Institutionalism

What This Means

"...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

"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."

The Issue Is Not…

Whether such institutions have a right to exist

In fact, Christians are encouraged to be proactive and generous in their individual lives – 1 Tim. 6:17-19

And if a man-made organization wants to promote spiritual things, this is good! – Phil. 1:15-18

Giving to such is your business – Acts 5:1-5

The Issue Is:

Whether churches can support them with the Lord’s money

The answer is No! – 1 Cor. 16:1-4They gave directly to those in need –

Rom. 15:25-27It leads to division and outsources the

work of the Church! Let it not be so – Eph. 4:4-16

Conclusion

Christ’s Church follows His commandments. He tells us to evangelize, to edify, and to be benevolent to needy saints. It is not the church’s responsibility to solve the world’s problems. Do not seek to add to or take away from the church’s mission! (Rev. 22:18-19)