Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 6
March 31, 1955
NUMBER 46, PAGE 9b

Questions

Eugene Britnell, Tuckerman, Arkansas

1. Is responsibility in proportion to ability? If not, what determines responsibility? How can we know?

2. Is individual church responsibility determined by the ability of the brotherhood? Then, are not all churches required to act by the possibilities of the brotherhood? If all are not, which ones are?

3. Is it scriptural to have one church the sponsoring church for new congregations in the brotherhood, one to sponsor tract distribution, and one to do benevolence, etc.? If one church can do any of these for another church, then why could it not do the same for all?

4. Would this not classify respective churches as, contributing churches, and receiving churches, etc?

5. If church No. 1 solicits, receives and diverts the money and activities of sister churches in sponsoring evangelists in foreign fields, and church No. 2 solicits, receives and directs funds of sister churches in sponsoring an orphan's home, and church No. 3 solicits, receives and direct funds in sponsoring a radio program, and church No. 4 solicits, receives and directs funds of sister churches in sponsoring an old folk home, COULD NOT ALL BUT ONE OF THESE SPONSORING CHURCHES TURN THEIR SPONSORSHIP OVER TO THAT ONE? If not, where are the bounds?

6. Do elders of any church have the authority to devise a permanent plan or program which involves the funds of other churches?

7. Where does the authority, work and responsibility of the elders of a congregation end?

8. If the responsibility to preach the gospel and care for the orphans and other needy belongs to the church universally, through what organization shall we work to fulfill it?

9. If the responsibility rests upon local congregations, how can each congregation tell where her responsibility in this begins and ends?

10. The church is a kingdom. Each congregation has the largest government God knows. There are three phases of government: legislative, judicial, and executive. Can a congregation shift any one of these to another without losing its autonomy?