Baptist Distinctives: Autonomy of the Local Church

Text: 1 Peter 2:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:27; Romans 12:4-5

Theme: Autonomy simply means self-governance ... that all human authority for the doctrine and practice of the local church lies within the local church itself.

The New Hampshire Confession of Faith, written in 1830, was one of the earliest and remains the most important of the Baptist confessions of faith. It formed the basis for many subsequent statements, including our own Baptist Faith and Message. Article 13 of the New Hampshire confession is entitled "The Church." It reads: “We believe that a visible Church of Christ is a congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by his laws; and exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by his word; that it's only proper officers are bishops, or pastors, and deacons, whose qualifications, claims, and duties are defined in the epistles to Timothy and Titus.”

In this paragraph lies one of the most distinctive features of Baptist faith — it’s polity, or form of government. Some may ask, “What difference does it make how a congregation decides to conduct its affairs?” Well, if we’re going to call ourselves a New Testament Church it matters, and if you’re going to call yourself a New Testament Baptist Church it really, REALLY matters.

The second Baptist Distinctive that is important to us is our polity and our autonomy and our autonomy flows out of our polity.

I. THE HISTORIC FORMS OF CHURCH GOVERNMENT

1. since the first century, a number of different forms of church polity have developed

2. Church government is a matter about which there is some latitude—Baptists have always realized this

a. yet at the same time, Baptists have also always realized that there are some basic guidelines we can glean from the Scripture about church polity

b. in general four principal types of church government have been most common in the history of Christianity

A. EPISCOPAL POLITY

1. Episcopal Church Government comes from the Greek word episkopos which is often translated as bishop but literally means overseer

a. in this form of church government, church authority rests with the bishops of the church who oversee all the congregations of a geographical area

ILLUS. For example, the Jefferson City Catholic diocese takes in 36 counties from the Lake of the Ozarks to the Missouri/Iowa line.

b. these bishops (who are referred to as “superior clergy”) preside over individual congregations in a geographical area

1) these local congregations are governed by priests (who are referred to as “inferior clergy”)

c. in this form of church government, the bishops alone have authority to ordain to the ministry and make all major decisions for the Church

2. in many cases, Episcopal bodies argue that their succession of authority can be traced all the way back to the apostles

a. they refer to it as Apostolic Succession

3. Roman Catholicism, Anglican communions and Eastern Orthodox communions each have an Episcopal form of church government

a. one priest or bishop answers to another, who answers to another, until “at the top” there is one bishop who has final authority

1) in Roman Catholicism that “one bishop” is the Arch Bishop of Rome

2) in Anglicanism that “one bishop” is the Arch Bishop of Canterbury

3) in Eastern Orthodoxy that “one bishop” is the Patriarchate of Constantinople

b. advocates for an episcopal form of church government argue that the sheer fact that it went virtually uncontested from the late 3rd -century until the time of the Reformation in the 16th century testifies to its claims as the true biblical form of church polity

4. Baptists would argue that a long tradition of the church doing something does not necessarily mean it’s Scriptural

a. Baptists would also argue that the plethora of church offices in the Roman Catholic, Anglican communions, and Orthodox traditions are absolutely unbiblical

1) nowhere in the new testament do we see evidence of popes, cardinals or arch bishops

B. PRESBYTERY POLITY

1. another type of church government is Presbyterianism, which comes from the Greek word presbuteros, which means elder

a. in this form of church government, authority rests with a council of elders called a presbytery composed of all the elders of all the churches in a geographical area

1) this form of church polity recognizes two classes of Elders — teaching elders and ruling elders

b. in this form of church government, the congregation — which itself is semi-autonomous — is led by the pastor, who is the "teaching elder," who is chosen and called by the congregation

c. the “ruling elders” within the congregation are laymen who serve as the spiritual/theological/moral/visionary leaders of the congregation

1) these elders, however, are ordained by the presbytery, not the local church

a) the presbyter consists of all the teaching and ruling elders from a group of congregations over which it exercises jurisdiction

b) this means the an elder’s loyalty is often to the presbytery more than to the local church

2) these local elder councils will send a select number of delegates to a still larger body of authority, sometimes called a Synod

3) the Synod will meet regularly to discuss major issues of theology and practice facing the whole denomination

4) their decisions are binding on all the participating congregations

2. modern Presbyterian churches practice this type of polity

a. Methodists practice a looser form of Presbytery Polity, and call it Connectionalism

b. Christian churches practice Presbytery Polity, but do so within their own congregation

1) they have a Board of Elders who essentially make all decisions for the church

C. ELDER-LED POLITY

1. this is often simply referred to as Elder-rule

a. Elder-rule is when the elders of the church make all of the decisions alone without the involvement of or the congregation’s specific assent

1) it’s a modified form of Episcopal polity, but on just the local church level

2) a hierarchy within the Church rules and makes decisions for all

b. an Elder-led congregation is where elders elected by the congregation make the majority of decisions, but some decisions, such as voting in a new pastor, or deciding on a major building program, or adopting the yearly budget are decided on by the congregation (often in a yearly business meeting)

2. Elder-rule is a small, but growing way of doing church polity in Southern Baptist life

a. our own history reveals that in the formative years of our convention’s life that Elder-ruled or Elder-led churches were present and Baptists fully accepted it

b. that said, Elder Polity remains rare among Southern Baptist Baptists

3. my issue with Elder-led polity is that Baptist churches that adopt Elder-led polity essentially establish a defacto “third office” (pastor/elder/deacon) within the local church that I believe is unbiblical

D. CONGREGATIONAL POLITY

1. in this form of church government, authority rests with the membership at large — the congregation as a whole

2. congregationalism stresses the independence of the local church through the doctrine of the priesthood of the believer

a. higher human authority within the church or over the churches is denied, and pastors are regarded as full-time servants — not ruling elders, church managers or church CEOs

b. under congregational polity decisions about membership, leadership, doctrine, worship, conduct, missions, finances, property, and ecclesiastical relationships are all made by the gathered congregation

c. the role of the pastor in congregational polity is not one of CEO, boss, or taskmaster

1) his role is that of spiritual leader

a) does he have authority?

b) yes, but it is an authority as defined by the Scriptures, and determined by the congregation (presumably as defined by the Scriptures and led by the Holy Spirit)

2) the pastor works with congregationally approved representatives, such as deacons or specifically elected lay-leaders to guide the ministries of the congregation

3) any and all decisions are presented to the church for final approval or rejection

3. Baptists are among those Christian bodies that practice congregational polity

a. while all types of church government can claim some support from the New Testament, Baptists have long believed and been persuaded that Congregationalism is the best attested of the four

ILLUS. In a book entitled Kingdom Authority, Dr. Adrian Rogers stated that the church is to be pastor-led, deacon-served, committee-operated, and congregationally- affirmed.

b. that’s a really, really good way of describing Baptist Polity

II. A DEFENSE OF CONGREGATIONALISM

1. the New Testament does not give us concise instructions about church government

a. we must, therefore, sift through the New Testament to find the bits and pieces that give us a pattern for church government

1) thankfully there are lots of bits and pieces!

b. four features of the early church stand out

A. 1st, The Churches in the New Testament Are Represented as a Local, Independent, Autonomous Bodies of Believers

1. there is zero evidence that any outside authority was imposed on the local churches, accept by the apostles, whose teachings were binding

a. the church at Jerusalem, for example, does not transmit its instructions to the church at Corinth

b. it does not threaten them with excommunication when it learns of the disorderly walk of some of the Corinthians

c. consider the seven churches in the Book of Revelation — each is treated as a separate autonomous congregation by Jesus

2. as the apostles’ doctrine became more widely known and as the apostles themselves began to pass from the scene, the church’s autonomy became more apparent

3. moreover, except for occasional reference to the church as the Body of Christ, the word church is only used in the New Testament for a local assembly

a. strictly speaking, there is no such thing as “the Baptist Church”— only Baptist churches

b. there is no Baptist denomination— only a convention of cooperating independent Baptist congregations

4. it was not until the end of the third century and early fourth century that churches began to submit to outside authority and institutional organization

B. 2nd, It Is Apparent That the Government of the Local Church of the New Testament Was in The Hands of All the People Rather than in the Hands of a Small Group of Rulers

1. the apostle Paul addressed his letters to entire congregations, not merely the leaders of congregations

“To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 1:7, NIV84)

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 1:1–2, NIV84)

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.” (Colossians 1:1–2, NIV84)

a. it may seem a small matter that the Apostle address congregations in toto, yet no point of biblical revelation is insignificant

b. other New Testament writers such as the apostle Peter and Jude did the same

2. and though we know and understand from 1 Timothy and Titus that pastors and deacons had special responsibilities, the assembly was the governing unit

a. when deacons were to be appointed (Acts 6) to administer the charities of the church at Jerusalem, what course do the Apostles pursue?

b. they turned to the congregation at Jerusalem: “So, brethren,” said they, “look ye out among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we will appoint over this business ... “

C. 3rd, New Testament Churches Never Formed an Ecclesiastical Structure That Could Exercise Control over Them, but They Did Associate with One Another

1. normally their cooperation was for benevolent, fraternal, or mission causes

ILLUS. We see an excellent example of this cooperation in Paul’s encouragement of the churches in Macedonia and Achaia to take up a love offering for the saints who were suffering famine in Jerusalem.

“And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will. So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part.” (2 Corinthians 8:1–6, NIV84)

a. this love offering was not mandatory, but solely at the discretion of each local congregation

1) notice that the Apostle Paul refers to the churches (plural) of Macedonia and not the Church (capitalized singular) of Macedonia

b. this passage reveals the cooperative effort of ministry support among independent congregations and is the inspiration behind the Cooperative Programs of Southern Baptists

1) no ecclesiastical hierarchy told the Macedonian congregations what do to or how to do it

2) so too, based partially on this biblical model, Baptists similarly believe that no ecclesiastical body has any authority over a local congregation

D. 4th, The Church Is an Local Assembly of Believers, Regenerated, Indwelt, and Led by the Holy Spirit

1. for that reason, every church is a dwelling place for the Spirit, free to follow His direction

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1–3, NIV84)

2. since the Spirit anoints every believer, He leads through the whole body, and not through a few leaders

3. for these four reasons, the idea of some external human authority over a local congregation seems contrary to the teaching of the New Testament and is anathema to Baptists

III. THE BENEFITS OF CONGREGATIONAL POLITY

A. Congregational Polity Is the Only Form of Church Government That Is Consistent with the Interlocking Relationships of Other Biblically Based Baptist Beliefs

1. these other beliefs include ...

a. local church autonomy

b. soul competency

c. the priesthood of all believers

ILLUS. These three doctrines are like the headwaters that flow together to form a mighty stream. Each doctrine flows freely in its own right, but when they merge the result is congregational polity.

B. Congregational Polity Assumes the Sufficiency of the Scriptures in Guiding Each Believer as Well as the Local Church

1. to say the Scriptures are sufficient means that the Bible is all we need to equip us for a life of faith and service

a. no other outside authority is necessary for guiding the individual believer nor the congregation

2. it is significant that one of the biblical names of Christ is Wonderful Counselor (Isa. 9:6)

a. He is the highest and ultimate One to whom we may turn for counsel, and His Word is the well from which we may draw divine wisdom

“The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.” (Psalm 19:7–9, NIV84)

C. Congregational Polity Implies That Every Church Member Is Party of a Larger Body and Has a Responsibility for the Direction of That Body

1. congregationalism taps into the gifts, wisdom and discernment of every member of the church

a. admittedly, congregationalism is administratively inefficient and the bane of A-Type personalities (which may explain why so many mega-church pastors seek to jettison it for a secular business model)

b. it can also provoke quarreling and divisiveness and a my-way-or-the-highway attitude

c. some even contend that it undermines pastoral authority

1) usually it’s very insecure pastors who say this!

2. congregationalism, like every structure of authority, can be abused and misused, but I am absolutely convinced that it is the form of Church Polity that the Scriptures most clearly teach

a. in spite of some of its shortcomings, congregationalism works when congregants understand that Christ is Head of His Church and Lord over the local congregation

Here is the bottom line: If the members of a church are Spirit-filled and Spirit-guided then the church composed of such members is equally Spirit-filled and Spirit-guided. If a local church has the Holy Spirit indwelling in it there exists no need to subject it to any other body because no other body can possibly have anything greater or wiser than the Holy Spirit. From this the independence among local churches naturally follows.