Editing Two by Twos (section)

== Practice and structure ==

=== Ministry ===
The church holds that faith and salvation may only be obtained by hearing the preaching of its ministers (typically called ''workers''), and by observing their sacrificial lives.{{sfn|Impartial Reporter|25 August 1910|p=8}}{{sfn|Gründler|1961|p=411}} During the early years, this requirement was referred to as the "Living Witness Doctrine", though that term is no longer used. The minister must be heard and observed in person, rather than by broadcasts, recordings, books or tracts, or other indirect communication.{{sfn|Melton|2009|p=554}}{{sfn|Anderson|20 August 1983|p=4a}} The church's ministerial structure is based on Jesus' instructions to his apostles found in [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] [[s:Bible (King James)/Matthew#Chapter 10|chapter 10, verses 8–16]] (with similar passages in [[s:Bible (King James)/Mark#Chapter 6|Mark]] and in [[s:Bible (King James)/Luke#Chapter 10|Luke]]). The church's view is that, following these Biblical examples, its ministers have no permanent dwelling places, minister in pairs, sell all and go out with only minimal worldly possessions, and rely only upon hospitality and generosity.{{sfn|Mann|1955|p=110}}{{sfn|Courier Mail|29 August 1936|p=22}} Most ministers receive their support and income directly from lay members, and have no fixed address except for mail collection.{{sfn|Wilson|1993}}

The option of entering the ministry is theoretically open to every baptized member, although it has been many decades since married people were accepted into the ministry. Female workers operate in the same manner as male workers. However, they cannot rise to the position of overseer, do not lead meetings when a male worker is present, and occupy a lower rank than male workers.{{sfn|Fortt|1994|pp=96, 117–118, 193}}

Workers do not engage in any formal religious training.<ref>See:
* {{harvnb|Bruce|1996|p=70}};
* {{harvnb|Chandler|13 September 1983|p=A2}};
* {{harvnb|Climenhaga|30 July 1994|p=E7}};
* {{harvnb|Mann|1955|p=29}};
* {{harvnb|Müller|1990}};
* {{harvnb|Parker|Parker|1982|p=104}}.</ref> Overseers pair new workers with senior companions until they are deemed ready to move beyond a junior position.{{sfn|Fortt|1994|pp=59, 236–237}} The workers are assigned new companions annually.{{sfn|Kalas|30 January 2010}} Workers organize and assign members to the home meetings, appoint elders, and decide controversies among members. Workers are not registered marriage celebrants, so members are married by secular functionaries (such as a [[justice of the peace]]). However, workers will give sermons and prayers at members' weddings if requested, and they officiate at the funerals of members.<ref>See:
* {{harvnb|Crow|1964|p=38}};
* {{harvnb|Nichols|2006|p=89}};
* {{harvnb|Robinson|2009}}.</ref>

=== Gatherings ===
The church holds several types of gatherings throughout the year in various locations.{{efn-ua|This list of meeting types follows the list given in {{harvnb|Daniel|1993|pp=13–15}}.}}

; ''{{nobold|Gospel meeting}}''
: A Gospel meeting is the gathering that is most likely to be open to those considered to be "outsiders".{{sfn|Paul|1977|p=8}} At one time, Gospel meetings were typically held in tents, set up by workers as they traveled; they are now most commonly held in a rented space.{{efn-ua|"Ordinary meetings among lay believers are held in houses, but periodically the itinerants visit each district, and there they borrow a hall (often the Church hall of an unsuspecting minister) for a preaching meeting for the public at large."&nbsp;—''Bryan R. Wilson'' {{harv|Wilson|1993}}.}} Gospel meetings are held to attract new members, though professing members typically make up the majority of attendees. The Gospel meeting consists of a period of quiet, followed by congregational singing (often accompanied by piano) of selected hymns, and then sermons delivered by the church's workers. Gospel meetings are regularly scheduled for portions of the year in areas where the group is well-established. They may also be held when a worker believes there may be people in the region who would be receptive to the church's message.
; ''{{nobold|Sunday morning meeting}}''
: Participation in this closed<ref>See:
* {{harvnb|Chandler|13 September 1983|p=A2}};
* {{harvnb|Martineau|18 July 2000}};
* {{harvnb|Parker|Parker|1982|p=93}}.
</ref> meeting is generally restricted to members. It is usually held in the home of an elder, and consists of [[a cappella]] singing from the regular hymnal,{{sfn|Hymns Old and New|1987}} partaking of communion emblems{{sfn|Lewis|1998|p=494}}{{sfn|Chryssides|2001b|p=330}} (a piece of leavened bread and a cup of wine or grape juice),{{sfn|Crow|1964|p=10}} prayer and sharing of testimonies by members in good standing.{{sfn|Jones|2013|p=8}}  Members are expected to be silent and arrive fifteen minutes early.
; ''{{nobold|Bible study}}''
: Participation in this closed meeting is generally restricted to members, and is usually held in the home of an elder each Wednesday evening. Members are assigned a list of Bible verses or a topic of study for consideration during the week, for discussion at the next meeting. As the meeting progresses, each member shares thoughts regarding the scripture or topic. Thoughts are shared by individual members in turn, and members do not engage in discussions during the meeting. The Bible study meeting includes hymns and prayers.
; ''{{nobold|Union meeting}}''
: This is a monthly gathering of several congregations, and follows the format of the Sunday morning meetings. Union meetings are not open to the public.

;''{{nobold|Special meeting(s)}}''
: Special meetings are annual gatherings of members from a large area. Each is held as a private gathering, often in a rented hall. Special meetings last a single day, and include sermons by local and visiting workers. The sermons are interspersed with prayers, hymns, and testimonies.
; ''{{nobold|Convention}}''
: These annual events are attended by members from within a larger geographical area than for the special meetings. These services generally follow the format used for special meetings. Conventions are held over several days, usually in rural areas on properties with facilities to handle housing, feeding, and other necessities for those who attend. There are typically crude male and female dormitories, a dormitory for the Workers, and male and female communal bathrooms with simple showers. Conventions are not open to the public, although outsiders often attend by invitation. Although not now usual, members were at one time segregated by sex during services.{{sfn|Peterborough Examiner|9 June 1931|p=9}}
; ''{{nobold|Workers' meeting}}''
: These gatherings are not open to either the public or general membership. Attendance and participation are restricted to workers and certain invited members. The meeting may be a regular Bible study, or it may be used to disseminate any instructions from senior workers or to issue decisions about controversial matters. They are held during conventions, or as necessary. These meetings include prayer, a period for testimonies from any workers wishing to share, and may include statements by senior workers in attendance.

=== Organization ===
Members state that the church does not have a formal [[organization]].<ref>See:
* {{harvnb|Bruce|1996|p=70}};
* Overseer Charles Steffen quoted in {{harvnb|Martineau|14 July 2000|p=A1}};
* {{harvnb|Maynard|11 June 1982|p=11}}.</ref> Members do not participate in, and many are unaware of, the church's governance.{{efn-ua|"A concern for public exposure may be the principal reason why the no-name sect has no newsletters or other publications even for its own members.  The lack of such internal documents makes it difficult for members to know what is going on within the group, but, as Simmel observes, the less the members know, the less they will be able to tell outsiders if they decide to talk openly about it. The need for internal secrecy also may explain why the nameless sect has no system of government in which ordinary members participate. I[n] fact, most members seem unaware that a system of government even exists.."&nbsp;—''Benton Johnson'' {{harv|Johnson|1995|p=43}}.}} Although in the early years of the church a headquarters was maintained in Belfast,{{sfn|Robinson|2005|p=35}} no official headquarters currently exist and the church remains largely unincorporated. Both expenditures and funds collected remain secret from the membership and no accounting is made public.{{sfn|Gill|30 June 1984|p=37}} Funds are handled through stewardships, trusts, and cash transactions.{{efn-ua|"All property at the group's disposal is in the hands of individuals who are expected to make use of it for the good of the movement. Sites where conventions take place are owned by members and the monetary donations workers receive are theirs to spend as they see fit. Funds and other assets held in trusts are also secret with no public accounting given."&nbsp;—''Benton Johnson'' {{harv|Johnson|1995|p=42}}.}}

No materials are published by the church for outside circulation other than invitations to open Gospel meetings.{{sfn|Daniel|1993|pp=9–11}} Printed materials are published for circulation among the members and include sermon notes, convention notes, Bible study lists, convention lists, and worker lists.{{sfn|Nichols|2006|p=88}} In recent years, contact details of members, including phone numbers and home addresses, have been compiled into booklets. These booklets are treated as highly confidential and available for workers' use only. Some members of the group refuse to provide their details for these booklets, in the name of privacy. Some members of the group see the internal dissemination of worker letters as continuing the practice of the early Church and the epistolary work of the original apostles.{{sfn|Crow|1964|p=27}}

=== Hierarchy ===
The church is controlled by a small group of senior male overseers with each having oversight of a specific geographic region. Under each senior overseer are male head workers who have oversight of a single state, province or similar area, depending on the country.<ref>See:
* {{harvnb|Chryssides|2001b|pp=330–331}};
* {{harvnb|Johnson|1995|pp=44–52}};
* {{harvnb|Lewis|1998|p=494}};
* {{harvnb|Robinson|2009}}.</ref> These head workers handle the two-by-two pairing and field assignments of workers for that area. Each pair of workers has charge over several local meetings with the senior worker of the two having authority over his junior. Local meetings are hosted in the homes of elders who report to the workers. Correspondence such as reporting, finances, and instructions are often communicated according to the set hierarchy.{{sfn|Daniel|1993|pp=11–16}} The administration of the church and its annual process of assigning of workers to fields are rarely discussed among the membership.{{sfn|Johnson|1995|p=43}} Workers are believed to be holy conduits of God and are regarded highly by the congregation.

=== Hymnals ===
The church's first [[hymnal]], ''The Go-Preacher's Hymn Book'', was compiled by 1909{{sfn|Impartial Reporter|7 October 1909|p=8}} and contained 125 hymns. The English-language hymn book currently used is ''Hymns Old and New''{{sfn|Hymns Old and New|1987}} and was first published in 1913{{sfn|Impartial Reporter|3 July 1913|p=8}} with several subsequent editions and translations. It contains 412 hymns, many of which were written or adapted by workers and other members of the church, and is organized into "gospel" and "fellowship" hymns.{{sfn|Fortt|1994|p=197}} A smaller, second hymnal, also titled ''Hymns Old and New'', consists of the first 170 songs found in the full hymnal. Another version of the hymnal contains words without musical notation and is used primarily by children and those who cannot read music.{{sfn|Hymns Old and New|1987}} Hymnals in other languages, such as "''Himnos''" in Spanish, contain many hymns translated from the English and sung to the same tunes, as well as original non-English compositions.