Church Government and Cooperation: Balancing Autonomy and Structure
Explore the balance between autonomy and organization in church government, with insights from biblical examples and guidance on cooperation within the body of believers.
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Presentation Transcript
PHILIPPIANS 4:9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you (NKJV).
CHURCHGOVERNMENT & COOPERATION Autonomy and Independence PERSONAL CHURCH Shepherd the flock of God which is among you [en humin] (1 Pet. 5:2) ORGANIZATION AUTONOMY EXTREMES Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which [en h ] the Holy Spirit has made you overseers (Acts 20:28) COOPERATION NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLES Elders are in the flock over which they watch.
CHURCHGOVERNMENT & COOPERATION Autonomy and Independence PERSONAL CHURCH Diotrephes loved to have the preeminence (3 John 9) ORGANIZATION AUTONOMY EXTREMES Put those out of the church whom John sent (3 John 10) COOPERATION NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLES Peter and Gentile converts (Gal. 2:11-12)
CHURCHGOVERNMENT & COOPERATION Autonomy and Independence PERSONAL CHURCH ORGANIZATION Congregations were not considered branches extending from some centralized stem. AUTONOMY EXTREMES They were independent communities of individuals serving the Lord. COOPERATION NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLES
CHURCHGOVERNMENT & COOPERATION Extreme Views of Autonomy PERSONAL CHURCH 1. Anarchy ORGANIZATION A state of disorder due to absence or non-recognition of authority (New Oxford American Dictionary) AUTONOMY EXTREMES In one sense no one is autonomous. COOPERATION NEW TESTAMENT I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me (Gal. 2:20) EXAMPLES Slaves of God (Rom. 6:22)
CHURCHGOVERNMENT & COOPERATION Extreme Views of Autonomy PERSONAL CHURCH 1. Anarchy ORGANIZATION Local church organization is autonomous. AUTONOMY EXTREMES Head over all things to the church (Eph. 1:22) COOPERATION The Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4) NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLES Whatever you bind on the earth shall occur, having been bound in Heaven (Matt. 18:18, GLT)
CHURCHGOVERNMENT & COOPERATION Extreme Views of Autonomy PERSONAL CHURCH 2. Isolation ORGANIZATION Fellowship with God = fellowship with one another in Christ (1 John 1:3). AUTONOMY EXTREMES COOPERATION Love the brotherhood (1 Pet. 2:17) NEW TESTAMENT Paul Galatians (Gal. 1:6-9) Jesus Asia (Rev. 1-3) EXAMPLES Pass by on the other side Luke 10:31-32)?
CHURCHGOVERNMENT & COOPERATION Church Cooperation PERSONAL CHURCH One real hindrance to brotherhood unity has been an ungodly view of church autonomy. He argued that church autonomy guaranteed that the world will never be evangelized and thus concluded that autonomy is contrary to the very purpose of God and is sinful (Boston Bulletin, Progressive Revelation, Part 4, June 5, 1988). ORGANIZATION AUTONOMY EXTREMES COOPERATION NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLES
CHURCHGOVERNMENT & COOPERATION Church Cooperation PERSONAL CHURCH Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves (Gen. 11:4) ORGANIZATION AUTONOMY EXTREMES Make us a king to judge us like all the nations (1 Sam. 8:5) COOPERATION NEW TESTAMENT They have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them (1 Sam. 8:7) EXAMPLES
CHURCHGOVERNMENT & COOPERATION Church Cooperation PERSONAL CHURCH Cooperation Debates in the Restoration Movement ORGANIZATION Congregational Cooperation: A Historical Study, by Earl Irvin West: http://grandoldbook.com/congregationalcooperatio n.pdf AUTONOMY EXTREMES COOPERATION NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLES David Lipscomb and John T. Poe (1869)
CHURCHGOVERNMENT & COOPERATION Church Cooperation PERSONAL CHURCH Cooperation Debates in the Restoration Movement ORGANIZATION But when a church finds a work to do which it cannot do alone, how shall it act then? (West) AUTONOMY EXTREMES COOPERATION NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLES
CHURCHGOVERNMENT & COOPERATION Church Cooperation PERSONAL CHURCH Cooperation Debates in the Restoration Movement ORGANIZATION Precisely as the family acts, when it finds itself unable to roll its own logs, raise its own house, harvest its own grain or pick its own cotton. Let it make known its weakness and wants to its nearest sister congregations or congregation AUTONOMY EXTREMES COOPERATION NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLES
CHURCHGOVERNMENT & COOPERATION Church Cooperation PERSONAL CHURCH Cooperation Debates in the Restoration Movement ORGANIZATION And let these congregations without any human organization, say whether they will aid the one asking aid or not and send the aid to sustain the teacher, or feed the poor, as congregations, without the intervention of any human organization AUTONOMY EXTREMES COOPERATION NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLES
CHURCHGOVERNMENT & COOPERATION Church Cooperation PERSONAL CHURCH Cooperation Debates in the Restoration Movement ORGANIZATION So soon then as the work is done each congregation is left perfectly free to pursue its own course without any entangling alliances, with burdensome and frail human machinery or with its sister congregations. (Lipscomb) AUTONOMY EXTREMES COOPERATION NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLES
CHURCHGOVERNMENT & COOPERATION Church Cooperation PERSONAL CHURCH Cooperation Debates in the Restoration Movement ORGANIZATION Two farmers, living as neighbors, work side by side. One has work to do that he cannot do himself. So, he asks the aid of his neighbor. Each farmer, pursuing his own independent course, cooperates. The emergency that necessitated the call for aid ends, and the farmers are left free of any encumbering machinery. (West-Lipscomb) AUTONOMY EXTREMES COOPERATION NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLES
CHURCHGOVERNMENT & COOPERATION Cooperation in the New Testament PERSONAL CHURCH No centralized concept of the church (Acts 8:1, 14; 11:19-23; 15:6) ORGANIZATION AUTONOMY EXTREMES COOPERATION NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLES
CHURCHGOVERNMENT & COOPERATION Cooperation in the New Testament PERSONAL CHURCH 1. Benevolence Relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea (Acts 11:29b) Each according to his ability (Acts 11:29a) Sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul (Acts 11:30) ORGANIZATION AUTONOMY EXTREMES COOPERATION NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLES
CHURCHGOVERNMENT & COOPERATION Cooperation in the New Testament PERSONAL CHURCH 2. Evangelism Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities (Phil. 4:15-16) ORGANIZATION AUTONOMY EXTREMES COOPERATION NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLES
CHURCHGOVERNMENT & COOPERATION Must We Follow Biblical Examples? PERSONAL CHURCH Learned and received and heard and saw (Phil. 4:9) Henderson Meeting (1910) Continent of Great Cities (1976-present) If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed (John 8:31) ORGANIZATION AUTONOMY EXTREMES COOPERATION NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLES
