The Autonomy Of The Church
It is needless to think that any question is completely settled for all time to come because one generation gives way to another. In a sense each generation fights the same battles as the one before with only slight changes. Years ago the question of the autonomy of the church was completely discussed, and many thought laid on the shelf for all time to come. But we are finding it is not true. Headlines of religious papers are screaming again, temperatures are rising, tongues are wagging, and the battle is on. Is this a bad sign? No, I do not think so. To me it is a good sign. It reveals the determination of a great host of God's people to stay by the old paths and not allow anything to enter that would corrupt the church of Christ. It reveals how alert some people still are, and anxious they are regarding the church.
We recognize the truth that this question was settled by the Lord long ago. Hence it is not the Lord that causes controversy, but those who would change the Lord's plan. His instructions were, "to appoint elders in every city." (Titus 1:5.) We have no record of more than one congregation in a city at that time, so there can be no room for argument there. These elders were to "rule well." (I Tim. 5:17.) His qualifications are clearly revealed in the New Testament, and his appointment to "take oversight" of the congregation that selected him, is plainly stated. (I Peter 5:2.) His power to oversee ends with the congregation that selected him. Hence churches of Christ are congregational in government, according to the scriptures. That is, no group of elders of one congregation have any authority, in any way, over another congregation. To illustrate this, we use the Heights church for example. Realizing what the scriptures teach, our elders knew they could not exercise authority over the Heights church, so the people who were going to make up this new church met and selected their own elders. These men have the oversight of the Heights church. They have no oversight in any other congregation in the city of Little Rock or any other city. In like manner our elders have no oversight of the Heights church or any other. Unless one of these congregations should become unscriptural in practice, no one has a right to raise his voice against it. It is not the privilege of one congregation to try to plan a program for another or to interfere in a program that another plans. Each has its program, and each must work in its own congregation. This is true of all congregations of the church of Christ.
As it is true regarding congregations, it is also true of other organizations that Christians feel it wise to support. There is no question about the value of schools operated by our brethren. But those schools do not belong to the church and have no right to try to operate a church in any sense. They should be supported by individual Christians as in the past, and should never try to meddle with the business affairs of the church.
Sometimes organizations will say they are not trying to run the affairs of a church, but at the same time will find a pipe line into a church and feed propaganda through it to some officer or member, and thereby hope to gain a point. This also sometimes happens when people want to change the program of a congregation. It calls for wide awake elders who love the Lord's church. May the Lord ever guide his right in these matters, and in all other matters that are so important to the future of a great church!