Church autonomy and church discipline

“Autonomy” means the right or condition of self-government or self-control. In Baptist ecclesiology, this principle and practice means that each local congregation is self-governing. A Baptist church recognizes no secular governmental control or religious denominational control over her faith and religious practice. A local congregation of baptized believers is independent of outside entities. However, she governed by her head and lawgiver, Jesus Christ, the leadership of the Holy Spirit, and the inspired word (the Bible, John 17:14) that he has given.

In some sense we should also see there is interdependence of local congregations co-labouring together with God – not a surrender of autonomy, but a similarity of goals and direction in following the same Head and believing the same Bible. (“in all churches” is a treasured phrase of Paul.) One area in which we see this is church discipline. Each local congregation, and not another, exercises discipline over her members. But biblical church discipline doesn’t work well when congregations refuse to recognize the biblical disciplinary work of other churches. 

If an excluded church member can simply go down the road and join another church of like faith and order, then discipline breaks down. An autonomous church may make a mistake in church discipline. Another autonomous church is not helplessly bound by the other church’s act. However, if the first church acted biblically, it is biblical to recognize the discipline of that church. If that excluded member wants to join the church down the road, the church down the road should send them back home to repent, be restored, and repair the bond of fellowship with the church of their membership. Anything less is a flaunting of the authority of the head that bought them and the word that taught them. Some churches an pastors take autonomy to the extreme, refusing to work together with other churches of like faith and order to maintain a pure witness of the gospel.

Often churches are too indifferent to doctrine and too eager to obtain new members by whatever method available to them. A church should not be hasty to encourage a prospective member coming from a nearby church of faith and order. Why are they coming? Are they moving closer to your local congregation, are they disgruntled, are they leaving a mess in their home church, or perhaps fleeing church discipline? Let not numbers glaze our eyes from truth.

The principle of local church autonomy must operate consistently and distinctly within biblical theology and ecclesiology. Biblical church autonomy allows us to operate independently while also cooperating in matters of truth with other churches.

Salvation and the Church

"Biblical history reveals that Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden some 4,000 years before the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. This same history also helps us to understand that the New Testament Church was organized by the Lord around 30 years after his birth. This places around 4,030 years between the time when men started to be saved and the time there was a true Church that they could enter. This fact alone makes it apparent that soul salvation fails to place a person into the Church set up by the Lord Jesus Christ." -- Mike Brawner

Let the redeemed say so

We are living in a time when Baptist churches are extremely careless in receiving members — careless with those they receive by experience, careless with those they receive by letter, and careless with those they receive by statement. This article will deal with loose practice as it relates to those who are received on relation of experience and are requesting baptism.

Many are received having never given any profession of faith or testimony of a born again experience. The pervasive practice of asking leading questions, raising hands when every head is bowed and every eye is closed”, repeating someone else’s prayer, and signing cards has won the day among a majority. Instead of requiring an experience, John R. Rice suggests: You make the plans to take him to some good Bible-preaching church. Sit by him in the services. Walk forward with him and tell the preacher, “My friend here has trusted Christ and wants you to know it and wants you to tell the people that he has been saved.”1 Notice this third hand confession — a second party tells the pastor, and the pastor tells the church. John the Baptist would never have put up with such, and neither should we! Such practices of hyper-evangelism and easy believism have invaded the old Baptist faith. Beware! 

Even churches that are not involved in these questionable evangelistic methods often only require an applicant to relate his experience to the pastor and not to the church. Equally as bad is that some Baptists have reversed their stand against infant baptism and are now receiving 3 and 4 year olds. Anyone old enough to say yes and no at the right time can join some Baptist churches — they won’t even bother to find out if they understand what they’re doing. This is a very dangerous practice. I may be closed—minded, but I’ve never seen a 4 year old who has come to an age of understanding about sin and salvation.

The practice denounced by our brethren in the 1800’s as Campbellism — to simply confess belief in Jesus as the Son of God — now prevails in most Baptist churches (if they require that much). Alexander Campbell taught “that baptism should be administered to all who say they believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, without examination on any other point.”2  He ridiculed mourning over sin, repenting of sin, or having any kind of “experience” of salvation. Chapter 8 of Christian’s History of the Baptists, Vol. 2 and Chapter 9 of Origin of Campbellism by J.H. Milburn are good resources on this philosophy.

What is the reason for such things? There are several motivations. First — to increase church membership. Some preachers (and churches) have no scruples. They will do anything, receive and baptize anyone, just to enlarge their church roll, have “the largest Sunday School” or “the fastest growing church”. They seem to feel the end justifies the means. Pray that they might see “the end thereof are the ways of death.”

Still others are compromisers. They don’t want to turn anyone away lest they hurt someone’s feelings. They don’t ask for a profession of faith lest it prove embarrassing to the person asked to relate their experience. They don’t want to cause any stir in the church. They are influenced by what others think.

Some have no concern for relating an experience because they themselves have no experience of salvation which they could relate. Some are plainly deceivers of the lost. Perhaps some are just misguided, having never been taught the proper way to receive members. Whatever the reasons — they are wrong!

The biblical pattern of receiving members requires a profession of faith (relating an experience of salvation). True biblical practice requires confession with the mouth. “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Rom. 10:10).” “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God (I John 4:15).” A born again Christian has an inward desire to confess Christ and will not be ashamed to express his hope. “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us (Rom. 5:5).”

John the Baptist required credible evidence of salvation from all he baptized (Matt. 3:6-9). Should we require any less? I think not! His converts confessed their sins and gave evidence of repentance. He also expected to see fruit of their conversion in their lives. Too many are afraid to mention sin or preach repentance. They only mention believing and require no other belief than the devils have (Jas. 2:19). Oh that we might be fearless men for God like unto John the Baptist and stand on the same Bible ground where he stood.

Other verses that should be noted on this subject are Psalm. 66:16; Mark 8:38; Acts 2:41-47; 8:29-38; 19:18; & Rom. 10:9. The fact simply put is this — because salvation is a personal experience with God, the church will never know of our experience unless we tell her.

Notice the writing of a few Baptists not too many years ago in order to see that requiring a profession of faith was held up until recent years by most Baptists.

J. M. Pendleton in his Baptist Church Manual (1867) states, “Persons wishing to unite with a church must give an account of the dealings of God with their soul8, and state the ‘reason of the hope that is in them’.. .Great care should be exercised in receiving members. Many churches err at this point. They do not observe the requisite caution; For they receive persons who give, to say the least, very imperfect evidence of piety (p. 17-18).”

In a memorial sermon for Z. N. Morrell (1803—1883), pioneer Texas Baptist preacher, M. V. Smith said, “He (Morrell) condemned surface work in the revival meeting, deplored laxiness in receiving members, and insisted on purging our churches, as far as possible, of unregenerated material. He believed IN COMMON WITH THE GREAT BODY OF BAPTISTS (emphasis mine), that if the heart was changed, an applicant for membership could, in some way, make it known; and he was opposed to the increasing practice of asking leading questions of applicants for baptism. He said, ‘If they know anything of sin, penitence, faith in Christ, and the joys of salvation, they can tell it.’ Peter and Z. N. Morrell believed in heartfelt religion.”3

Edward T. Hiscox finished Principles & Practices for Baptist Churches in 1893. “The old Baptist way, from times immemorial,” - says Hiscox, “is, to have - persons wishing to unite with the Church to come personally before it and ‘relate their experience,’ tell what the Lord had done for them and in them. . . candidates must come personally before the Church and speak for themselves. And this custom should be heroically maintained. They need not plead timidity, and say they cannot speak in the presence of others. They deceive themselves. If they have experienced anything, they can say something about it. If their hearts have been changed, they can speak of it. If they know they love God, they can say so (p. 68,69).”

Cobb’s Baptist Church Manual (1941), under the heading “Reception of Members,” tells us, “He is usually asked to relate his experience of grace. Many churches have, through the influence of preachers who want to make a show of members, gotten away from the old and scriptural way of receiving members into their memberships. The excuse is often offered that the new convert is timid and does not know what to say, but the Spirit that regenerated a heart can loosen a tongue to make a profession of Christ. . .Even though some statements may be awkwardly expressed, Christ will be. glorified in their professions, and a church will be spiritually strengthened (p. 49-50).”

In The Church Covenant: My Sacred Vows (1957) Albert Garner advises, “A personal, public confession of faith is required of the Lord from every man before he is a fit subject for baptism (p. 8).”

The statements of these men show what has been the practice of Baptists, as well as showing that Baptists must be ever on guard against encroachments on this practice. In not requiring professions of faith from new converts, we make it easy to add unregenerate men and women to the church. We soon become so loose in our practice that our churches are not “adding daily such as should be saved” but rather filling empty pews with empty people. We also rend from the new convert the blessing of making an earnest public profession, as well as stealing from the church the possibility of being edified by that profession. “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so” that Christ may be glorified. Let us firmly guard the ancient and God—honouring practice of requiring new converts to make a public profession of faith.

1. p. 31 Personal Soul Winning: How to Do It, by John R. Rice, Sword Publishers, c1961 
2. p. 78, A Baptist Source Book, by Robert A. Baker, Broadman, c1966 
3. pgs. 423, 424, Flowers & Fruits from the Wilderness, by Z. N. Morrell, Baylor, c1872, 1976
(Originally published in The Baptist Waymark)

2 Kinds of Churches

Church should be a covenant relationship. Yet many churches promote consumer relationships. A covenant relationship is a relationship with commitment, communication, devotion and determination. It cannot be lightly broken. It is entered by the commitment of two parties (church & individual) to put Christ absolutely first and observe their responsibility toward one another. A consumer relationship by a church and to a church is when a church offers and a person picks where to go to church based on perceived needs (but usually simple "wants"). The person leaves when he or she senses that the needs (wants) cease to be met. Such a trivial pursuit accounts for both "church hopping" and "missing in action" members. Tim Keller describes these kind of churches being like grocery stores -- “Where can I get the most spiritual product for the least cost?” 

Commitment seems to have gone out of style in our society. A "till death do us part" vow is quickly reinterpreted to mean that we can part because our "love" has "died". A contract to pay may soon be avoided by filing bankruptcy. The church that God surely "led you to" rapidly and amazingly morphs into the church that God is leading you away from!

Are you looking for a retail church that gives you the "best for less", or are you looking for a covenant relationship?

6 points about church membership and church rolls

Should we have church membership and church membership rolls? Some think this is traditional, outmoded, and/or unscriptural. Is this taught in the Bible? Notice 6 general heads related to this topic.

1. Bible references to Christians as “in” and “of” particular congregations.
Phebe was a servant of the church of Cenchrea (Rom. 16:1). Certain prophets and teachers were in the church at Antioch (Acts 13:1). Saul/Paul attempted to join the disciples in Jerusalem (Acts 9:32). The elders at Ephesus were identified by the church where they had oversight (Acts 20). The saints in Philippi were a church with bishops and deacons, an identifiable people who communicated with Paul “concerning giving and receiving” (Cf. Phil. 1:1; 4:15).

2. Biblical teaching of church discipline.
The biblical authority of church discipline is placed in the hands of the local congregation. The right to discipline indicates the role of relationship between the church and the one disciplined. Matthew 18:17 and 1 Corinthians chapter 5 are good examples of local expressions of discipline of local Christians who were known locally. Their actions or indiscretions are known and the discipline applied was known as well. When certain men “which went out from us (Jerusalem)” sowed discord in the churches, the church at Jerusalem met in counsel to resolve the situation.

3. Biblical role of pastoral leadership.
Hebrews 13:7 and 17 exhorts Christians to remember and obey “them that rule over you.” The exercise of spiritual leadership is localized and carried out in the locality where local Christians are to follow the spiritual leadership. Peter exhorted the scattered elders to whom he wrote to feed the flock of God which is among you – those particular Christians in the particular places they were (I Pet. 5:2). So were the Ephesian elders to feed the flock in a particular place where God had placed them.

4. The exercise of spiritual gifts.
The nature of spiritual gifts localized in the individual Christians who are gifted mandate exercise among “local” Christians. One cannot edify those who lived 100 years past, or are yet 100 years in the future. Those who are afar off can benefit from them only in a minimal way. God’s placement in the body ordains exercise of gifts in that place.

5. The letters to the churches. 
In Revelation chapters 1-3, letters are written to seven uniquely identified churches, each of which are addressed, praised, warned and/or reprimanded individually. Other church letters are addressed to specific people in a specific place concerning their specific situation.

6. Final miscellaneous thoughts. 
We are to know them that labor among us (1 Thess. 5:12). The number of the names together of the Jerusalem church were mentioned by Luke (Acts 1:15). Those that gladly received the word and were baptized were added to the church in Jerusalem (Acts 2:41).

Much that is “traditional” and unnecessary – and sometimes unscriptural – has grown up around the idea of church membership, church rolls, and church letters. That is no reason to throw the baby out with the bath-water. A church is an identifiable group of baptized Christians who gather together in one place.

Old advice, good advice

GOOD ADVICE FROM 1915
Let us, dear brethren, keep the old gospel plow moving. Let us plow deep and wide. Do not cut and cover. Plow every inch of the ground, and the church will have fewer unconverted men and women in it. Do not try to add men and women to the church. God will do this if the material is right. I fear their are many in the church, so to speak, God did not place there. Let us be careful how we build. Let us look more to quality than quantity. 

Do not beg people. If once you begin begging, they will go pouting. Do not try to pull them in, for if you do, when you quit pulling they will backslide. Do not try to fiddle people into the church, for if you do, when you quit fiddling, they will fiddle out.

Just preach the gospel plainly to people and keep right on preaching the gospel. Fill the honest heart full of truth and such will obey. Dishonest-hearted people the Devil will keep and God cannot reach them. Preach the gospel and be happy -- never quit! 

- Henry Devere, Batesville, Ark.
Pleasant Valley Bulletin - 1915