Church Polity
The reformers were united in rejecting the papal authority and its hierarchical structure of church government. Consequently, they had to wrestle with the issue of how the church should be governed according to biblical principles. Church government refers to the structure and authority by which the church is organized, including who holds leadership, how decisions are made, and how the congregation is to be shepherded. In this matter, the reformers did not come to full agreement. Some advocated for the concept of connectionalism under councils, where local churches are under the authority of elected regional officers. Others preferred a more congregational model with greater local autonomy.
The following table lists the basic models of church government and the major contribution to their development, listed in order of relative proximity to the polity of the Roman Catholic Church, which maintains an espiscopal modle.
Table C4
| King Henry — King Henry VIII's impact on church government in England was significant and far-reaching. Motivated by the pope's refusal to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, Henry broke away from the Roman Catholic Church and established the Church of England. In 1534, Parliament passed acts denouncing papal jurisdiction in England and acknowledging Henry as the supreme head of the Church of England. This move combined elements of Catholicism and Protestantism, creating a unique Anglican Church structure with an episcopalian form of government. The king (or queen) became the supreme governor of the church, with the Archbishop of Canterbury as the highest church official. Henry's actions, it is said, were influenced by Reformation ideas, such as those of William Tyndale, who argued for church governance by a "true Christian prince" without papal interference. | Episcopalian |
| Martin Luther — Luther's form of church government was characterized by a reduction in the power of the visible church and a shift towards secular rulers supervising the church. This was based on Luther's doctrine of two kingdoms - the spiritual and secular realms - which he saw as complementary but distinct. Luther advocated that while God rules directly in the church through Word and sacrament (the spiritual kingdom), He rules indirectly in the secular realm through institutions like government and family. This view diminished ecclesiastical authority and rejected the absolute authority of the church. Luther supported the idea that Christian princes should govern justly, though he initially opposed resistance to secular rulers. The government of the church by state sovereigns was generally accepted in Luther's time and aligned with Reformers' theories, as evidenced in Lutheran confessional writings. Luther's doctrine of the "three estates" (household, government, and church) provided a framework for interpreting Scripture and understanding divine activity in society. | Lutheran |
| John Calvin — Calvin's form of church government, known as presbyterian polity, was founded on the principle of ministerial equality and lay representation through elected elders. In this model, there are two distinct leadership councils with different roles and compositions, a session and a presbytery. A session is the group of elected elders that governs a local church, responsible for admitting members and exercising discipline within that congregation. In contrast, a presbytery is a larger body composed of representatives from multiple churches in a geographical area, including teaching elders (ministers) and ruling elders. The presbytery has broader responsibilities, such as ordaining ministers, overseeing multiple churches, and serving as a court of appeal for decisions made by local sessions. While a session's authority is limited to its local church, a presbytery has authority over multiple churches within its district and can make decisions that affect the wider church body. | Presbyterian and Reformed |
| Robert Browne — Congregationalism, a form of church governance rooted in the Reformation, emphasizes the autonomy of local churches and the equality of all believers. This system, which emerged from the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, was first formulated by the Puritan Robert Browne in 1582. Browne advocated for gathered churches bound by mutual covenant, independent from state control. Congregationalists believe that Christ is the immediate head of each church, with no formal ecclesiastical hierarchy. The church meeting, where members collectively seek Christ's guidance, is considered the highest earthly authority in Congregationalism. It recognize only two sacraments: baptism and the Lord's Supper. The movement faced persecution in England, leading some to flee to the Netherlands and eventually to America, where Congregationalism significantly influenced both religion and politics. | Congregationalism |
