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Introduction

Churches which find themselves exploring the possibility of establishing a new ecclesiastical relationship or establishing such a relationship for the first time, will want to know something about the church bodies with which they might affiliate. The purpose of this primer is to broadly outline the forms of church organization (church "polity") and then to say some very specific things about how one of those polities is observed among the Churches of the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches.

Once the polities are set forth and their distinctions made clear, it should be apparent what form most closely resembles the one you know. History has shown that most polities, in practice, flow from their pure expression either in the direction of authoritarianism or independency - or both. So it should not be surprising if you discover that your Church has characteristics of two or more of the basic systems. The first question to be asked is, "Which polity would be most beneficial in opening my Church to the will and presence of God?" Or, on the personal level, "In what form of Church organization can I best meet God?"

A Comment on Church Organization

A form of organization which came into being very early in Church history is one we call episcopal. In an episcopal church body, the authority rests with bishops (from the Greek episcopos) who derive their authority from being ordained by predecessor bishops (traditionally in unbroken chain to the Apostle Peter). As direct ecclesiastical descendants of St. Peter, they carry that same measure of authority. It is exercised in the formulation of creeds, the ordination and placement of clergy, the opening and closing of churches, and other matters. Each local congregation is part of the larger Church and subject to its authority. Some observers suggest that when there is one bishop who can exercise authority over all the other bishops, the polity should more accurately be called monarchical.

Since the rapid growth and development of the Christian Church took place in the context of the Roman Empire, it is not surprising that a major portion of Christendom, to this day, observes a polity which parallels the Roman government. The Protestant Reformation of the 16th century led to a weakening of the power of the episcopacy in some places so that, today, the range of epsicopally ordered churches extends from the nearly monarchical position of the Roman Catholic Church, through such denominations as the Episcopalians and Methodists, to the loosely episcopal forms of some contemporary Lutheran bodies.

Another of the great polities is also identified by a word from the New Testament: presbyterian (from the Greek presbuteros, or "elder"). In this form of church government, the building of authority begins within the local congregation. The congregation selects a group of "elders" who have broad authority over the affairs of that congregation. It is from the elders that representatives are drawn who move to ever higher levels of authority (regional, state, national). In each instance, the "representative" body exercises authority over the inferior units. Ultimately, it is in some national or international body where the authority rests for the development of creedal statements, church priorities, and at least de facto control of the properties and monies of the churches. The training, ordination, and placement of clergy is sometimes relegated to a subordinate authority but remains outside the realm of the local church.

The modern history of presbyterian churches begins at the time of the Reformation when Protestant reformers sought relief from the abusive power of the ancient hierarchy but remained convinced that "order" required the retention of some authoritarian structure. Presbyterially ordered churches look to the higher bodies to guard against the excesses of independency. As also in the episcopal churches, clergy are not members of the local congregation but "belong" to some higher body; while each congregation represents one unit of the larger whole.

The remaining great polity receives its name from its only unit of ecclesiastical authority, congregational. In this form of church government, there is no authority outside the local church except for Christ himself. The Church (local congregation) is complete within itself and fully capable of determining all matters including the details of its statement of faith, the selection and (if needed) the ordination of its clergy, and the stewardship of its own properties and resources.

In the classical expression of American Congregationalism, this self-government (autonomy) has not been without ecclesiastical relationships. Churches of the congregational order have joined in voluntary fellowship with other Congregational Churches. Within that fellowship there is the practice of seeking and giving advice; seeking and giving support. A fellowship (or Association) of Churches has no authority over any Church.

The purpose of this presentation is to set before you the ways in which congregationalism expresses itself in the Church and through the structure of the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches.

National Association of Congregational Christian Churches
PO Box 288, Oak Creek, WI 53154

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