Jesus Christ is universal head of the church (Eph. 1:22-23; 5:23; Col. 1:18). No mere man should try to supplant the place of Jesus. After all, He built the church (Mt. 16:18) and purchased it with own precious blood (Acts 20:28). The church wears His name (Rom. 16:16). To exalt another as head or wear another’s name should be repulsive to any who wish to honor the Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul addressed this problem at Corinth when he wrote: “Now I say this, that each of you says, ‘I am of Paul,’ or ‘I am of Apollos,’ or ‘I am of Cephas,’ or ‘I am of Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Cor. 1:12-13). Only Jesus Christ was crucified for us (1 Pet. 2:24). Into His name we were baptized (Acts 8:16; 10:48; 19:5), and there is no salvation in any other name than His (Acts 4:12). Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth (Mt. 28:18). Whatever we do must be done in His name, by His authority (Col. 3:17).

Each congregation of the Lord’s church is autonomous and self-governing. The New Testament shows that a plurality of men (called elders, shepherds, or bishops/overseers) supervise each congregation (Acts 14:23; 20:17, 28; Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9), among which they labor (Acts 20:28; 1 Thess. 5:12; 1 Pet. 5:1-4). The NT never mentions archbishops above these local leaders which would make decisions over multiple congregations; it only mentions Jesus Christ as the Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4) to whom elders, as stewards of souls entrusted to them (Titus 1:7), must give an account in the final day (Heb. 13:17).

While God’s wisdom is seen in each congregation of His church operating independently without human governing committees dictating policy to the local congregations, this does not mean that individual congregations of the Lord’s church never cooperate with each other in the Lord’s work. Acts 11:27-30 records a prophetic announcement that a great famine would come during the reign of Claudius Caesar. The disciples determined to send relief to the churches of Judea. The benevolent funds were sent to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul (Acts 11:30). The church at Jerusalem did not order the church Antioch around. Neither did the congregation at Antioch dictate to the congregation at Jerusalem what it should do. Yet, funds were sent to help with a relief effort; the implication is the elders oversaw the distributing of necessities to the final recipients who were in need. Thus, the elders of a congregation may choose whether to opt into a scriptural work and cooperate with other congregations in the effort.

Moreover, congregations in Macedonia and Achaia gathered contributions for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem (Rom. 15:26; 1 Cor. 16:1-4; 2 Cor. 8-9). From Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 16:1, the churches of Galatia were also gathering funds for the saints in Jerusalem. Just because an effort is big—supported by multiple congregations—does not make it wrong or unscriptural. There may be other reasons why an effort should or should not be supported. As long as each congregation remains autonomous, then many congregations may contribute to an effort overseen by elders in a local congregation. Great work that abounds through many thanksgivings to God is the result when congregations of the Lord’s church cooperate to help saints and all in need (2 Cor. 9:12-15). Let us seize opportunities afforded to us to do good and glorify God (Gal. 6:10).