Sermon Tone Analysis

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Heb

5

Elders are not leaders of more than one church.

Notice elderships were to be set up in every congregation.

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.”

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