“… Corporation derives its existence and all of its powers from the State and, therefore, has only such powers as the State has conferred upon it…the source of this power is the charter and the statute under which the corporation was organized.” - Len Young Smith and G. Gale Roberson, Smith and Roberson’s Business Law, West publishing Company, 1966, page 796.”
I went on to explain that
The Church is not a “corporation” (a “legal entity”)!
It is a living, breathing organism!
A reader online posed some questions about that article and I believe that these questions and my response are worth sharing.
READER: It seems that in your comments you see the "church" and Christian organizations as the same entity. Is that true? I'm wondering if you see a difference between an organization registering and a "church" doing so?
I can clearly see the reasons a local fellowship does not need to register and the downfall in doing so, but I'm not sure the same reasons would apply to an organization. Do you see an inherent fault in a Christian organization or just in registering? I'd love to hear some more!
My response:
Thank you for your questions and for your desire to understand my concerns.
It may be that the clearest way for me to answer your questions is to ask a few questions.
Is there any evidence in the New Testament where God's people ever established an organization, made a covenant with and sought the approval of the worldly government regarding the work Jesus appointed to them? Did Jesus ever encourage His people to make a covenant with the worldly government in order to obtain benefits from it?
Many of us have come to believe that the institutional church was never God’s intention for His people. With that awareness in mind, are we being inconsistent in institutionalizing His work!
Do God’s people need to apply for the state’s approval for
accomplishing His work any more than His fellowship?
Do God’s people need a board of directors for
accomplishing His work any more than His fellowship?
Do God’s people need bylaws for
accomplishing His work any more than His fellowship?
Considering that the local fellowship is made up of God's people and that the Work of Jesus is performed by His people:
• Should we ever seek to make the fellowship or the work of God’s people a legal entity?
• Does the fellowship or the work of God's people "derive its existence and all of its powers from the State"?
• Does the fellowship or the work of God's people have "only such powers as the State has conferred upon it"?
If we promote that the fellowship of God's people should not be institutionalized, are we being consistent when we make a covenant with the State seeking it to be the "source of power and the statute under which” His work is accomplished?
These are the questions that I’ve wrestled with and that have led me to the understanding which I’ve written about in this article. I don’t believe that we can separate the fellowship of His people from the work to which He has called them. I don’t think we can institutionalize one without it affecting the other. We cannot serve two masters!
If I still haven’t made myself clear, feel free to keep asking questions!
Whole-Heartedly,
Bonnie
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