For the Church should be our service

For the Church should be our service

’Tis the perfect will of God;

’Tis the only way of working

Which the Lord’s apostles trod.

For the Church should be our service

Not our aims to satisfy;

This

the perfect will of God is

And with it we must comply.

For ’tis God’s eternal purpose

That the Church His vessel be;

He intends that all our service

Build His Church continually.

All the gifted persons given

To the Body by the Head

Are to aid the Church’s building

That to fulness she be led.

All the gifts and all the functions

All the spirit’s power shown

All the ministries are given

For the Church and that alone.

All the preaching of the Gospel

All the teaching ministry

Every other kind of service

For the church alone should be.

Ministry is for the Churches

Not the Church for ministry;

All the lampstands are the Churches

Not a form of ministry.

This will keep the Church’s oneness

Saving us from every sect;

This will ever test our motives

And our aim will thus correct.

Lord

deliver us from our work

From the work of any sect;

For Thy Church alone we’d labor

And its building up effect.