Logo
Unionpedia
Communication
Get it on Google Play
New! Download Unionpedia on your Android™ device!
Free
Faster access than browser!
 

Congregationalist polity

Index Congregationalist polity

Congregationalist polity, or congregational polity, often known as congregationalism, is a system of ecclesiastical polity in which every local church congregation is independent, ecclesiastically sovereign, or "autonomous". [1]

70 relations: American Baptist Churches USA, American Unitarian Association, Anabaptism, Anglicanism, Arminianism, Autonomy, Baptists, Bishop, Calvinism, Cambridge Platform, Canadian Unitarian Council, Catholic Encyclopedia, Charismatic Christianity, Christian denomination, Christianity, Church (congregation), Churches of Christ, Clergy, Congregational church, Congregational Methodist Church, Constitution, Deacon, Direct democracy, Doctrine, Ecclesiastical polity, Ecclesiology, Elder (Christianity), Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, Episcopal Baptists, Episcopal polity, Evangelicalism, Everett Ferguson, Four Marks of the Church, Friends General Conference, Friends United Meeting, Germany, God, Gospel, Gurdwara, Independent (religion), Independent Baptist, Islam, Jesus, Jews, Laity, Methodism, Methodist Episcopal Church, South, Minister (Christianity), Monthly meeting, Mosque, ..., National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., New England, Nondenominational Christianity, Ordination, Parachurch organization, Preacher, Presbyterian polity, Presbyterianism, Protestantism, Puritans, Quakers, Restoration Movement, Sikh, Southern Baptist Convention, Synagogue, Unitarian Universalist Association, United and uniting churches, Universal priesthood, Vestry, Yearly Meeting. Expand index (20 more) »

American Baptist Churches USA

The American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) is a Baptist Christian denomination within the United States.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and American Baptist Churches USA · See more »

American Unitarian Association

The American Unitarian Association (AUA) was a religious denomination in the United States and Canada, formed by associated Unitarian congregations in 1825.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and American Unitarian Association · See more »

Anabaptism

Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin anabaptista, from the Greek ἀναβαπτισμός: ἀνά- "re-" and βαπτισμός "baptism", Täufer, earlier also WiedertäuferSince the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term "Wiedertäufer" (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased. The term Täufer (translation: "Baptizers") is now used, which is considered more impartial. From the perspective of their persecutors, the "Baptizers" baptized for the second time those "who as infants had already been baptized". The denigrative term Anabaptist signifies rebaptizing and is considered a polemical term, so it has been dropped from use in modern German. However, in the English-speaking world, it is still used to distinguish the Baptizers more clearly from the Baptists, a Protestant sect that developed later in England. Cf. their self-designation as "Brethren in Christ" or "Church of God":.) is a Christian movement which traces its origins to the Radical Reformation.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Anabaptism · See more »

Anglicanism

Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that evolved out of the practices, liturgy and identity of the Church of England following the Protestant Reformation.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Anglicanism · See more »

Arminianism

Arminianism is based on theological ideas of the Dutch Reformed theologian Jacobus Arminius (1560–1609) and his historic supporters known as Remonstrants.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Arminianism · See more »

Autonomy

In development or moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy is the capacity to make an informed, un-coerced decision.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Autonomy · See more »

Baptists

Baptists are Christians distinguished by baptizing professing believers only (believer's baptism, as opposed to infant baptism), and doing so by complete immersion (as opposed to affusion or sprinkling).

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Baptists · See more »

Bishop

A bishop (English derivation from the New Testament of the Christian Bible Greek επίσκοπος, epískopos, "overseer", "guardian") is an ordained, consecrated, or appointed member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Bishop · See more »

Calvinism

Calvinism (also called the Reformed tradition, Reformed Christianity, Reformed Protestantism, or the Reformed faith) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice of John Calvin and other Reformation-era theologians.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Calvinism · See more »

Cambridge Platform

The Cambridge Platform is a statement describing the system of church government in the Congregational churches of colonial New England.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Cambridge Platform · See more »

Canadian Unitarian Council

Canadian Unitarian Council (Conseil unitarian du Canada) (CUC) formed on May 14, 1961 to be the national organization for Canadians who belong to the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) (the UUA formed a day later, on May 15, 1961).

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Canadian Unitarian Council · See more »

Catholic Encyclopedia

The Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church, also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia and the Original Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in the United States and designed to serve the Roman Catholic Church.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Catholic Encyclopedia · See more »

Charismatic Christianity

Charismatic Christianity (also known as Spirit-filled Christianity) is a form of Christianity that emphasizes the work of the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts, and modern-day miracles as an everyday part of a believer's life.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Charismatic Christianity · See more »

Christian denomination

A Christian denomination is a distinct religious body within Christianity, identified by traits such as a name, organisation, leadership and doctrine.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Christian denomination · See more »

Christianity

ChristianityFrom Ancient Greek Χριστός Khristós (Latinized as Christus), translating Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ, Māšîăḥ, meaning "the anointed one", with the Latin suffixes -ian and -itas.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Christianity · See more »

Church (congregation)

A church is a Christian religious organization or congregation or community that meets in a particular location.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Church (congregation) · See more »

Churches of Christ

Churches of Christ are autonomous Christian congregations associated with one another through distinct beliefs and practices.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Churches of Christ · See more »

Clergy

Clergy are some of the main and important formal leaders within certain religions.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Clergy · See more »

Congregational church

Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches; Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Reformed tradition practicing congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Congregational church · See more »

Congregational Methodist Church

The Congregational Methodist Church is a Christian denomination located primarily in the southern United States and northeastern Mexico.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Congregational Methodist Church · See more »

Constitution

A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Constitution · See more »

Deacon

A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Deacon · See more »

Direct democracy

Direct democracy or pure democracy is a form of democracy in which people decide on policy initiatives directly.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Direct democracy · See more »

Doctrine

Doctrine (from doctrina, meaning "teaching", "instruction" or "doctrine") is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a belief system.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Doctrine · See more »

Ecclesiastical polity

Ecclesiastical polity is the operational and governance structure of a church or of a Christian denomination.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Ecclesiastical polity · See more »

Ecclesiology

In Christian theology, ecclesiology is the study of the Christian Church, the origins of Christianity, its relationship to Jesus, its role in salvation, its polity, its discipline, its destiny, and its leadership.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Ecclesiology · See more »

Elder (Christianity)

An elder in Christianity is a person who is valued for wisdom and holds a position of responsibility and/or authority in a Christian group.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Elder (Christianity) · See more »

Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition

The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–11) is a 29-volume reference work, an edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition · See more »

Episcopal Baptists

Although most Baptist groups are congregationalist in polity, some have different ecclesiastical organization and adopt an Episcopal polity governance.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Episcopal Baptists · See more »

Episcopal polity

An episcopal polity is a hierarchical form of church governance ("ecclesiastical polity") in which the chief local authorities are called bishops.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Episcopal polity · See more »

Evangelicalism

Evangelicalism, evangelical Christianity, or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, crossdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity which maintains the belief that the essence of the Gospel consists of the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ's atonement.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Evangelicalism · See more »

Everett Ferguson

Everett Ferguson (born February 18, 1933) currently serves as Distinguished Scholar in Residence at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Everett Ferguson · See more »

Four Marks of the Church

The Four Marks of the Church, also known as the Attributes of the Church, is a term describing four distinctive adjectives — "One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic" — of traditional Christian ecclesiology as expressed in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed completed at the First Council of Constantinople in AD 381: " in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church." This ecumenical creed is today recited in the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church (both Latin and Eastern Rites), the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, the Church of the East, the Moravian Church, the Lutheran Churches, the Methodist Churches, the Anglican Communion, the Reformed Churches, and other Christian denominations.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Four Marks of the Church · See more »

Friends General Conference

Friends General Conference (FGC) is a North American Quaker association of 15 Quaker yearly and 12 monthly meetings in the United States and Canada that choose to be members.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Friends General Conference · See more »

Friends United Meeting

Friends United Meeting (FUM) is an association of twenty-six yearly meetings of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in North America, Africa, and the Caribbean.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Friends United Meeting · See more »

Germany

Germany (Deutschland), officially the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesrepublik Deutschland), is a sovereign state in central-western Europe.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Germany · See more »

God

In monotheistic thought, God is conceived of as the Supreme Being and the principal object of faith.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and God · See more »

Gospel

Gospel is the Old English translation of Greek εὐαγγέλιον, evangelion, meaning "good news".

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Gospel · See more »

Gurdwara

A gurdwara (ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ, or ਗੁਰਦਵਾਰਾ,; meaning "door to the guru") is a place of worship for Sikhs.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Gurdwara · See more »

Independent (religion)

In English church history, Independents advocated local congregational control of religious and church matters, without any wider geographical hierarchy, either ecclesiastical or political.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Independent (religion) · See more »

Independent Baptist

Independent Baptist churches (some also called Independent Fundamental Baptist, or IFB) are Christian congregations, generally holding to conservative (primarily fundamentalist) Baptist beliefs.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Independent Baptist · See more »

Islam

IslamThere are ten pronunciations of Islam in English, differing in whether the first or second syllable has the stress, whether the s is or, and whether the a is pronounced, or (when the stress is on the first syllable) (Merriam Webster).

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Islam · See more »

Jesus

Jesus, also referred to as Jesus of Nazareth and Jesus Christ, was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious leader.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Jesus · See more »

Jews

Jews (יְהוּדִים ISO 259-3, Israeli pronunciation) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and a nation, originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The people of the Kingdom of Israel and the ethnic and religious group known as the Jewish people that descended from them have been subjected to a number of forced migrations in their history" and Hebrews of the Ancient Near East.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Jews · See more »

Laity

A layperson (also layman or laywoman) is a person who is not qualified in a given profession and/or does not have specific knowledge of a certain subject.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Laity · See more »

Methodism

Methodism or the Methodist movement is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity which derive their inspiration from the life and teachings of John Wesley, an Anglican minister in England.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Methodism · See more »

Methodist Episcopal Church, South

The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, or Methodist Episcopal Church South (MEC,S), was the Methodist denomination resulting from the 19th-century split over the issue of slavery in the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC).

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Methodist Episcopal Church, South · See more »

Minister (Christianity)

In Christianity, a minister is a person authorized by a church, or other religious organization, to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidance to the community.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Minister (Christianity) · See more »

Monthly meeting

Monthly Meetings are, traditionally, the basic unit of administration in the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Monthly meeting · See more »

Mosque

A mosque (from masjid) is a place of worship for Muslims.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Mosque · See more »

National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.

The National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. (or simply National Baptist Convention) is the largest predominantly African-American Christian denomination in the United States.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. · See more »

New England

New England is a geographical region comprising six states of the northeastern United States: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and New England · See more »

Nondenominational Christianity

Nondenominational (or non-denominational) Christianity consists of churches which typically distance themselves from the confessionalism or creedalism of other Christian communities by calling themselves non-denominational.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Nondenominational Christianity · See more »

Ordination

Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Ordination · See more »

Parachurch organization

Parachurch organizations are Christian faith-based organizations that work outside and across denominations to engage in social welfare and evangelism.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Parachurch organization · See more »

Preacher

A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Preacher · See more »

Presbyterian polity

Presbyterian (or presbyteral) polity is a method of church governance ("ecclesiastical polity") typified by the rule of assemblies of presbyters, or elders.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Presbyterian polity · See more »

Presbyterianism

Presbyterianism is a part of the reformed tradition within Protestantism which traces its origins to Britain, particularly Scotland, and Ireland.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Presbyterianism · See more »

Protestantism

Protestantism is the second largest form of Christianity with collectively more than 900 million adherents worldwide or nearly 40% of all Christians.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Protestantism · See more »

Puritans

The Puritans were English Reformed Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to "purify" the Church of England from its "Catholic" practices, maintaining that the Church of England was only partially reformed.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Puritans · See more »

Quakers

Quakers (or Friends) are members of a historically Christian group of religious movements formally known as the Religious Society of Friends or Friends Church.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Quakers · See more »

Restoration Movement

The Restoration Movement (also known as the American Restoration Movement or the Stone-Campbell Movement, and pejoratively as Campbellism) is a Christian movement that began on the United States frontier during the Second Great Awakening (1790–1840) of the early 19th century. The pioneers of this movement were seeking to reform the church from within and sought "the unification of all Christians in a single body patterned after the church of the New Testament."Rubel Shelly, I Just Want to Be a Christian, 20th Century Christian, Nashville, TN 1984, Especially since the mid-20th century, members of these churches do not identify as Protestant but simply as Christian.. Richard Thomas Hughes, Reviving the Ancient Faith: The Story of Churches of Christ in America, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1996: "arguably the most widely distributed tract ever published by the Churches of Christ or anyone associated with that tradition."Samuel S Hill, Charles H Lippy, Charles Reagan Wilson, Encyclopedia of Religion in the South, Mercer University Press, 2005, pp. 854 The Restoration Movement developed from several independent strands of religious revival that idealized early Christianity. Two groups, which independently developed similar approaches to the Christian faith, were particularly important. The first, led by Barton W. Stone, began at Cane Ridge, Kentucky, and identified as "Christians". The second began in western Pennsylvania and Virginia (now West Virginia) and was led by Thomas Campbell and his son, Alexander Campbell, both educated in Scotland; they eventually used the name "Disciples of Christ". Both groups sought to restore the whole Christian church on the pattern set forth in the New Testament, and both believed that creeds kept Christianity divided. In 1832 they joined in fellowship with a handshake. Among other things, they were united in the belief that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; that Christians should celebrate the Lord's Supper on the first day of each week; and that baptism of adult believers by immersion in water is a necessary condition for salvation. Because the founders wanted to abandon all denominational labels, they used the biblical names for the followers of Jesus. Both groups promoted a return to the purposes of the 1st-century churches as described in the New Testament. One historian of the movement has argued that it was primarily a unity movement, with the restoration motif playing a subordinate role. The Restoration Movement has since divided into multiple separate groups. There are three main branches in the U.S.: the Churches of Christ, the unaffiliated Christian Church/Church of Christ congregations, and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Some characterize the divisions in the movement as the result of the tension between the goals of restoration and ecumenism: the Churches of Christ and unaffiliated Christian Church/Church of Christ congregations resolved the tension by stressing restoration, while the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) resolved the tension by stressing ecumenism.Leroy Garrett, The Stone-Campbell Movement: The Story of the American Restoration Movement, College Press, 2002,, 573 pp. A number of groups outside the U.S. also have historical associations with this movement, such as the Evangelical Christian Church in Canada and the Churches of Christ in Australia. Because the Restoration Movement lacks any centralized structure, having originated in a variety of places with different leaders, there is no consistent nomenclature for the movement as a whole.. The term "Restoration Movement" became popular during the 19th century; this appears to be due to the influence of Alexander Campbell's essays on "A Restoration of the Ancient Order of Things" in the Christian Baptist. The term "Stone-Campbell Movement" emerged towards the end of the 20th century as a way to avoid the difficulties associated with some of the other names that have been used, and to maintain a sense of the collective history of the movement.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Restoration Movement · See more »

Sikh

A Sikh (ਸਿੱਖ) is a person associated with Sikhism, a monotheistic religion that originated in the 15th century based on the revelation of Guru Nanak.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Sikh · See more »

Southern Baptist Convention

The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Southern Baptist Convention · See more »

Synagogue

A synagogue, also spelled synagog (pronounced; from Greek συναγωγή,, 'assembly', בית כנסת, 'house of assembly' or, "house of prayer", Yiddish: שול shul, Ladino: אסנוגה or קהל), is a Jewish house of prayer.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Synagogue · See more »

Unitarian Universalist Association

Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is a liberal religious association of Unitarian Universalist congregations.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Unitarian Universalist Association · See more »

United and uniting churches

A united church, also called a uniting church, is a church formed from the merger or other form of union of two or more different Protestant denominations.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and United and uniting churches · See more »

Universal priesthood

The universal priesthood or the priesthood of all believers is a foundational concept of Christianity.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Universal priesthood · See more »

Vestry

A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England and Wales, which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquially as the "vestry".

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Vestry · See more »

Yearly Meeting

Yearly Meeting is a term used by members of the Religious Society of Friends, or Quaker, to refer to an organization composed of constituent meetings or churches within a geographical area.

New!!: Congregationalist polity and Yearly Meeting · See more »

Redirects here:

Congregational church governance, Congregational polity, Congregational rule, Congregationalist Church governance, Congregationalist church governance, Congregationalit polity.

References

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congregationalist_polity

OutgoingIncoming
Hey! We are on Facebook now! »