History of Benevolence

Institutionalized Benevolence

In the New Testament church, the independent, local congregation, as the organization God ordained for the church, was completely sufficient as an organization to do all the work God gave the church to do. This was specifically true in the benevolent work of the church. Three things are needed to carry out organized relief of the needy: supervision, ministration and provision. The 1oca1 church was given elders to supervise (1 Peter 5:1-4), deacons to minister (serve) (Timothy 3:8-13), and the collection from the members to provide (1 Corinthians 16:1- 4). The relief of the widows in Jerusalem exemplifies this (Acts 6:1-6).
From within the local congregation in Jerusalem there was the supervision, ministration and provision to care for the needy widows of the congregation. The local church did its own benevolent work without building or contributing to any organizations of human design.

Institutionalized benevolence (church support of humanly designed benevolent organizations) has always been a step
in apostasy away from the New Testament pattern. It displays disregard of and lack of respect for the Lord’s plan for His church. This was true in the falling away that led to Roman Catholicism.

“In primitive times every case of poverty or suffering was separately
brought to the notice of the bishop and personally relieved by a deacon. Afterwards institutions were founded for widows and orphans, poor and infirm, and generally placed under the superintendence of the bishop; but personal responsibility was diminished by this organized charity, and the deacons lost their original significance and became subordinate officers of public worship”.
This was also true in the apostasy that led to the formation of the Christian Church in the nineteenth century.

The most generally accepted benevolent precept among Disciples was: It is the duty of every congregation to provide for its own poor... Each local congregation should see that its own members did not suffer; if catastrophe exhausted one church’s ability, it should call on neighboring congregations to help.
Congregational charity was to be dispensed by deacons who were appointed to care for such matters.