Church Autonomy

Introduction

Greetings...

For the last several weeks we have been studying the topic of “fundamentals.”

The hope has been to learn and understand the basic building blocks of maturity in Christ.

This is the purpose of the study, as it is good to go back to the milk () and either learn or be renewed in such.

To be clear, fundamental studies are not meat but milk, but we must understand the milk fully before we can move on to the mature meat of the Bible (), however no one can “live on milk alone” physically or spiritually.

That brings us to our study today on “Church Autonomy.”

Webster’s defines autonomy as, “the quality or state of being self-governing especially: the right of self-government”

There are few, if any, autonomous denominations out in the world today.

Inc Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003).

There may be some outliers but not denominations as a whole even though most will claim such.

The Southern Baptist claim each congregation is autonomous and thus able to govern themselves as they see fit.

However, several years ago the Henderson Hills Baptist decided they would allow those not “immersed” into their congregation. They wanted to vote to change the “church bylaws” for their Southern Baptist congregation to allow this. This led many such as Wes Kenney, a Southern Baptist, to write “I believe that the proposal on which they are voting is an error, and if they affirm it I will advocate their removal from our fellowship, so fundamental is this doctrine.”

So, is the Lord’s church by congregation autonomous or not?

Let’s get into our lesson today.

Church Government

Overseers Deacons Saints

In we get a clear-cut view of the scriptural government of the church.

Philippians 1:1 ESV

1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:

As anyone can see there are only three groups of people within the “government” of the church.

Saints: These are every single person that has obeyed the gospel of our Lord and Savior.

1 Corinthians 1:2 ESV

2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

1 Corinthians 14:33 ESV

33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints,

The word saint literally means “one holy or set-apart for God.”

Deacons: These are those men that meet the characteristics described in the Bible and work specifically with the Overseers in service to the local congregation.

1 Timothy 3:8 ESV

8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain.

Deacons must answer to the Elders and as such they are not the spiritual leaders of the church though they have been set into leadership service in their specific area.

Overseers: These are those men that meet the characteristics described in the Bible and are in charge of the souls of the local congregation they are shepherds of.

Acts 20:28 ESV

28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

These are the spiritual leaders of the church but they only have leadership “in the Lord.”

Summery

Why look at all this?

Simply, understanding church government gives us important insight into our specific topic at hand “church autonomy.”

As we will see in our next point “church government implies autonomy.”

Church Government Implies Autonomy

Elders are leaders of the church.

Notice these passages on the subject.

Heb 13

Hebrews 13:7 ESV

7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.

Heb

Hebrews 13:17 ESV

17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

5

1 Peter 5:5 ESV

5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Elders are not leaders of more than one church.

Notice elderships were to be set up in every congregation.

Acts 14:23 ESV

23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

Titus 1:5 ESV

5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—

Why set up leadership in every congregation if not for autonomy?

Elders had no authority over other elders.

There is no authority found () for an eldership telling another eldership what to do in matters of expedience.

Now why would I caveat “expedience?”

Because in matters of doctrine we are all accountable to each other as seen in but in matters of expedience each congregation is accountable to self.

It should be noted that one eldership cannot force another eldership and thus congregation away from apostasy anymore than they can force one of their own sheep to stay faithful.

Notice the Macedonian church could not force the church in Corinth to “give as they promised.”

2 Corinthians 8:1–2 NKJV

1 Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: 2 that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality.

2 Corinthians 8:8 NKJV

8 I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others.

Church history proves that congregational autonomy didn’t end until later during the 2nd century.

Jerome, who wrote the Latin Vulgate, commented on .

“The presbyter is the same as the bishop, and before parties had been raised up in religion by the provocations of Satan, the churches were governed by the Senate of the presbyters. But as each one sought to appropriate to himself those whom he had baptized, instead of leading them to Christ, it was appointed that one of the presbyters, elected by his colleagues, should be set over all the others, and have chief supervision over the general well-being of the community. . . Without doubt it is the duty of the presbyters to bear in mind that by the discipline of the Church they are subordinated to him who has been given them as their head, but it is fitting that the bishops, on their side, do not forget that if they are set over the presbyters, it is the result of tradition, and not by the fact of a particular institution by the Lord.”

Summery

There simply is no authority for “head bishops” or one eldership having authority over another eldership and thus each congregation that belongs to the Lord is autonomous to each other.

Conclusion

God knew, in His infinite wisdom, that autonomy was of necessity so that no one person or group could pull down the entire church as a whole.

Which proved to be possible with the Catholic denomination. Not that it pulled the church away but that it pulled each of its members away.

Invitation

Isaiah 59:1–2 ESV

1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

Philippians 2:6–7 ESV

6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.