 Issue

Church Business Meetings

HENRY P. CAYLEY

In the Manual of The Mother Church, under the caption "The Mother Church and Branch Churches" (p. 70), we are told that "each Church of Christ, Scientist, shall have its own form of government." The proper government of each branch church must therefore be the demonstration of its members; but consideration of the metaphysical aspect of such government, particularly in its relation to The Mother Church, must always be helpful, and is indeed necessary for the continued manifestation of the unity that is so vital to the Cause of Christian Science.

The Rules and By-laws of our branch church may, perhaps, deal very fully with the calling and conduct of business meetings, but they will hardly help us to understand the true purpose of these meetings; and so the first question to be considered would appear to be this: What are our business meetings for? The obvious answer is, To regulate and govern the affairs of our church. That answer is correct, as far as it goes, but it is by no means complete. Our church is a branch of The Mother Church, a branch of the parent vine; and our business is not just to try to keep the branch strong and active as a separate entity, but to assist the growth of the parent tree by keeping the branch free from all that might harm it or hinder its development, and by so watering the ground that the roots may receive the nourishment necessary to maintain both stem and branch healthy and strong. And so, whatever business may come before us for discussion, we should consider not only how it may affect us locally, but quite definitely whether it will be likely to help or to harm the Cause of Christian Science generally. That is, we should be careful always to consider the matter in its broadest aspect.

In order to do this we need to be quite clear as to what we mean by "business." Webster defines it in part as "that which one has to do." We all know what we have to do. As God's child, made in His image and likeness, man reflects Him, reflects the one infinite Mind, and thus manifests intelligence and wisdom. Man's business has been rightly described as "the reflecting business;" and if we are really trying to reflect Truth and Love, really trying to think rightly, to act rightly, and to love rightly, we are doing, as faithfully as we know how, the only real business there is—the "Father's business." Our business, then, is the "Father's business;" and we can carry on this business only as we put from us all belief in minds apart from God, and the belief that we need, or are able, to originate anything. Our business is to reflect; to be obedient to Mind's directing.

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