Autonomy of the Local Church

By William Dudding @ http://reformingbaptist.blogspot.com/

It's amazing how we in Independent Baptist circles preach and spit and hollar about being independent, but when one of our churches is in a crisis, the phones start ringing from all the big influential churches. I have now been in two churches where there has been a change of pastoral leadership. In one case, two other big churches from the outside were wrestling for influence in the church needing a pastor. Church A called the deacons and said that they were going to send their staff evangelist to take the pulpit. Church B called church A and told them not to send him because one of thier college grads was already there to take the leadership.

The influential pastors wanted to have their say in who would take over the leadership. If we really think we need our elders and deacons to submit to the leadership of another church, then let's just start a denomination and make it official. At least we would be honest!

All the churches in the New Testament were autonomous....that means "self-operating". How can we be truly self operating if we are supposed to hand over our leadership to a bigger and more influential church when the church needs to appoint a new pastor. If the church in transition wants help, they'll ask for it. I have heard it said that in the first century church, all the churches looked to Jerusalem for leadership and accountability:

Acts 8:14-15 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:
Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost.

Acts 11:22 Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch.

Acts 15:2 When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.

Verses like these are sighted to support some kind of ecclesiastical hierarchy. The problem with that analogy is that in the first century church, they had Apostles! They were given the authority of Jesus Christ Himself over the churches. When the believers of Jerusalem were scattered, the ones who stayed, were the Apostles. The Church was in its infancy and it needed the constant supervision and oversight of the Apostles. Other than these examples, the church is to ordain it's own elders, deacons, and send them into the ministry.

See Acts 13: 1-3 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
2As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
3And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

Who did the laying on of hands here? The church at Antioch! When they knew that the Holy Ghost had called Saul and Barnabas to be missionaries, the church ordained them and sent them away. If a church is so weak that it can't support its own self and it needs to come under the leadership and financial support of another church, then let it be so until they are capable of being independent and autonomous.