"CHALLENGES CONFRONTING THE CHURCH"
Institutionalism
INTRODUCTION
- In this series, so far we have considered the challenges of...
- Authority In Religion
- Denominationalism
- Sectarianism
- Factionalism
- Traditionalism
- Secularism
- Each of these contribute toward changing the church...
- Into something very different than Jesus intended
- Creating churches that are more worldly than spiritual
[Most of these challenges have a long history in confronting the church.
A more recent challenge confronting the church is that of
institutionalism...]
- THE DEFINITION OF INSTITUTIONALISM
- CHURCH SUPPORT OF HUMAN INSTITUTIONS...
- "...the doctrine or practice of a church sending money to an
institution of some kind in order to carry out some work that
the church has deemed worthy of support."
- Ryan Waldron
- "... this may include supporting missionary organizations,
orphan's homes, nursing homes, schools, other churches, even
political organizations." - ibid.
- SUCH INSTITUTIONS ARE PARACHURCH ORGANIZATIONS...
- "The parachurch is effectively a new form of religious
organization that dates from the early 19th century."
- William McDonald, Parachurch Organizations
- "In the first quarter of the 19th century, parachurch
organizations were abundant in many forms -- Bible tract
societies, independent educational organizations, independent
missionary groups, and moral reform organizations." - ibid.
- "The defining characteristic of a parachurch is that it stands
outside of the organizational structure of well-established
religious bodies." - ibid.
- "Parachurches are often the creation of an entrepreneur or a
small cadre of people who seek to achieve specific goals."
- ibid.
- THE ISSUE OF INSTITUTIONALISM...
- The goals of such institutions are certainly noble:
evangelism, benevolence, edification, etc.
- The issue in this study is not whether such institutions have
a right to exist
- The issue is whether local churches should support them out of
their treasury
[Is institutionalism really a challenge confronting the church? Some
consider it a blessing: "Look at all the good churches can do through
parachurch organizations!" But consider some thoughts regarding...]
- THE PROBLEM WITH INSTITUTIONALISM
- PERSONAL CONCERNS...
- It has no scriptural support
- There is no example of NT churches sending money to human
institutions as a way of carrying out their work of
evangelism, edification, or benevolence
- The practice began in the 19th century (see above)
- NT churches sent money directly to other churches or
individuals - Ac 11:27-30; 1Co 16:1-4; Ro 15:25-26
- It gives oversight of the local church's work to those not its
elders
- Human institutions are governed by board members, CEOs, or
other individuals
- Churches outsource their work and their oversight by giving
to such organizations
- It turns local churches into collection agencies for man-made
organizations
- Institutions appeal for churches to support their
organizations
- The local church thus becomes a mini "United Way" for human
institutions
- It tends to denominationalize the church
- Institutions usually identify their association with a
particular group of churches
- E.g., a "Church of Christ college", or "Church of Christ
benevolent home", etc.
- The use of "Church of Christ" in such a way contributes to
a denominational mindset
- It has led to division among many churches
- Supporters of human institutions fight hard to get them
into churches budgets
- Churches and individuals that do not go along are often
libeled ("anti!", "orphan hater!")
- Brotherhood papers have used such issues to quarantine and
isolate the opposition
- ADDITIONAL INSIGHTS...
- It deprives the church of workers
- "One result is that capable teachers and preachers have
been called away from their primary ministries in order to
become administrators."
- "If all mission board administrators were serving on the
mission field, it would greatly reduce the need for personnel
there."
- It is an inefficient use of funds
- "Another result of the proliferation of organizations is
that vast sums of money are needed for overhead, and thus
diverted from direct gospel outreach."
- "The greater part of every dollar given to many Christian
organizations is devoted to the expense of maintaining the
organization rather than to the primary purpose for which it
was founded."
- It can hinder the spread of truth
- "Organizations often hinder the fulfillment of the Great
Commission."
- "Jesus told His disciples to teach all the things He had
commanded."
- "Many who work for Christian organizations find they are
not permitted to teach all the truth of God."
- "They must not teach certain controversial matters for fear
they will alienate the constituency to whom they look for
financial support."
- It contributes to factionalism
- "The multiplication of Christian institutions has too often
resulted in factions, jealousy, and rivalry that have done
great harm to the testimony of Christ."
- "Consider the overlapping multiplicity of Christian
organizations at work, at home, and abroad. Each competes for
limited personnel and for shrinking financial resources. And
consider how many of these organizations really owe their
origin to purely human rivalry, though public statements
usually refer to God's will." (Daily Notes of the Scripture
Union)
-- William McDonald, Parachurch Organization
- ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE...
- "An acute writer, contrasting the apostolic work with the more
usual modern missionary methods, has said that 'we found
missions, the apostles founded churches.' The distinction is
sound and pregnant."
- "The apostles founded churches, and they founded nothing else,
because for the ends in view nothing else was required or could
have been so suitable."
- "In each place where they labored they formed the converts
into a local assembly, with elders - always elders, never an
elder (Ac14:23; 15:6, 23; 20:17 Php 1:1) to guide, to rule, to
shepherd, men qualified by the Lord and recognized by the saints
(1Co 16:15; 1Th 5:12,13; 1Ti 5:17-19); and with deacons,
appointed by the assembly (Ac 6:1-6; Php 1:1) - in this
contrasted with the elders - to attend to the few but very
important temporal affairs, and in particular to the
distribution of the funds of the assembly..."
- "All they (the apostles) did in the way of organizing was to
form the disciples gathered into other such assemblies. No other
organization than the local assembly appears in the New
Testament, nor do we find even the germ of anything further."
-- C. H. Lang, quoted in Parachurch Organization
CONCLUSION
- Again, the question in this study is...
- Not whether institutions per se have a right to exist
- But whether local churches should support them out of their
treasury
- We have seen that church support of human institutions...
- Is without scriptural precedent
- Affects the church in its ability to do its work
- Contributes to factionalism and denominationalism
- Let us not forget that the local church is limited in its
resources...
- It can easily become "burdened" - cf. 1Ti 5:16
- It can be hindered or distracted from fulfilling its true purpose
intended by God
Do we want to be guilty of hindering the church instituted by Christ,
purchased with His blood (Ac 20:28) from doing its divinely authorized
work...?