"Autonomy" auto = self; nomos = "law." "1. the quality or condition of being autonomous; self-govern- ment. 2. any state that governs itself." (Webster New Universal Unabridged Dictionary, p.128) "Autonomy" auto = self; nomos = "law." "1. the quality or condition of being autonomous; self-govern- ment. 2. any state that governs itself." (Webster New Universal Unabridged Dictionary, p.128)

"Autonomous," "1. independent in government; having the right of self-government." (ibid., p. 127)

LOCAL CHURCH AUTONOMY AND ITS APPLICATION TO MATTERS FACING BRETHREN

LOCAL CHURCH AUTONOMY & ITS APPLICA- TION TO MATTERS FACING BRETHREN I. THE BIBLE'S TEACHING OF LOCAL CHURCH AUTONOMY A. Government is on a Local Level, Acts 14:23; 20:17,28; 1 Pet. 5:2 B. Treasury is on a Local Level, 1 Cor. 16:1 ‑ 3 C. Each Church is Judged Separately, Rev. 2 ‑ 3 D. Examples Showing Local Church Autonomy, Acts 6:3; Phil. 4:15; 1 Cor. 16:3 E. Some Consequences of Local Church Autonomy

Some Consequences of Local Church Autonomy 1. The existence of one church is in no way dependent upon that of another. 2. Truth makes a local church valid.

LOCAL CHURCH AUTONOMY & ITS APPLICA- TION TO MATTERS FACING BRETHREN I. THE BIBLE'S TEACHING OF LOCAL CHURCH AUTONOMY II. LOCAL CHURCH AUTONOMY IS EXERCISED IN THE REALM OF HUMAN JUDGMENT A. There is no Such Thing as "Church Doctrine,” Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38; Rom. 16:16 B. Church Autonomy Deals with Carrying Out God's Will, Heb. 10:25; Acts 9:26; 1 Cor. 5:1ff; Phil. 4:15; Acts 20:30

LOCAL CHURCH AUTONOMY & ITS APPLICA- TION TO MATTERS FACING BRETHREN I. THE BIBLE'S TEACHING OF LOCAL CHURCH AUTONOMY II. LOCAL CHURCH AUTONOMY IS EXERCISED IN THE REALM OF HUMAN JUDGMENT III. VIOLATIONS OF AUTONOMY AMONG CHURCHES OF CHRIST

LOCAL CHURCH AUTONOMY & ITS APPLICA- TION TO MATTERS FACING BRETHREN I. THE BIBLE'S TEACHING OF LOCAL CHURCH AUTONOMY II. LOCAL CHURCH AUTONOMY IS EXERCISED IN THE REALM OF HUMAN JUDGMENT III. VIOLATIONS OF AUTONOMY AMONG CHURCHES OF CHRIST IV. HOW TO PRESERVE LOCAL CHURCH AUTONOMY

HOW TO PRESERVE LOCAL CHURCH AUTONOMY A. Each Church Plan its Own Work B. Each Church Oversee its Own Work, 1 Cor. 16:3 C. Each Church Discipline its Own Members, 1 Cor. 5 D. Each Church Decide its Own Fellowship E. Each Church Care for its Own Needy, Acts 6: 1ff; 1 Tim. 5:16 F. Each Church Control its Own Resources HOW TO PRESERVE LOCAL CHURCH AUTONOMY A. Each Church Plan its Own Work B. Each Church Oversee its Own Work, 1 Cor. 16:3 C. Each Church Discipline its Own Members, 1 Cor. 5 D. Each Church Decide its Own Fellowship E. Each Church Care for its Own Needy, Acts 6: 1ff; 1 Tim. 5:16 F. Each Church Control its Own Resources

LOCAL CHURCH AUTONOMY & ITS APPLICA- TION TO MATTERS FACING BRETHREN I. THE BIBLE'S TEACHING OF LOCAL CHURCH AUTONOMY II. LOCAL CHURCH AUTONOMY IS EXERCISED IN THE REALM OF HUMAN JUDGMENT III. VIOLATIONS OF AUTONOMY AMONG CHURCHES OF CHRIST IV. HOW TO PRESERVE LOCAL CHURCH AUTONOMY V. AUTONOMY DEMANDS THAT LOCAL CHURCHES MAKE RESPONSIBLE DECISIONS, Phil. 4:15; 2 Cor. 8:1-4; Rev. 2:12-29

LOCAL CHURCH AUTONOMY & ITS APPLICA- TION TO MATTERS FACING BRETHREN I. THE BIBLE'S TEACHING OF LOCAL CHURCH AUTONOMY II. LOCAL CHURCH AUTONOMY IS EXERCISED IN THE REALM OF HUMAN JUDGMENT III. VIOLATIONS OF AUTONOMY AMONG CHURCHES OF CHRIST IV. HOW TO PRESERVE LOCAL CHURCH AUTONOMY V. AUTONOMY DEMANDS THAT LOCAL CHURCHES MAKE RESPONSIBLE DECISIONS VI. OUR RESPONSIBILITIES AND OTHER AUTONO- MOUS LOCAL CHURCHES

VI. OUR RESPONSIBILITIES AND OTHER AUTONOMOUS LOCAL CHURCHES: A. God tells us to teach everyone, Matt. 28:19-20 B. The Bible allows us to identify false teachers in another church, Phil. 3:2 C. The Bible allows us to share information about error in a local church to someone able to help, 1 Cor. 1:11 D. The Bible allows us to share information with other churches, Acts 16:4; 18:27 VI. OUR RESPONSIBILITIES AND OTHER AUTONOMOUS LOCAL CHURCHES: A. God tells us to teach everyone, Matt. 28:19-20 B. The Bible allows us to identify false teachers in another church, Phil. 3:2 C. The Bible allows us to share information about error in a local church to someone able to help, 1 Cor. 1:11 D. The Bible allows us to share information with other churches, Acts 16:4; 18:27

"Now may I say to you, brethren, that when brethren go throughout this land, not only informing and fighting error, and there's not a thing in the world wrong with opposing error, in fact I don't know how to teach truth without putting it in bold relief against error. If you want to be plain you have to do that. But when men go across the country with the view to influencing churches who to preach for them or not, they are in violation of the New Testament scripture. Have we not heard long and loud for years of the local autonomy of a congregation? Let us not confuse the responsibility of teaching with our limited responsibility of fellowship." (Harry Pickup, Lexington, KY, July 14, 1998, my emph, sw)

"No individual has the right to meddle in the affairs of an autonomous congregation. Period. When men begin phoning local church members attempting to gain information about a third party, or in an effort to sway a congregational decision in which they have no lawful involve- ment, it's plain sinful. When calls come from `concerned brethren' across the country about which preacher should/ should not be hired, or who should conduct a gospel meeting, such brethren have jumped from propriety to politics." (Steve Dewhirst, "Church Autonomy," Sentry Magazine, June, 1993, p. 3, my emph, sw) Acts 16:4, “And as they went on their way through the cities, they delivered them the decrees to keep which had been ordained of the apostles and elders that were at Jerusalem.” Acts 18:27, “And when he was minded to pass over into Achaia, the brethren encouraged him, and wrote to the disciples to receive him: and when he was come, he helped them much that had believed through grace.”

LOCAL CHURCH AUTONOMY & ITS APPLICA- TION TO MATTERS FACING BRETHREN I. THE BIBLE'S TEACHING OF LOCAL CHURCH AUTONOMY II. LOCAL CHURCH AUTONOMY IS EXERCISED IN THE REALM OF HUMAN JUDGMENT III. VIOLATIONS OF AUTONOMY AMONG CHURCHES OF CHRIST IV. HOW TO PRESERVE LOCAL CHURCH AUTONOMY V. AUTONOMY DEMANDS THAT LOCAL CHURCHES MAKE RESPONSIBLE DECISIONS VI. OUR RESPONSIBILITIES AND OTHER AUTONO- MOUS LOCAL CHURCHES