Welcome!Sunday

Bible Classes 9:30 AMWorship 10:30 AM

5:30 PM

Wednesday Bible Classes 7:00 PM

Bibles and copies of sermons are available

Please silence your cell phones

Denominational ActionsHistorical Issues

World War II and European evangelismHerald of Truth

Divisions - “Yellow Tag of Quarantine”

Church Changes in the 1950s

Church Changes in the 1950sInstitutionalism

Orphanages, homes, relief agenciesSocial Gospel

Support to non-believersFellowship halls, church “activities”

Sponsoring churches

Church Changes in the 1950sSponsoring churches

Sometimes misnamed “cooperation”

One church overseeing another’s work

OversightChurch

Benevolence Edification

Evangelism

The Sponsoring Church

Church Church$ $

OversightChurch

(Highland)

Herald of Truth

The Sponsoring Church Example

Church Church$ $

The Divine Pattern of HelpFirst: The Individual Christian

I Timothy 5:3-4, 9-10II Thessalonians 3:10-12

The Divine Pattern of HelpFirst: The Individual ChristianSecond: The Local Congregation

I Timothy 5:9-10Acts 6:1-2Acts 2:45, 4:34-35

The Divine Pattern of HelpFirst: The Individual ChristianSecond: The Local CongregationThird: Another Congregation

Acts 11:27-30Romans 15:25-27I Corinthians 16:1-3

The Divine Pattern of HelpThe issue – an emergency among brethren

For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack--that there may be equality. 2 Corinthians 8:13-14

The Divine Pattern of HelpThe scriptures teach that each individual congregation (local church) sent funds for the purpose of benevolence directly to the individual or (in the case of an emergency) to the church that had need

The Divine Pattern of EvangelismPaul’s support from preaching

From himself – II Thessalonians 3From Corinth – I Corinthians 9From Philippi – Philippians 4From “other churches” – II Corinthians 9

The Divine Pattern of EvangelismThe scriptures teach that each individual congregation (local church) sent funds for the purpose of evangelism directly to the individual

Absence of ExamplesThere are no examples where: One church was overseeing the works of another church One church distributed other churches’ collections

What About:Paul taking money to Jerusalem

Two preachers meeting for coffee

Christians going camping together

Part of the Issue Can churches do every kind of work that is right for individual Christians to do?Are there works that an individual Christians can do which a churchhas no scriptural right to do?

An Example of ErrorWayne Goforth: I asked our professor of

missions how to start, and he said we needed a "sponsoring church." Hmmm...never heard of it, but it was a church, so I figured it was ok, after all it was a church doing it and we were the "true church". We found a congregation who offered to act as such.

An Example of ErrorFor 8 months I went from church to church every Sunday, with slide projector in hand, asking churches to send my support to the sponsoring church. The elders of the sponsoring church had never been to Arizona...were 1,500 miles away from it! The sponsoring church was 15 years old, while the Navajo church was 25 years old...its just that they could not afford to pay the preacher.

An Example of ErrorThe sponsoring church elders constantly told us that when we got to the reservation, what we were to do. From Tennessee, the elders talked about possibly even moving the meeting place without once having talked to the Navajo members. We were informed that once a "game plan" had been drawn up by the sponsoring church for the Arizona work, we were to never "circumvent their plan.”

An Example of ErrorThey would tell us things we were and were not to tell our "supporting churches", saying "We are your elders, not them," because they were the sponsoring church, while the other churches merely sent money. After 8 months, we resigned from that..I did not know what the answer was, but I knew the sponsoring church was breaking the autonomy of the local the local congregation which they serve

An Example of ErrorIt is not unusual for the sponsoring church to support the "mission work" rather than the "missionary." The sponsoring church is often the one who searches for, hires and fires the evangelist.

Consequences of Sponsoring

Church autonomy is destroyed

Bible Authority is compromised

Works become ends oriented