Misplaced Pages

#964035

30-923: In 1946, the majority of the congregations of the Evangelical Church merged with the United Brethren in Christ to form the Evangelical United Brethren Church . Those congregations who did not participate in this merger are represented by the Evangelical Church of North America , along with the Evangelical Congregational Church , both of which continue the tradition of the Albright Brethren. The Evangelical Church

60-404: A German translation of Methodist Episcopal Church Book of Discipline, was introduced six years later. In 1816, the church took on the name "The Evangelical Association" at its first annual conference. It was not until 1839 that a bishop was elected to replace Albright. John Seybert was elected as part of the young denomination's move towards centralized leadership, and 1843 saw the institution of

90-453: A derivative of episcopalianism known as connexional polity. It emphasizes essential interdependence through fellowship, consultation, government and oversight. Some Methodist churches have bishops , but those individuals are not nearly as powerful as in episcopal churches. Connexionalism is sometimes identified as an organization, while other times as relationship or theological principle. The United Methodist Church defines connection as

120-554: A general conference, composed of delegates chosen by the annual conferences and constituting the highest legislative and judicial authority in the church. By 1892, the association numbered 148,506 members, not including children, with 1,864 ministers and 2,043 churches, in the United States, Canada, and Germany. In 1891, some members of the Evangelical Association left in a controversy over the ownership of

150-650: A leader of an individual congregation; it may also be used as an honorific, particularly within the Holiness movement . Although a church's polity determines its ministers and discipline, it need not affect relations with other Christian organizations. The unity of a church is an essential doctrine of ecclesiology , but because the divisions between churches presuppose the absence of mutual authority, internal polity does not directly answer how these divisions are treated. For example, among churches of episcopal polity, different theories are expressed: A plurality of elders

180-402: A single local church and is called the session or consistory ; its members are called elders . The minister of the church (sometimes referred to as a teaching elder ) is a member of and presides over the session; lay representatives ( ruling elders or, informally, just elders) are elected by the congregation. The session sends representatives to the next level higher council, called

210-772: A wide variety of historical rights and honours which may cut across simple lines of authority. Episcopal polity is the predominant pattern in Catholic , Eastern Orthodox , Oriental Orthodox , and Anglican churches. It is common in some Methodist and Lutheran churches, as well as amongst some of the African-American Pentecostal traditions such as the Church of God in Christ and the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship . Many Methodist and Wesleyan churches use

240-710: Is based on the local congregation . It continues today. In 1946, the Evangelical Church merged with the United Brethren in Christ at a meeting in Johnstown, Pennsylvania , to form the Evangelical United Brethren Church . This body, in turn, united with the Methodist Church (USA) in 1968 to form the United Methodist Church . A group of clergy and about fifty local churches withdrew at this time, probably in protest against theological and social liberalism in mainline American Methodism, and formed

270-547: Is considered desirable in some (esp. reformed) traditions, preferring two or more officers in the local church. The contrasts with singular models often found in Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Anglican churches, or the "pastor/president" system of some Protestant churches. This is commonly encouraged among Presbyterians , some Pentecostal churches, Churches of Christ , the Disciples of Christ , Baptists and

300-541: Is paralleled by a system of deputies, who are lay and clerical representatives elected by parishes and, at the national level, by the dioceses. Legislation in the general convention requires the separate consent of the bishops and of the deputies. Congregational polity is historically reformed , like presbyterianism, but retains the autonomy (lit. self-rule) of the local church. Congregational churches dispense titles such as "Popes, Patriarchs, Cardinals, Arch-Bishops, Lord-Bishops, Arch-Deacons, Officials, Commissaries, and

330-546: Is the government of a church. There are local ( congregational ) forms of organization as well as denominational . A church's polity may describe its ministerial offices or an authority structure between churches. Polity relates closely to ecclesiology , the theological study of the church. Questions of church government were documented early on in the first chapters of the Acts of the Apostles and "theological debate about

SECTION 10

#1732780290965

360-492: The Church Order of Dordrecht (1618/1619) will, in general, consider their levels of government "broader" rather than "higher" courts. Additionally, the reformed classis is a temporary, delegated body, so the minister is firstly a member of his congregation as opposed to the standing presbytery. The Episcopal Church in the United States of America arguably contains a kind of lay presbyterian polity. Governance by bishops

390-399: The presbytery or classis . In some Presbyterian churches there are higher level councils ( synods or general assemblies ). Each council has authority over its constituents, and the representatives at each level are expected to use their own judgment. For example, each session approves and installs its own elders, and each presbytery approves the ministers serving within its territory and

420-895: The Cambridge Platform , Savoy Declaration , Saybrook Platform and Second London Confession . As a "self-governed voluntary institution", it could be considered a type of religious anarchism . Other religious organizations, for example Seventh-day Adventist , Jehovah's Witnesses , the Salvation Army , and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), are unique. Some have hierarchies similar to an episcopal polity, but may be more complex, with additional levels. Leaders are not always called bishops , in some cases they have secular-like titles such as president or overseer . The term bishop may be used to describe functionaries in minor leadership roles, such as

450-585: The Catholic Church , and consequently different Protestant bodies organized into different types of polities. During this period Richard Hooker wrote Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity , the first volumes of which were published in 1594, to defend the polity of the Church of England against Puritan objections. It is from the title of this work that the term ecclesiastical polity may have originated. With respect to ecclesiology , Hooker preferred

480-641: The Church of the United Brethren in Christ in a few years. He also studied with a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He became a member of a local Methodist study group and became a powerful preacher. The group authorized him as a lay preacher. Feeling that God had called him to ministry, he decided in 1796 to become a traveling preacher, following in the Methodist Episcopal Church pattern, preaching in homes, vacant buildings, and street corners. He wrote, "I began my travels in

510-608: The Evangelical Church of North America . Church of the United Brethren in Christ Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.226 via cp1108 cp1108, Varnish XID 213772962 Upstream caches: cp1108 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 07:51:31 GMT Ecclesiastical polity Ecclesiastical polity

540-511: The Catholic Church, bishops have authority over the diocese , which is both sacramental and political; as well as performing ordinations , confirmations , and consecrations , the bishop supervises the clergy of the diocese and represents the diocese both secularly and in the hierarchy of church governance. Bishops may be subject to higher ranking bishops (variously called archbishops , metropolitans or patriarchs , depending upon

570-440: The church generally ranges from two (elder & deacon) to four (pastor, teacher, ruling elder & deacon) in congregational churches. Churches with congregational polity include Congregationalists , Baptists , Quakers and much of Non-denominational Christianity . Congregational polity is sometimes called Baptist polity because of the relative prevalence of Baptists. Historic statements of congregational polity include

600-580: The churches to form the United Evangelical Church . Thirty-one years later, in 1923, the two groups reunited under the name "The Evangelical Church". Those congregations which chose not to re-unite formed the Evangelical Congregational Church which, despite its name, has no historical relation with the Congregational churches derived from New England settlement. Rather, the name refers to its organizational structure , which

630-512: The connections between those ministers and particular congregations. Hence higher level councils act as courts of appeal for church trials and disputes, and it is not uncommon to see rulings and decisions overturned. Presbyterian polity and the Presbyterian tradition are not identical. Continental reformed churches (e.g. Dutch ) can also be described as presbyterian, with a few key differences. Continental churches that historically follow

SECTION 20

#1732780290965

660-538: The like". The congregation has its being without any ministers and is enabled to elect and install its own officers. Ordination may involve officers of other churches, especially when the church participates in a local vicinage , association , or convention. Broader assemblies formed by delegates from congregationally governed churches (e.g. the Southern Baptist Convention ) do not have power to rule their constituents. The number of offices in

690-683: The nature, location, and exercise of authority, in the church" has been ongoing ever since. The first act recorded after the Ascension of Jesus Christ was the election of Saint Matthias as one of the Twelve Apostles , to replace Judas Iscariot . During the Protestant Reformation , reformers asserted that the New Testament prescribed an ecclesiastical government different from the episcopal polity maintained by

720-407: The newly organized, unnamed church held its first annual conference, the church had 220 members. Here Albright was elected bishop. He also assigned preachers and did what business was needed. The Conference also adopted the episcopal form of government, articles of faith, and a book of discipline. Albright was asked to prepare a Book of Discipline. Albright died in 1808. A Book of Discipline, based on

750-490: The principle that "all leaders and congregations are connected in a network of loyalties and commitments that support, yet supersede, local concerns." A minority of Methodist denominations use another non-connexional form of government, such as the Congregational Methodist Church . Many Reformed churches are governed by a hierarchy of councils (or courts ). The lowest level council governs

780-484: The term polity to government as the former term "containeth both [the] government and also whatsoever besides belongeth to the ordering of the Church in public." There are four general types of polity: episcopal , connexional , presbyterian , and congregational . Churches having episcopal polity are governed by bishops . The title bishop comes from the Greek word epískopos , which translates as overseer . In

810-558: The tradition; see article Bishop ) They also meet in councils or synods . These synods, subject to precedency by higher ranking bishops, may govern the dioceses which are represented in the council, though the synod may also be purely advisory. In episcopal polity, presbyter (elder) refers to a priest . Churches governed by episcopacy do not simply adhere to a chain of command . Instead, some authority may be held by synods and colleges of bishops, and other authority by lay and clerical councils. Patterns of authority are subject to

840-656: The year 1776 in the month of October in order to obey the call of God in proclaiming his holy way as revealed in the Gospel." He began speaking across eastern Pennsylvania, northern Maryland, and Virginia, and organizing small groups. At some point Albright asked Methodist Episcopal Church Bishop Francis Asbury to appoint a German-speaking ordained minister to serve his German-speaking groups with baptisms and communion. Bishop Asbury turned him down. By 1800 he had three groups with about 20 members, and by 1803 he had five groups with 40. Albright had never given any indication that he

870-622: Was founded in 1800 by Jacob Albright (1759–1808), a German-speaking Christian native of the Lancaster , Pennsylvania , area, influenced by John Wesley and the Methodist Episcopal Church and by followers of Philip William Otterbein . In 1790, several of his children died of dysentery. Although a member of a German Lutheran church, he asked a friend of Otterbein to conduct the funeral. Impressed, he began daily studies with another member of Otterbein's group, which became

900-526: Was interested in forming a new organization or church, but in 1803, at the insistence of the leaders of his classes, he called a general meeting of the lay leaders and preachers for November 1803. Besides himself, two preachers and 14 lay leaders attended. The group drew up a license and the two pastors ordained Albright. The group wrote a brief statement of faith. In 1806, a major revival movement spread throughout eastern Pennsylvania, affecting many religious groups. Albright's followers grew greatly. By 1807, when

#964035