The Fellowship Bible Church movement refers to a group of independent evangelical churches started by pastor and author Gene Getz in the 1970s. Getz helped launch the movement while serving as pastor of Fellowship Bible Church North in Dallas, Texas.
The Fellowship movement seeks to follow biblical principles for church leadership and governance. Churches in the movement have opted out of denominational oversight in favor of a congregational approach with local church autonomy. This allows each Fellowship church to govern itself according to biblical directives under the lordship of Jesus Christ.
Some key beliefs and practices of Fellowship Bible Churches include:
- Commitment to the inerrancy and authority of Scripture
- Plurality of elders as the biblical model for church leadership
- Believer’s baptism by immersion
- Practice of male-only eldership
- Symbolic observance of the Lord’s Supper
- Dispensational theology
- Premillennial eschatology
- Practice of believer’s baptism by immersion
- Gifted men and women exercising their spiritual gifts
- Strong emphasis on biblical exposition in preaching and teaching
Gene Getz laid out the vision for the Fellowship movement in his 1975 book The Measure of a Church. He argued that the New Testament prescribes certain “one anothers” that should be practiced by every local church, such as love, forgiveness, and serving one another. This mutual edification helps disciples grow in maturity in Christ (Ephesians 4:11-16).
Getz claimed that denominations and church hierarchies can sometimes hinder the “one anothers” from being practiced effectively. He advocated for independent local churches unified by their commitment to the authority of Scripture and the lordship of Christ, rather than denominational structures.
History of the Fellowship Bible Church Movement
The first Fellowship Bible Church was started by Gene Getz in 1971 in Dallas, Texas. Getz had previously served as a pastor and faculty member at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. He felt led to move to Texas to pioneer a new church focused on biblical principles of governance and ministry.
This first Fellowship church grew rapidly and planted daughter churches in the Dallas metroplex. By the mid-1980s there were over 20 Fellowship Bible Churches stretching from Dallas to Houston. Getz and other leaders began holding annual Pastors Conferences to foster relationships and unity among the Fellowship churches.
From Dallas, the movement spread to other cities as Fellowship churches were planted across the United States. By 2022 there were over 150 established Fellowship churches nationwide. The international reach has extended to Fellowship churches in Canada, Mexico, Europe, Africa and Asia.
While each Fellowship church functions independently, they are joined by their shared commitment to the vision of recovering New Testament church practice. Fellowship pastors meet regularly in their regions for fellowship, and many churches send their leadership teams to the annual Fellowship Pastors Conference.
Gene Getz led Fellowship Bible Church North in Dallas for over 30 years before passing the baton of senior leadership. He continues to serve as Pastor Emeritus and leader within the broader Fellowship movement. His influence is seen as foundational for recovering biblical principles of church government.
Beliefs and Practices of Fellowship Bible Churches
Because each Fellowship Bible Church is locally autonomous, their specific beliefs and practices may vary. However, there are core principles, convictions and values that are embraced by churches within the Fellowship movement. These include:
Biblical Inerrancy
Fellowship Bible Churches affirm their belief in the full inspiration, inerrancy and authority of Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21). The Bible is God’s Word and the supreme authority for doctrine and practice.
Plurality of Elders
Fellowship churches follow the New Testament model of being led by a plurality of qualified elders (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5). Elders provide spiritual leadership and oversight under the lordship of Christ.
Congregational Rule
Final authority is vested in the local church body. Members vote to affirm leaders and matters affecting the whole church (Matthew 18:15-17; 1 Corinthians 5:4-5). This contrasts with episcopal (bishop-led) or presbyterian (elder-led) church polity.
Believer’s Baptism
Following the pattern in Acts, Fellowship churches practice believer’s baptism by immersion. Baptism is reserved for those professing faith in Jesus Christ and desires to follow Him (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-4).
Lord’s Supper
In line with New Testament teaching, Fellowship churches observe the Lord’s Supper, or Communion, as a symbolic memorial of Christ’s death on the cross (Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). This is typically celebrated several times per year.
Complementarian Gender Roles
Fellowship Bible Churches hold to complementarian gender roles based on passages such as 1 Timothy 2:11-15. Only men serve as elders, while women exercise giftedness in various ministry roles.
Dispensationalism
Most Fellowship churches affirm dispensational theology, which recognizes certain distinctions between Israel and the Church. This results in a premillennial eschatology.
Premillennial Return of Christ
Fellowship churches teach that Jesus Christ will physically return to earth to establish His literal 1,000-year reign on earth (Revelation 20:1-6). This is followed by eternal state.
Gifted Members Exercising Ministries
Members of Fellowship churches are encouraged to discover and utilize their spiritual gifts for building up the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Peter 4:10-11). Both men and women exercise gifts.
Biblical Exposition
Fellowship churches typically place a strong emphasis on biblical exposition in preaching and teaching. The goal is to accurately explain the meaning of Scripture.
Distinctives of Fellowship Churches
In addition to the core beliefs and practices outlined above, Fellowship Bible Churches exhibit the following general distinctives:
- Autonomous local church governance
- Plurality of elders leading the church
- Minimal hierarchy and bureaucracy
- Flexibility in ministry philosophy and methods
- Conservative theology with some variation allowed
- Dispensational premillennialism common but not mandated
- Egalitarian exercise of spiritual gifts between genders
- Strong emphasis on discipleship and biblical community
- Prioritization of Bible exposition in preaching and teaching
- Rejection of denominational control
While independent in governance, Fellowship churches actively foster interdependence and unity through regional pastors’ fellowships and the annual conference.
Criticisms of the Fellowship Movement
As with any church movement, the Fellowship network has faced some criticism and critiques over the years. These include:
- Exclusivity – Fellowship churches believe they have recovered the ideal biblical model for ministry. This can come across as arrogant.
- Division – Their independence from denominations has created division with other Christian groups.
- Minimal accountability – Autonomous churches could stray into unbiblical practices without oversight.
- Lack of details – Getz’s vision focused more on philosophies than specific methods.
- Male-only leadership – Not all Christians agree that Scripture prohibits women from serving as elders.
While valid critiques, most Fellowship churches seek to learn and improve based on biblical truth, not just defend their practices. The movement continues to adapt while holding firm to their high view of Scripture.
Impact and Influence of Fellowship Churches
Over 150 Fellowship churches have been established in North America and globally. Through their emphasis on biblical ecclesiology, they have influenced many evangelical churches and organizations.
Fellowship Bible Churches helped pave the way for a recovery of biblical leadership principles focused on a plurality of elders, the priesthood of all believers, and congregational church government.
Gene Getz’s books, especially The Measure of a Church, have been influential beyond just the Fellowship movement. His materials on biblical eldership and ecclesiology have impacted many evangelical churches and networks.
Fellowship Bible Institute, founded in 1986, has equipped thousands of church leaders both within and outside of Fellowship circles through their accessible seminary-level programs.
The annual Fellowship Conference draws church leaders from around the world for training, networking and sharing of best ministry practices based on biblical principles.
Through its emphasis on biblical priorities, the Fellowship Bible Church movement has positively impacted American evangelicalism with an emphasis on discipleship, community and the centrality of Scripture.