Autonomous or Independent

I received a game for my birthday back in October called Zobmondo!! Would You Rather? (don't take my link to mean 'endorsement') Simply put you read a 'would you rather' question from the box and then defend your answer to the others.

For example: Would you rather preach to angry Southern Baptists in a church without air conditioning in August or preach to angry Southern Baptists in a church building where someone removed their seat cushions? It's a given that both groups need a message on peacemaking and long suffering.

I've been considering an issue in my mind lately about whether I would want to be a pastor of an autonomous church or independent church. I ask myself: Why do we call ourselves autonomous churches rather than independent churches? I'll start with defining the adjective (I prefer Merriam Webster's Dictionary.)Would you rather be part of an autonomous church or an independent church?

Autonomous:

1. (a) having the right or power of self-government (b) undertaken or carried on without outside control
2. capable of existing, responding, reacting or developing independently of the whole

Independent:

1. not dependent: not subject to control by others not affiliated with a larger controlling unit
   
2. not requiring or relying on something else
3. not looking to others for one's opinions or for guidance in conduct
4. not requiring or relying on others (as for care or livelihood)
   

I'm sure there may be grounds for defending that Southern Baptist Churches are both independent and autonomous. I'm even in agreement that there is a hint of both that does define a Southern Baptist Church. I often hear these words used to define our unique relationship to each other, our associations and convention.

I find that the spirit of the word autonomous defines us best however. One could argue that the reason we are a convention of autonomous churches rather than Independent Baptists is because we believe in the value of faithful cooperation. Isn't that what the concept of the Cooperative Program is all about? Faithful cooperation. If God wants to use us together to do something, then we have just been invited by God to faithfully cooperate to that end.

What do you think? Would you rather?