Please keep in mind throughout this article that we are not talking about the daily responsibilities of individuals within the church, but the work of the church as a group or unit. The New Testament does make a distinction (Matthew 18:15-17; 1 Timothy 5:16), and rightly so, since individuals have much greater latitude in what they can engage in than does the church. For example, an individual Christian can go into any honorable business enterprise, with his fellow Christians, or even with those of the world. It should be clear to all of our readers that this would not be true of local churches.
Basically, the church here has a responsibility in three areas: the spiritual growth or edification of its own members, teaching the lost, and providing for the material (or financial) needs of Christians; i.e., edification, evangelism and benevolence.
EDIFICATION
Let’s begin with the work of edification. Notice the emphasis put on this in the New Testament (Acts 14:21-22; 15:32, 41; 16:5; 18:23; 1 Timothy 1:3-4; 2 Peter 3:17-18). Ephesians 4:11-12 makes it clear that the church has a vital role to play in this work. In this passage, you not only see the importance of edification, but also some provisions made by God for the edification of the church. When our pastors (elders), evangelist, and teachers do their work as they should, the members will grow spiritually. According to passages like Hebrews 10:24-25 and 1 Corinthians 14:26, each assembly should be viewed as an opportunity for edification. In other words, if you miss an assembly, you’ve missed an opportunity to grow spiritually.
EVANGELISH
Let’s move on to the second area of responsibility: teaching the 1ost. While much has to be done on an individual basis (Acts 8:4), the church certainly has a role in this area, too (1 Timothy 3:15). By giving financial support to those preaching the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:14; 2 Corinthians 11:8; Philippians. 4:15-18), the church enables these men to devote more time to reaching more people with the gospel of Christ. These opportunities for reaching the lost may come in the assemblies (1 Corinthians 14:23), but often times in other places (Acts 20:20).
BENEVOLENCE
Finally, this church has a responsibility in providing for the material (or financial) needs of Christians. Sometimes, through no fault of their own, Christians end up in financial need. When this happens, the church should be prepared to assist them. Examples of New Testament churches doing this can be found in Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-35; 6:1-6; 11:27-30; Romans 15:25-32; 1 Corinthians 16:1-4; 2 Corinthians 8-9. The church, however, should not be given this responsibility when family members are able to care for the one in need (1 Timothy 5:16), or when one refuses to work and support himself (2 Thessalonians 3:10).
Certainly we could go into more detail on each of these areas of responsibility, but you can easily see what we are authorized by our Head, Christ, to do. Some things the church is NOT authorized to do: build “fellowship halls” for meals and social gatherings, provide secular education for the members, provide recreational activities for the members, etc. The church here is not engaged in any of these works for one simple reason—our Head has not given us the authority.