The church is not a franchise 

In last week’s bulletin, we discussed the subject of church funds and examined what you can and cannot use these funds for. What we need to discuss further is the relationship between churches. After all, some religious groups are organized like a fast food franchise. In other words, you might own a local McDonalds, but as a franchise you send money to the corporate head to cover licensing costs, advertising, etc.

Churches of our Lord that you read about in the bible are not franchises. They did not send money to a centralized organization in charge of erecting church buildings, advertising, placing preachers, printing teaching material, etc. Instead, the local churches are self-governing and autonomous. With Christ being the head of the church (Col. 1:18), every local congregation takes care of its own business.

To be clear, God recognizes no universal church of Christ “organization”. There is no pattern or authority for this in the Bible.  The New Testament contains no faithful religious organization larger than the local church. Consider why seven letters were written to seven different churches of Christ in Asia (Rev. 2-3). There was no “head church” to filter a message through. Instead, a letter was written to each independent church.

Of course, this system of organization is very different from most denominations today. Most groups have an earthly headquarters, appoint people to various centralized leadership positions and devise their own bylaws for the organization. These rules are enforced, and those who do not abide by them might be ousted.

As for the Lord’s church as described in the New Testament, a local group that wanders away from following Christ will not have a direct impact on any other church that is His. Why? They take care of their own business and have Christ as their head. A local church may stray, but this will not drag down the “universal” church belonging to Christ. Contrast this with the denominational model described earlier. If the “head church” strays from Christ, then the entire organization will stray (and because they are using a non-Biblical organization model, they are already straying).

Because the churches of Christ are independent, each local group decides what they can afford to do – TV programs, radio shows, paying for a preacher full time, owning a building to meet within, etc.  These are all local decisions – no other church of Christ can interfere with the decision-making.

This does not mean that local churches have nothing to do with each other. In New Testament times, brethren had fellowship with one another. Paul visited many churches and even sent greetings from churches (Rom. 16:16). While Christians are encouraged to visit and worship with faithful congregations when travelling, they do not have a right to interfere with their affairs.

If two local, independent churches are both faithfully following the head – Christ – there should be no doctrinal differences. This makes sense because to abide in Christ’s doctrine of Christ means we are right with our God (II John 9). If you visit a place that teaches different things than where you have been going, that means they do not have the same doctrine. One group might be right while the other is wrong, or they might both wrong. If they differ on doctrinal matters, though, they both cannot be right (I Cor. 1:10)!

As you seek for the truth (Matt. 7:7), keep in mind that the denominational/franchise concept many religious groups use today is not found in the Bible. Instead, there is the church Jesus built (Matt. 16:16; Acts 20:28). Make sure you seek that one.

                                                                                             Chuck 

One, the other, or both 

Some people wonder if a church should pay their preacher. Others might think that the preacher should have a secular job. Still others might think that the preacher should have both a secular job and be supported partially by the church. The scriptures have much to say about whether men should be paid to preach. As we will see, all three ways can be acceptable.

When Paul was at Corinth, he met up with a couple named Aquila and Priscilla. We are told that all three were tentmakers by trade. Thus, the apostle stayed with them and they worked together (Acts 18:1-3). There is nothing wrong with a preacher working with his hands in order to provide for his needs. It is wrong to consider someone a “lesser” preacher if he has other means to support himself.

We also find out that Paul was financially helped by the church at Philippi. They sent help to him on more than one occasion (Phil. 4:16). Beyond these brethren help, Paul was also supported by other churches for teaching the word (II Cor. 11:8). All of this reveals that a man is worthy of his hire (Luke 10:7; I Tim. 5:18). Having read these verses, let’s answer some potential questions.

Can a preacher be supported by more than one church?  Yes. Paul said that “churches” send wages to him for his work (II Cor. 11:8).

Can an evangelist preach at a local church that does not support him? Yes. Paul said he preached at Corinth for free while getting support from other places (II Cor. 11:7).                                                                             
 

Do preachers take a vow of poverty as some religious groups teach? No. The Bible does not teach this.

If a preacher is supported by a local church, does he still participate in the weekly contribution? Yes. The preacher is a Christian and responsible for obeying the commands of our Lord (II Cor. 16:1-2; II Cor. 9:7).

Can churches send money to another local church to support a preacher? No. Recall in the earlier verses that the church sent to his needs (Phil. 4:16). Churches support the man directly – they do not send their money to the church to then give to the man.

Can a local church stop supporting a preacher if he teaches error? Yes. Churches need to know who they support and what is being taught. If a church knows that the preacher is teaching error and he does not repent, they are sinning by supporting him (II John 9-10).

Who decides how much a preacher is to be paid? The Bible has no specific number. This should be a discussion between the preacher and the church(es). The preacher does not have to live below the poverty line, nor does he need to live better than the brethren. Remember, Paul spoke about churches meeting his needs (Phil. 4:16).

Beyond his regular support, should churches pay for unexpected expenses? No. When one of the members breaks a tooth or has car trouble or breaks their glasses, they do not expect the church to pay for it. They budget their income for things like this, and the preacher is no different.  Failure to provide for your own due to poor planning is wrong (I Tim. 5:8).

Should one preach because of the money? No. If someone wants to preach simply to make money, they are preaching for the wrong reason. The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (I Tim. 6:10).

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Chuck