Christian Churches throughout the would are
organized in five ways:
1. Monarchial, with one final authority and ruler.
Such is the Roman Pontiff.
2. Episcopal. The word comes from the Greek
meaning "bishop." Episcopal and Methodist Churches in the
United States have bishops who are elected for life, to
whom are given certain powers over the Churches. Bishops
usually claim to be ordained in direct line from the apostle
Peter. Canon law or a book of discipline rules in these
bodies.
3. Presbyterial. A nationally organized church body,
with power to govern committed to area presbyteries, state
synods, and finally to the national General Assembly, which
is supreme over all and which makes the law of the
Churches.
4. Congregational. A fellowship of self-governing
churches voluntarily working together in area associations,
state conferences, and various national council and mission
bodies, with control and authority reserved to the local
Church.
5. Independent. Bodies of Christian people with no
denominational connection, each functioning
independently.
The Congregational Way was the seed bed of
American constitutional government and has been in the
forefront of democratic endeavors through the years.
Each of our Churches is autonomous and self-governing
and entirely free from external control. A Congregational
Christian Church is a body of people who have pledged
themselves to follow Christ, and who, because they seek to
order all of their life and work according to His leading,
cannot accept as authoritative the decisions of any other
body, since to do so would be to avoid the responsibility of
finding God's way in their own right. The authority within a
Congregational Christian Church is the authority of
Christ, exercised under the scriptural principles of
persuasion, example, contagion, and inspiration. All
decisions of bodies outside the local Church are simply by
way of recommendation and advice; they have as much
worth as there is in the wisdom of them, and no more.
In Congregationalism there are no superintendents, or
bishops, or popes, or presbyteries, or national councils with
any authority to dictate the policies, programs, finances,
forms of worship, pastor-people relationships, or other
affairs of the individual Church. Congregational Christians
feel that this form of Church organization is closest to the
New Testament example, and offers by far the greatest
flexibility in dealing with the changing demands which each
age or locality makes upon the Church of Christ.
Congregational insistence upon the absolute rule of Christ
within His Church is the basis of all our cooperation with
other denominations. When you join a Congregational
Christian Church you accept the comprehensive view that
all believers are one in Christ, regardless of their
denomination.
It is clear that the Congregational Church conception
of the Church places on every Church member great
responsibility for reverent and thoughtful decision and
action in accord with the will of Christ.
It is equally plain that the individual Church must carry
grave responsibilities for the care of sister Churches. When
we speak of "Congregational Christian Churches," we do not
mean primarily an organization, but a voluntary fellowship
of equals in which each Church has a concern for the wellbeing of every other Church and in which all the Churches
have a concern for the well-being of each Church. The
fellowship of the Churches leads us to create organizations
through which our Churches can effectively carry on their
work in missions, national affairs, education, publication,
and in such other ways as the Churches may from time to
time determine to be desirable.
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