Congregational Church Government and Baptist Polity — Unit 3: Local Church Autonomy and Voluntary Cooperation: Associations and Conventions

Key Verse

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Revelation 2:7, NKJV)

Learning Objectives

When you finish this unit, you should be able to:

1. Define local church autonomy and explain what it does and does not mean.

2. Show from the New Testament that independent churches nevertheless cooperated and cared for one another.

3. Describe the main forms of Baptist cooperation: associations, conventions, mission societies and world fellowships.

4. State the principles that keep cooperation voluntary, and explain the difference between a messenger and a ruler.

5. Answer the objections that autonomy produces isolation and error, and that cooperation threatens autonomy.

What Autonomy Means

The word "autonomous" comes from Greek words meaning "self-law." Baptists use it in a limited way. We say that a local church is autonomous when it governs its own life under Christ without any outside body having authority over it. The Baptist Faith and Message (2000) uses this word of the church. The older Baptist confessions say the same thing in different words: Christ has given each church all the power and authority it needs to order its worship, its membership and its discipline.

It is important to say clearly what autonomy is not. It is not independence from Christ. The church is autonomous only because Christ is its head, and it has no right to decide against His Word. It is not independence from Scripture, which binds a church as it binds each believer. It is not freedom from love. A church that says "we answer to no one" is like a believer who says "I need no other Christians." Neither understands the body of Christ. Finally, autonomy is not isolation. As we shall see, the New Testament churches were self-governing and also deeply tied to each other.

The root of autonomy is the same as the root of congregational government in Unit 2. If final human authority for discipline, membership and the choice of officers rests in the congregation, it does not also rest in a bishop or convention. A church cannot have two final authorities.

Churches That Stood on Their Own

The New Testament shows that churches were addressed one by one and held responsible one by one. The clearest example is the seven letters of Revelation 2 and 3. The risen Lord speaks to the church in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. Each receives its own praise, its own rebuke and its own warning. No church is blamed or rescued by another. Christ walks among the lampstands (Revelation 1:12-13, 20), and He deals with each one directly. Each letter ends with the words of our key verse in some form: "Let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (Revelation 2:7).

The same pattern appears in Paul's letters. He writes to "the church of God which is at Corinth," to "the churches of Galatia," and to the Thessalonians as a church. He does not govern these churches from a distance. He instructs, rebukes and encourages, and he expects them to act. He did not command everything. He asked the Corinthians to choose the men they approved to carry their gift (1 Corinthians 16:3), and he said that he was not commanding the Corinthians in giving but was testing the sincerity of their love (2 Corinthians 8:8). These are the words of a man who respects the freedom of the churches.

Churches That Cared for Each Other

The New Testament does not show isolated churches. It shows a network of love and shared work.

• When a famine came, the disciples at Antioch each determined to send relief to the brethren living in Judea, and they sent it by Barnabas and Saul (Acts 11:27-30).

• The church at Antioch, with prophets and teachers gathered in worship, fasted and prayed and sent Barnabas and Saul on a mission (Acts 13:1-3).

• The churches of Macedonia gave generously to the poor saints in Jerusalem, out of "deep poverty" (2 Corinthians 8:1-4). Paul wrote that Macedonia and Achaia had been pleased to make a contribution for them (Romans 15:26).

• A brother was "chosen by the churches" to travel with Paul and handle the collection (2 Corinthians 8:19).

• The Philippian church supported Paul's work more than once (Philippians 4:15-16).

• Churches exchanged letters. Paul told the Colossians to read the letter from Laodicea and to share their own letter with the Laodiceans (Colossians 4:16).

• Churches received traveling believers and sent greetings to one another (Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:19).

These examples show a pattern. Each church decided for itself, and the churches freely gave to each other, advised each other, sent workers and shared one gospel. No church was commanded by another to do so. They did it from the same Spirit and the same love. This is the pattern of Baptist cooperation.

The Forms of Baptist Cooperation

The word "convention" and "association" can confuse a student, so we explain them simply.

The association. The oldest form of cooperation among Baptist churches is the association. Neighboring churches meet to pray, to encourage each other, to give counsel and to work together on common tasks, such as planting new churches. Baptist churches in England formed associations in the seventeenth century, and Course 1 tells that history. In America, early Baptist associations such as the Philadelphia Association (1707) and the Charleston Association (1751) gave counsel on questions of doctrine and order. The old confessions speak of churches seeking help from each other through "messengers." The Second London Confession (1689), in its chapter on the church, teaches that churches should hold communion with one another and give counsel, and that such counsel is given without any power over the churches.

The convention. In the nineteenth century, Baptists in America formed larger bodies to do work that a single church could not do, such as sending missionaries and training pastors. The Triennial Convention began in 1814, and the Southern Baptist Convention in 1845. Today many nations have a national or regional convention or union of Baptist churches. Churches in Latin America, Africa and Asia often belong to one. The convention gathers messengers from the churches, sets up mission boards, publishes literature and supports schools.

The society. Baptists have also used mission societies, in which individuals or churches give to a society that sends missionaries. William Carey's Baptist Missionary Society (1792) was of this type. Course 1 describes it. A society is open to anyone who gives, while a convention is a body of churches. Baptists have debated which method is better, and both have served the gospel.

The world fellowship. The Baptist World Alliance was formed in London in 1905 as a fellowship of Baptist bodies around the world. It has no authority over any church or union. It gives Baptists a way to know each other, to pray together, to relieve suffering and to speak for religious liberty.

The Principles of Voluntary Cooperation

Baptists have kept cooperation faithful to the New Testament by holding to a few principles.

First, cooperation is voluntary. Every church chooses to join and may choose to leave. No one forces a church to cooperate, and no one can punish it for leaving. The relationship is a partnership, not an ownership.

Second, cooperation is between churches, not above them. The association or convention is the creature of the churches, not their master. It exists to serve what they cannot do alone.

Third, those who attend are messengers, not rulers. Many Baptist bodies call their representatives "messengers," not "delegates," on purpose. A messenger carries the church's greeting and its gifts, and speaks for his church in the meeting. He does not carry any power to bind the church. What the meeting decides governs only the meeting and the work it has undertaken. A church decides for itself whether to follow any advice.

Fourth, cooperation rests on shared truth. Churches that work together need to agree on the gospel and the central Baptist beliefs. This is why associations and conventions adopt confessions of faith. It is why they may decline to receive a church that denies the gospel, or end a relationship with one that departs from it. This is not a violation of autonomy. A church is free to teach what it wishes, and an association is equally free to say that it cannot walk with it.

Fifth, cooperation honors the churches' means. The convention may ask for gifts but cannot tax. The Southern Baptist Cooperative Program, begun in 1925, is a plan by which churches may choose to give a share of their offerings to support work together. The plan is voluntary, and the churches decide how much, if anything, to give.

Objections and Answers

Objection 1: Autonomy leads to isolation, error and abuse

Episcopal and presbyterian Christians say that a church without outside authority has no protection. A pastor can lead his people into error, or into abuse, and no one can correct him. They say that churches with bishops or presbyteries have a way to discipline unfaithful ministers. The history of Baptist life offers examples of independent pastors who have done great harm, and we should say so honestly.

Our answer. The danger is real, but it is not removed by placing a hierarchy over the churches. Church history shows that bishops and councils have also taught error and have also protected the guilty. The New Testament does not rely on an outside authority to keep a church pure. It relies on Christ's Word, the Spirit, the plurality of leaders, the discipline of the congregation and the fellowship of other churches. Christ warned the churches of Pergamum and Thyatira about false teaching (Revelation 2:14-16, 20) and expected each to repent. Paul told the Galatians that even an angel from heaven who preached another gospel was to be rejected (Galatians 1:8). Protection comes from a church that knows the Word and a pastor who is accountable to his congregation and his fellow ministers.

Baptists have the means to respond to abuse. An association can counsel a church in trouble, and it can withdraw fellowship. A convention can decline to support a minister. And a congregation can act on its own authority to remove an unfaithful pastor. What we should do is use these means, and not leave them as theory. A pastor who has no brothers to whom he is answerable has missed something the New Testament teaches.

Objection 2: Any cooperation beyond the local church threatens autonomy

Some Baptists, especially in the Independent or Fundamental tradition, fear that conventions grow into powerful organizations. They have seen mission boards and agencies make decisions that churches never approved, and they say that the safest course is for the local church to work directly and to choose its own missionaries and schools. They love the autonomy of the local church and defend it for good reason.

Our answer. We share the concern about bureaucracy, and churches should keep a close eye on the bodies they support. But the New Testament does not forbid churches to work together. It shows them doing it. Antioch sent relief to Judea; the churches of Macedonia gave to Jerusalem; a brother was chosen by the churches. An autonomous church uses its freedom to cooperate, in the same way that a free man uses his freedom to give. The test is whether cooperation stays voluntary, and whether the churches keep control of the body they have created. Independent Baptists also cooperate, through fellowships, camps, schools and mission agencies they freely choose. The difference between us and them is mostly one of method and not of principle. We should honor each other as brothers.

Practical Guidance for Pastors

A pastor should teach his people what their church belongs to and why. Here are some questions to ask before joining a body of churches:

• What does this body believe? Does its confession agree with ours?

• What does it ask of us in money, time and reports?

• Will it give us a voice? Do small churches send messengers on equal terms?

• Can we leave freely if our conscience requires?

• Does it help the churches or does it mainly serve itself?

In many countries where Baptist churches are small and poor, association and convention life provides what a single church cannot: training for pastors, a place to find fellowship, help in times of persecution and shared missions. Autonomy does not mean that a small church should go without these gifts. It also does not mean that a church that depends entirely on outside money for its pastor and programs is fully autonomous in practice. A church that wishes to govern itself under Christ should aim to give, to bear its own responsibilities, and to receive help as a partner and not as a dependent.

Pastoral Application

Pastor Daniel serves a small church of fifty members in a rural area. A neighboring association invites the church to join. The older deacons are afraid. "We have always governed ourselves," one says. "If we join, they will tell us what to do." Another wishes to join, because the pastors in the association are friends who would encourage Daniel and train his young leaders.

Daniel first assures the deacons that their concern is a good one, for it shows that they value the freedom Christ gave the church. Second, he opens Acts 11 and 2 Corinthians 8 with them and shows that the New Testament churches gave and received help. Third, he obtains the association's statement of faith and bylaws and reads them with the church to see whether they agree with its beliefs and whether the association claims any authority over its members. Fourth, he asks that the church vote after prayer, and that the vote be recorded as a decision of the congregation, not of the pastor or deacons. Fifth, he reminds them that if the association ever asks something against conscience and Scripture, the church can say no or leave. Cooperation chosen freely and held lightly strengthens a church without taking its freedom from it.

Summary

A Baptist church is autonomous: it governs itself under Christ, with no outside body holding authority over it. This does not mean independence from Christ, from Scripture or from love. The seven letters of Revelation 2 and 3 show each church answerable to Christ, and the rest of the New Testament shows churches sending relief, missionaries, letters and gifts to each other. Baptists have cooperated through associations, conventions, mission societies and the Baptist World Alliance. They have kept cooperation faithful by holding it voluntary, between churches and not over them, carried by messengers and not rulers, based on shared truth, and supported by free gifts. Objections that autonomy breeds isolation and error, or that cooperation destroys autonomy, are answered by the New Testament pattern of free churches freely bound in love.

Further Reading

• The Second London Confession (1689), chapter 26 on the church; the Baptist Faith and Message (2000).

• J. M. Pendleton, Church Manual (1867).

• J. L. Dagg, Manual of Church Order (1858).

• William Carey, An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens (1792).

• Course 1 of this specialization, for the history of associations, societies and conventions.

• James Leo Garrett Jr., Baptist Theology (2009).

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