Church history and church polity

This study examines the biblical and theological basis for elderrule church governance, beginning with a consideration of the origin of
the office and the NT’s characterization of elders. Elder-rule is not a
historically Baptist approach to polity, but numerous passages within
the NT support both a plurality of ruling elders and the appointment of
elders by elders. The objections to elder-rule polity put forward by
proponents of congregationalism are evaluated and shown to rest on
conclusions that sometimes fall short of consistent exegesis. Lastly, an
exploration of whether elder-rule polity may subsist within the context of
the Southern Baptist Convention showed that the theological diversity
among Southern Baptist churches suggests that Baptist identity in the
Southern Baptist Convention depends on general but not exact
agreement with the Baptist Faith and Message.

I have spent many years examining dozens of Oneness Pentecostal church governance structures. One thing is painfully clear: we do not build systems that endure beyond the tenure of the current pastor. This document aims to provide suggestions grounded in biblical principles first, and where the Bible is silent, to recommend practices that have proven effective. 

The journey to church unification between the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa and the Dutch Reformed Church in Africa. The article gives a historical overview of judicial problems that the Dutch Reformed Church (DRMC) and the Dutch Reformed Church in Africa (DRCA) encountered in their journey to church unification. On 14 April 1994 the DRMC and the DRCA merged and the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA) came into being. Firstly, attention is given to a historical overview of the unification process. Secondly, the resolutions of the General Synod of the DRCA (1991), the judicial problems that surfaced shortly after the unification between the DRMC and the DRCA, the objections against the unification process and the lawsuit that followed, will be attended to. The unification between the DRMC and the DRCA was tested in court and in 1998 the Supreme Court gave judgment in favor of the DRCA. The verdict indicated that all decisions with regards to church propert...

This article attends to the relationship between minor and major assemblies as prescribed by the foundational principles of Reformed church polity proposed by Mary-Anne Plaatjies-Van Huffel. It reviews the limited autonomy of local congregations and the authority of broader assemblies in the Church Order of Dordrecht (1618/19), the touchstone of Dutch Reformed church polity. It considers the challenge to historic Reformed church polity posed by the ecclesiology of the Doleantie, a secession from the Nederlandse Hervormde Kerk (NHK) in 1886 under the leadership of Abraham Kuyper. Finally, it evaluates a contemporary church order (of the United Reformed Churches in North America), that explicitly codifies Doleantie ecclesiology. The church order fails to embody the principles of Reformed church polity set forth by Plaatjies-Van Huffel. This article concludes that it cannot be considered a Reformed church order.

What is a church? Are denominations churches? Who has the authority to ordain ministers of the Gospel? How do we determine what a church gathering should look like? These are the questions of "polity," or the principles and foundations for the organisation and conduct of a church. Nearly 400 years ago, Christians in New England produced a clear articulation of polity based on the Bible, called The Cambridge Platform of Discipline. This document offers much insight into the way God would have churches act. In this book, the author engages with the Bible in the tradition of the Cambridge Platform to offer a new congregational polity, an account of the being and conduct of churches that retrieves the best insights of the Cambridge Platform while attempting to improve upon it in light of the later failings of American congregationalism and the 400 years of Christian reflection on the church that has followed that document.

It is the author's prayer that this book would help churches engage with the Bible as they think about what it means to be a church and would give them the tools to do so with faithfulness and clarity.

I find this Declaration valuable in its explicit articulation of the implications of congregational polity for the relationship between congregational churches and non-congregationalist churches. I have taken digitised versions from the early editions of these documents and edited them in light of the versions printed in The Creeds and Platforms of Congregationalism; I have then corrected typographical errors in line with modern (Australian) conventions. Finally, I have adjusted the grammar, syntax, and (occasionally) word usage to align it with contemporary English style. My aim has not been to make these documents feel as though they could have been written by our contemporaries but to maintain their historical style while overcoming potential barriers this style presents to understanding. One area of difficulty is the document’s free use of italics; I have tried to retain instances where the appropriate emphasis will be conveyed.

The Cambridge Platform of Discipline, produced by Richard Mather and adopted in substance by the Cambridge Synod (1646-1648), printed in 1649, is a thorough account of Congregational polity, succinctly laying forth an understanding of the local church, its organisation, and the relationship between local churches. Because of its enduring value as a testimony to the Bible’s teaching concerning church polity, I have chosen to offer a stylistically edited version that conforms better to contemporary standards in the hope that others will read and be challenged by it.

Many Protestants today have been disenchanted with Protestantism due to the great degree of denominationalism which is rife within the tradition. This disenchantment has led some Protestants to explore the Catholic and Orthodox churches, because of their apparent historicity. Within modern Christianity, a claim to be the historical church can be a powerful apologetic for several denominations. However, because of the influence of various factors, political and otherwise, no modern church can accurately claim to be the historical church. Consequently, Christians ought to look to Scripture as the sole authoritative source of doctrine and use church structures similar to the presbyterian polity.

A critical analysis of the concept ratification according to Reformed church polity This article reflects critically on the view that local churches should in a separate act, after major assemblies have taken their resolutions, ratify the decisions before it could be regarded as valid and binding. Attention is given to the following aspects: The meaning of expressions such as ratum facere and ratum habere in law and church polity; perspectives from the Reformational approach on issues such as the authority of decisions of major essemblies and a critical evaluation of the arguments of protagonists in favour of ecclesiastical ratification.

In huidige akademiese gesprekke word met "emporium" ("empire") verwys na die eenvormigheid wat deur groot rolspelers globaal op alle fasette van menswees afgedruk word volgens waardes wat deur hulle neergelê word. Die imperialistiese waardes van die emporium skryf voor hoe die geskiedenis geïnterpreteer moet word, hoe tekste gelees moet word, en wat die magsverhoudings in die toekoms sal wees tussen mense van verskillende klasse, rasse en genders. Die emporium skryf waardes aan mense toe volgens hulle posisie in die hiërargie wat deur die emporium bepaal word. In hierdie artikel word gekyk na die Stipulasies tot die Kerkorde van die Noordelike Sinode van die Verenigende Gereformeerde Kerk in Suider-Afrika (VGKSA). Die vraag word gevra of die plek wat hierin aan die Moderamen gegee word, die beginsels van die (Nederlands-) Gereformeerde kerkreg weerspieël en of dit nie 'n emporium skep wat eenvormige mag oor "minderes" uitoefen nie. Die ontstaansgeskiedenis van die Stipulasies tot die Kerkorde van die Noordelike Sinode van die VGKSA (2011) vis-a-vis die rol van die Moderamen word beskryf, en tersaaklike gevalle-studies binne die VGKSA word bespreek. Uiteindelik word gevra hoe 'n Kerkorde en sy Stipulasies sal lyk wat op anti-emporiese beginsels en praktyke berus. Die beginsels wat die Belydenis van Belhar onderlê, en die praktyk van kerklike visitasies soos beoefen in die Protestantse Kerk in Nederland word as voorbeelde van anti-emporium beskryf.

It seems likely that these new laws served the accusers well in provoking the state to act decisively. Consequently, some 70 years after the end of → persecution of Christians, Priscillian became the first Christian → bishop to be executed by his Christian episcopal opponents scandalously through a secular court in Trier. (In Can. 46, Priscillian thought that apostle Paul prohibited such practice, but ironically, he also believed that to execute Manicheans through secular courts was perfectly fine; Tract. 2.361-362.) The followers of Priscillian regarded him a holy martyr (Sulp. Chron. 51.4).

Die kerkreg en kerkregering van die Nederduitse Gereformeerde Sendingkerk (1881-1915) ABCTRACT The church polity and church governance of the Dutch Reformed Mission (1881-1915) One can discern five church polity principles in this article to adjudicate the church polity and church governance of the Dutch Reformed Mission Church (DRMC): 1. The autonomy of the local church, 2. The character of the denominational ties, 3. The character of the power of the major assemblies, 4. The power to discipline church officials, 5. The right to appeal with regarding to the decisions of the major assemblies, This article deals cursorily with the church polity development of the Dutch Reformed Mission Church (1881-1915). The foundational grounds and main notions on Doleantie Church polity are being drawn upon in this article. The Doleantie did not try to develop a new church polity system, but is rather a regression to a system of church polity as enacted by the National Synod of Dordrecht (1618-1619). The Doleantie church polity (oud kerkrecht) impacted the church polity and the church governance of the DRMC. INLEIDING Vyf kerkregtelike beginsels word in die artikel onderskei vir die beoordeling van die kerkreg en kerkregering van die Nederduitse Gereformeerde Sendingkerk (NGSK) te wete: 1. Die selfstandigheid van die plaaslike kerk, 2. Die karakter van die kerkverband, 3. Die karakter van die gesag van die meerdere vergadering, 4. Die tugreg ten opsigte van ampsdraers, 5. Die appèlreg ten opsigte van besluite van die meerdere vergadering. Die artikel handel kursories oor die kerkregtelike ontwikkeling van die Nederduitse Gereformeerde Sendingkerk (1891-1915). In dié artikel word die grondslae en uitgangspunte van die Doleansiekerkreg aangeteken. Die Doleansie beoog nie om 'n nuwe kerkreg te ontwikkel nie, maar gryp terug na die sisteem van kerkregering soos vasgestel deur die Nasionale Sinode van Dordrecht (1618-1619). Die Doleansiekerkreg (oud kerckrecht) het die kerkreg en kerkregering van die NGSK onmiskenbaar beïnvloed. DOLEANSIEKERKREG Die ontwikkeling van die kerkreg in die NGSK kan nie losgemaak word van die kerkhistoriese ontwikkelings in Nederland asook in Suid-Afrika nie. Vanaf 1881 was ʼn verbondenheid aan die http://ngtt.journals.ac.za