L90 -- Church Gov't & Polity

Google doc page =>

Key references => 

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecclesiastical_polity

• poimen => https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4166/kjv/tr/0-1/

• episkopos => https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1985/kjv/tr/0-1/

• prebyteros => https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4245/kjv/tr/0-1/

What's all this about?

One of the most important questions, for every Christian is, "How should I participate in Christ's church with other believers near me?".

This is not a question with an obvious answer, since many of the NT texts relating to congregational (a group of believers who regularly meet together for teaching and the Sacraments) assume that the general pattern is familiar to readers, and then comment on how to improve, regulate, or modify it. But we, today, simply don't know exactly what that assumed general pattern was.

However, one point that IS quite clear in the NT is that local Christians MUST meet together, regularly, for at  least two purposes:

1. To receive teaching on that instructs and reminds believers of the "message" delivered by Paul and the Apostles. The primary basis of this teaching, beyond the simple Apostolic  "message" is the Jewish Old Testament, though there are a couple of references to letters by other Apostles that indicate that those letters were ALSO to be treated as "Scripture".

2. To share in the Lord's Supper -- variously known as "the Eucharist", "Communion", etc. -- as a community meal.

These meetings were apparently under the supervision of the local elders (Greek presbuteros OR episkopos OR poimen). Later the Catholic Church -- NOT the Roman Catholic Church -- in the era before the schisms with the Oriental Church (late 400's) and Orthodox Church (1054) -- developed various concepts of priests, as elders and of senior priests as bishops. But these differences, though ancient, are not visible in any of the NT documents. 

To return to my earlier statement, it is important for each believer that they determine, "How should I participate in Christ's church with other believers near me?". But to do so properly, we must distinguish between levels of authority and reliability. For my self, I distinguish the following levels:

1. Whatever was taught by Christ Himself, which briefly, I understand to include four elements: that believers must
   (a) join together communally in the Lord's supper,
   (b) be baptized in some form,
   (c) forgive one another of actual sins,
   (d) love one another, including physical care and assistance as needed. 

While I do believe that Christ's teaching makes all these elements mandatory, I do not believe that there is biblical or Apostolic warrant for limiting Christian polity to these elements alone.

2. Whatever was taught by the Apostles and other NT writers, which I understand to include all that Christ taught, but to add the following elements:
   (e) public water baptism (whether with, or without the Spirit is debated),
   (f) regular participation in the Lord's Supper, regular meeting together for singing, praying, sharing AND receiving instruction in the Apostolic "message",
   (g) submission to apostolic authority,
   (h) recognition of both elders and deacons within the church,
   (i) submission to local church authority, up to and including excommunication. (Neither the geographic range of this authority, not its extent, nor how it was  exercised is clearly spelled out in the NT.)

Congregationalism

Congregationalist churches include Southern Baptists (and most other Baptists) and most non-denominational churches.

Congregationalism is characterized by the position that there is no higher governing authority above a local congregation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congregationalist_polity

Presbyterianism

From the Greek πρεσβύτερος (presbyteros), Presbyterian adopt the position that there is no higher office than that of elder (or presbyteros) but representative assemblies of elders  may rightly govern or oversee individual congregations. How this is arranged may vary, but in the PCA, there are local "presbyteries" which are ultimately governed by the "General Assembly". 

Prebyterian churches include all Presbyterian denominations, and some "Reformed" denominations, but not so-called Reformed Baptists.

Among the early church fathers, it was noted that the offices of elder and bishop were identical, and were not differentiated until later, and that plurality of elders was the norm for church government. St. Jerome (347–420) "In Epistle Titus", vol. iv, said, "Elder is identical with bishop; and before the urging of the devil gave rise to factionalism in religion, so much that it was being said among the people, 'I am of Paul, I of Apollos, I of Cephas', the churches were governed by a joint council of elders. After it was... decreed throughout the world that one chosen from among the presbyters should be placed over the others."[2] This observation was also made by Chrysostom (349–407) in "Homilia i, in Phil. i, 1" and Theodoret (393–457) in "Interpret ad. Phil. iii", 445.

Aerius of Sebaste also attacked the episcopal polity in the 4th century.[3]  [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbyterian_polity]

Episcopal polity

Episcopal polity is followed by the majority of Christian churches including the Roman Catholic, the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican & Episcopal churches, Lutherans, Methodists and others. 

Episcopal polity is  based on a distinction between "bishops" and "elders", derived from the Greek ἐπίσκοπος epískopos meaning "overseer". It should be noted that there is near-universal agreement among NT exegetical scholars that episkopos and presbyteros are used interchangeably in the New Testament epistles.   is characterized by the position that there is no higher governing authority above a local congregation.