Local Church Autonomy

Glenn Young

Autonomy is defined as “1. The condition or quality of being autonomous; independence. 2. a. Self-government or the right of self-government; self-determination. b. Self-government with respect to local or internal affairs: granted autonomy to a national minority. 3. A self-governing state, community, or group.” The American Heritage Dictionary.

God, in His infinite wisdom, has made all local churches autonomous. God’s pattern is for each local church to do its own work. Paul admonishes the elders at Ephesus to, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.” Acts 20:28. Peter continues this thought by saying, “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof…” 1 Peter 5:2. These verses teach us that elders should take care of the local work over which they are overseers. These instructions to elders accentuate the fact that each local work is autonomous.

It is not allowable for elders (or the men via business meeting) to involve themselves in the work of other local churches. There is absolutely nothing said about elders becoming overseers of more than one local church. There is no scripture where an eldership (or the men) at one local church ever became the overseers of a work involving two or more local churches.

Some brethren have decided that God’s pattern is insufficient. They have gone about to establish their own righteousness by creating what is called a sponsoring church. This is where one or more local churches send funds to a centralized sponsoring local church for the purpose of performing a work. This type of collective action of local churches contradicts Paul and Peter’ s instructions to elders. Hence, the sponsoring church type arrangement is an unscriptural alliance of local churches, which allows an eldership from one local church, a sponsoring church, to oversee a work for other local churches.

It doesn’t matter how good the intentions, the violation of God’s pattern is a sin. To argue that it is a good work that is too large for one local church serves only to confuse the issue. Can something be good which is unscriptural in organization? The answer is no!

Each local church needs to take care of its own business. Each local church needs to abide within its personal abilities and not rely upon other local churches to prop it up. Autonomy of local churches demands it.