Church Government Research Articles

“Keseimbangan Otonomi Lokal dan Kesatuan Doktrinal: Kajian Pemerintahan Gereja Dalam Konteks Masa Kini”

This study analyzes various church governance models, namely Episcopal, Presbyterian, Congregational, and Synodal, using a SWOT analysis method to examine each system's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Each governance model possesses structural characteristics that impact decision-making, authority distribution, and the relationship between congregants and church leaders. The results show that each system offers a unique approach to maintaining doctrinal unity and enhancing congregational participation. However, no governance model is entirely ideal; each faces challenges in balancing centralized authority with local autonomy. Therefore, this study also proposes fundamental principles, such as collaborative leadership, distributed accountability, holistic theological formation, sustainable resource management, and responsiveness to social challenges, which can be applied to optimize church governance functions in an ever-evolving social and cultural context.

From Fivefold to Five-in-One Ministry: Mega-Ecclesiological Leadership (Dis)Continuities in Southern Africa

In Southern Africa in recent years, the governance and ecclesiologies of mega-Pentecostal churches have been drifting away from upholding collective and complementary fivefold ministries to individualistic and selfish five-in-one ministries. Studies indicate that a fivefold ministry advances inclusive ecclesiological leadership, edification, and transformational integral mission. At present, mega and related forms of emerging neo-Pentecostalism have developed exclusive, prophetic, apostolic, and executive ecclesial leadership, which are characterized mainly by authoritarian governance, celebrity leadership, leader-centered ecclesiology, and congregational manipulation and exploitation. Such church governance and ecclesiologies enable leaders to indoctrinate their subordinates and congregants to submit to and depend on them for everything. The effect is that followers are rendered dormant, under what this submission describes as five-in-one ministry, which leaves one person claiming to possess all ministerial gifts and leadership capabilities and relegating everyone else to being idle followers. Although much has been published about African Pentecostal leadership and ecclesiologies, studies on African megachurch governance, leadership styles and ministries are few. Through a literature review and participant observation, this paper uncovers and troubleshoots the effects of five-in-one megachurch governance and ecclesiologies in Africa. It discerns and addresses drivers of the five-in-one ministry and makes recommendations, such as reforming megachurch governance, leadership styles, and ecclesiologies; integrating ecumenism with leadership development; and developing inclusive economic sustainability.

Baptist and Catholic? Tradition and Authority in the Baptist Theology of Stephen R. Holmes

Abstract This article begins by analysing the principles at the heart of Stephen R. Holmes’ vision of Baptist theology and ecclesiology. It then examines Holmes’ work on the authority of theological Tradition. It is demonstrated that Holmes argues for a pneumatologically rooted and consensual understanding of Tradition that locates its authority in the testimony of the whole church to the voice and will of the Spirit interpreting the texts he inspired. In the final third of the argument, these two areas of Holmes’ work are brought into dialogue to generate an authentically Baptist conception of the authority of Tradition to bind the local church. It is suggested that this can help Baptists and others holding to some form of congregational church government resolve issues in their commitment to the catholicity and unity of the Church, provide a more secure ground for theological discernment, and enable more fruitful ecumenical dialogue.

:The Papacy and Ecclesiology of Honorius II (1124–1130): Church Governance after the Concordat of Worms

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An Open Declaration [Openlike Verklaring] concerning the Presbyterian Church government system

The challenge posed by 18th-century rationalism to the 16th-century Reformed doctrine, initiated a trajectory in which Reformed churches assumed the responsibility of preserving the essence of the Reformation. The emergence of the Open Declaration [Openlike Verklaring] as a response to rationalism served as a call to unity and a reaffirmation of adherence to the Presbyterian Church government system established in 1618–1619. The objective of this study was to examine the significant contributions of the Open Declaration to Church Polity [Kerkreg] and the Reformed Churches of South Africa (RCSA)[Gereformeerde Kerke van Suid-Afrika (GKSA)] by focusing on three key elements: the declaration of faith and commitment; the acknowledgement of liturgical practices and ecclesiastical governance; and the plea for unity and ecclesiastical communion [Kerkverband]. Drawing on scholarly literature and relevant church documents, the analysis explores the role of the Open Declaration in shaping the identity and practices of the RCSA/GKSA within the broader context of Reformed church history. As a result of completing this study, it is discovered that the Open Declaration should be interrogated at local level and Article 48 should be read in the light of Article 29. Major assemblies should be understood from the local Church Council, Classis, regional Synod, and General Synod – not only Classis, regional Synod and General Synod.Contribution: The proposed shared understanding of the Open Declaration aims to foster a sense of unity among delegates, emphasising the importance of aligning and binding decisions made by the Church Council, Classis, Regional Synod, and General Synod during meetings. In conclusion, local churches should revisit the Public Declaration, engage in local church dialogues to promote ongoing cooperation, prioritise theological education and training to foster unity, upholding the 16th-century Reformational theology, celebrate Holy Communion in one church building, pursue Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), seeking biblical ways to address and resolve conflicts between local churches, and supplementing the mechanism provided by Article 31 of the Church Order.

Towards an African Theology of the Lord’s Supper that is more than a Miracle Meal

Abstract The Lord’s Supper is viewed as a miracle meal by African Pentecostals. However, it is suggested that a miracle notion only partly conveys the meaning embedded in the Lord’s Supper. The study adds that the Lord’s Supper is a symbolic ritual that involves spiritual and mystical participation in God’s economy by grace through faith in Jesus Christ in the Spirit. Admission to the Lord’s Supper should be based on faith in Jesus Christ and a preparation process that includes instruction, baptism, confirmation, and regular penitential prayer such as the ‘speaking’. The essay argues that infants can partake in the Lord’s Supper based on the faith of their parents or guardians, while children of responsible age can participate if they go through the confirmation rite. The discussion covers church governance principles and suggests that limiting the covenantal rights of offending members is just insofar as the church remains an ethical institution.

Viable Cooperation or Unscrupulous Service? Motivations for Albert Bereczky’s Activity in Church Governance

Albert Bereczky is one of the controversial figures in the 20th-century history of the Hungarian Reformed Church. Bereczky was a genuine and authentic leader of those who fought for the inner spiritual renewal of the church between the two world wars, a church organizer, a well-known and respected preacher, who saved many by risking his life during the deportation of Hungarian Jews to extermination camps, for which he was posthumously awarded the honorary title “Righteous Among the Nations” from the Yad Vashem. However, the communist state apparatus established after World War II found in him the person who, by placing him at the head of the Reformed Church, could bring about a radical reduction of the public and social role of the Church almost without any resistance. So, the question arises: how and why could Bereczky, whose Christian commitment was hard to question, become the servant of the dictatorial state apparatus with its atheistic ideology? Our study attempts to record the possible intrinsic and extrinsic motivations that might explain this dilemma, while also providing a general insight into Albert Bereczky’s life. Keywords: Bishop Albert Bereczky, Zoltán Tildy, Church–state relationship, communist persecution of Christians, collaboration

Диалог по случаю столетия Пушкина: епископ Антоний (Храповицкий) и Т. И. Филиппов (1899)

The article is devoted to a brief epistolary dialogue, the occasion for which was the Pushkin anniversary (1899). Among the many responses to this cultural event contemporaries appreciated the speech of Bishop (later Metropolitan) Anthony (Khrapovitsky), which he delivered at Kazan University. The ceremonial speech became one of his first detailed statements about Russian literature and subsequently served as a pretext for a special article about the poet. In June 1899, Bishop Anthony presented a separate edition of his speech to the prominent statesman and public figure Tertius Philippov (1825/1826–1899). The author of the article clarifies the circumstances that accompanied this gesture of donation and publishes the bishop’s covering letter and Philippov’s response. In addition to the high assessment of the work read, the response letter of the state controller expressed in a concise form a judgment about the spiritual significance of Russian literature. This brief description hiddenly contains the ideas of another writer, equally close to both participants in the dialogue – Dostoevsky. The researcher also notes other points that bring the heroes of the article together. In particular, this is a negative attitude towards the synodal structure of church government.

Teologie en Kerkreg: Wat word van die Heilige Gees in ons teologie en in die Kerkreg?

Theology and Church Polity: What becomes of the Holy Spirit in our theology and Church Polity? Currently, a shift in theological training is taking place in South Africa. University faculties, which previously trained students for church ministry, do not meet the requirements set by churches. From churches side, efforts are even being made to establish private theological educational institutions. The focus of this article is on the nature of the theological training, which may be or will be offered at these institutions. There are indications that the theology, as mentioned refers to 17th-century Puritanism, the Dutch Nearer Reformation and Neo-Calvinism. The point of view stated here is as follows: The 17th-century theology does not offer a basis for a reformed (Scripture-based) theological education or a resistance to liberal theology. An intrinsic characteristic of reformed theology, namely that the Holy Spirit maintains theology as a unity between its extreme poles, is replaced by rationalism. In its core the secularisation of theology is already present. A fundamental problem in this theology is the place attributed to the Holy Spirit. What becomes of the teaching of the Holy Spirit if the 17th-century theology is redeployed in the 21st-century circumstances? The following points serve as a guideline for answering this question: the change of direction of the teaching of the Holy Spirit in 16th-century Reformed theology, radicalisation of theology, covenant theology as warp and weft, and the hard yoke of the law. In conclusion it is stated that rationalism infiltrated theology, which gave rise to a theological dogmatism, church confessionalism, church legalism, and a rigidity in the organisation of church life.Contribution: Re-evaluation and restructuring of Reformed church polity and its practice (church government).

Church Governance—A Philosophical Approach to a Theological Challenge in an Anglican Context

Church governance is not often debated within a philosophical or theological sphere. This is perhaps because church governance has been part of tradition since Constantine and the initial Greek philosophical world view of sovereignty and hierarchy. Such a stance has led towards a managerial mindset that follows and conforms to the world, which plays out within the Anglican polity in the setting of an adversarial parliamentary style synod. This style encourages bounded communities of power that often refute the burgeoning inspirations of the Spirit. In changing the underlying theological basis of such a stance, by invoking the understanding of an undeniable community in the singularity of the Triune God, governance becomes more open. Engaging with, primarily, Agamben but also others from philosophy, a new viewpoint is presented to challenge the manner through which tradition is wielded as the only possibility. In seeing through a differing lens, communities can be conceived as both porous and interconnected, thus allowing the body of Christ to respond with transformative action as opposed to a continuum of conformance with secular legality. In this manner, the bishop’s role may become more centralised towards a Eucharistic one, as opposed to the managerial mindset and role, to enhance the possibilities of God’s love. This then removes the need for a hierarchy driven by a sovereign mindset that tradition bolsters, whilst maintaining loving and authoritative oversight that tradition suggests.

A Biblical-Theological Critique of Neo-Liberal and Neo-Conservative Evangelicalism in the Season of Climate Change

Abstract The purpose of this article is to examine the impact of neo-liberalism and neo-conservatism upon American evangelicalism. It does so in the season of climate change. Given the commitment of neo-liberalism to the sovereignty of individual, the notion of government intervention in implementing climate mitigation policies is perceived as an unacceptable violation of freedom. It sits along the ideological challenge of neo-conservatism. Its emphasis on an ‘enduring-moral order’ has inadvertently culminated in ethnocentric anti-globalism, which theoretically conflicts with neo-liberalism’s ideals. These two worldviews are both to be found in expressions of American evangelicalism, however. What might be a biblical-theological response? The argument draws upon the corporate nature of salvific claims, the early church governance in Luke-Acts and finally the social-gospel movement to challenge the association of evangelicalism with the Republican Party. The significance of this critique is due to the way in which this association lies at the heart of climate scepticism.

The Papacy and Ecclesiology of Honorious II (1124–1130): Church Governance after the Concordat of Worms. By Enrico Veneziani. Studies in the History of Medieval Religion, Vol. LIII. Woodbridge, UK: Boydell Press, 2023. 352 pp. 5 illustrations. $125 hardcover.

The Papacy and Ecclesiology of Honorious II (1124–1130): Church Governance after the Concordat of Worms. By Enrico Veneziani. Studies in the History of Medieval Religion, Vol. LIII. Woodbridge, UK: Boydell Press, 2023. 352 pp. 5 illustrations. $125 hardcover.

Using the report on the training of elders and deacons of Maranatha Reformed Church of Christ to illustrate the attributes of informal education

The ineffectiveness of some elders and deacons of Maranatha Reformed Church of Christ to implement their functions and duties contributed to the deterioration of the spiritual and material sustainability of the church. To counteract this corrosion, the church established a training team that instituted an informal programme as a means of revitalising elders and deacons. After running a pilot project to test the training programme, the team presented its report to the General Church Assembly. A selective interpretation of informal education can contribute to a misguided and limited perception of informal knowledge and acquisition as uncivilised and unsustainable. In this article, the researcher seeks to articulate the formal and informal dynamics of informal education. He employed an exploratory concurrent design of mixed methods research within an indigenous paradigm to analyse the report on training of elders and deacons. The researcher used a convenience sampling strategy to select the authors of the report, namely four trainers and four trainees, with whom he conducted a focus group discussion. Although strategically formulated, the learning activities and resources were continuously innovated in the informal programme for elders and deacons. The conclusion reached is that the learning process in informal education is flexible and mutually edifying for educators and trainees.Contribution: Education for the proclamation of the gospel and church governance is not intended exclusively for ministers or theologians. Despite their diversity, elders and deacons need to be educated on the proclamation of the gospel according to the teachings of their church, using their respective contexts. Informal education, which comprises formal and informal dynamics, can contribute towards addressing the problem of untrained elders and deacons.

Promoting Financial Accountability in Churches &amp; Parachurch Institutions.

All organizations, including churches, must be transparent and responsible with financial resources to maintain confidence and the credibility of their stakeholders. Resource management for churches is an important aspect of the church’s supply chain because churches are obligated to take care of and manage member gifts and donations. It is imperative for churches to set explicit policies for the handling, documentation, and reporting of resources. These policies should address budgetary planning, spending approval, and the implementation of measures to prevent fraud and conflicts of interest. Additionally, churches have the freedom to release annual financial reports or updates that include financial data including sources of income, costs, assets, and liabilities. Annual budgets comprising estimated revenues and expenses are developed and presented to the leadership for review and approval. Churches have an opportunity to have outside professionals conduct an impartial review or audit of their financial records. Additionally, churches have the ability to form finance committees made up of knowledgeable and seasoned experts in human resources, accounting, taxation, and law who can provide expert counsel. A mechanism for tracking and recording member donations ought to be in place within the church. Information regarding the receipt and distribution of funds via various channels of communication should be transparent. Although the aforementioned is commendable, it should be highlighted that accountability by itself faces numerous difficulties, such as opposition to change and the aversion of the status quo to adopting novel approaches. An inability to establish appropriate financial management guidelines could also be the result of ignorance. Complicating matters is the fact that some volunteers may sincerely wish to help but lack the appropriate education and training. Members of the board, for example, who oversee the church's governance, may be financially illiterate. The Chairman's Role in Financial Accountability is only realised when there is an effective implementation of a meaningful mission through an effective board with people elected into offices with well-capacitated board members. Well-functioning boards have a stake in the church's ability to carry out its mission plan. This is accomplished by holding frequent meetings and aggressively managing essential operational tasks, such as monitoring the church budget.

Archdiocesan Councils of 1905-1944 and Their Role in the Development of Particular Law

The first half of the twentieth century was marked by the ministry of an outstanding bishop and ascetic of the Ukrainian Church and people, the Servant of God, Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytskyy, OSVB, on the throne of the Galician Metropolis. Having taken the helm of the Church in 1900, Bishop Andrey devoted 44 long years of his life to its development and strengthening. The Metropolitan was a supporter of the collegial form of church governance, and therefore the first major undertaking he made as head of the Galician Church Province was to hold a diocesan council of the Lviv Archdiocese

Missionizing Church Governance: Transfiguring Pentecostalism in Zimbabwe

Pentecostalism has experienced massive growth and evolution, both within Africa and beyond, as is evident through the emergence of dynamic neo-Pentecostal movements, including independent, prophetic, and charismatic churches. However, all its establishments have been primarily characterized by problematic governance. While neo-Pentecostal founders and leaders often asserted that they were breaking away from regressive bureaucracy and supposedly “cold” spiritual practices to embrace a more dynamic approach that advances the missio Dei and missio ecclesiae through expressive and demonstrative ministries, they paradoxically ended up becoming similarly, if not more, regressive. Rather than being focused on serving others (being other-centred), they became self-centred in their actions and priorities. Drawing on missional ecclesiology, extensive engagement with relevant literature, and in-depth phenomenological observation, this paper undertook a qualitative examination of their polities. It interpretively and descriptively assessed and explored the fact that all ecclesial governments exhibit both strengths and weaknesses. In light of this analysis, the paper argues and proposes that churches should integrate their predominant governmental systems with inclusive and empowering principles from other polities. By doing so, they can transform their administrative structures and enhance their missionality.

The Office of Deacon in the Reformed Church in Zimbabwe: A historical perspective.

A deacon is generally considered to be a member of the diaconate. This relates to an office in most Christian churches that is associated with some type of service offered, but the latter varies among denominations. The word deacon emanates from the Greek word diákonos which means a servant, minister, or envoy. The office of deacon was initiated in the selection of seven men by the apostles of Jesus, among whom was Stephen the proto-deacon. Their role was to assist with charitable works in the early church as it has been recorded in Acts chapter 6. This article deals with the office of the deacon and investigates it in the Reformed Church in Zimbabwe from a historical perspective. There are four offices of Church government in the Reformed/Presbyterian system. These are the office of the minister of the Word, Professors of Theological School, elder and the deacon. The study holds that the office of the deacon plays an important role in the administration of finances in the Reformed Church in Zimbabwe. The aim of this study is to relate and re-evaluate the history of the office of the deacon from the establishment of the Reformed Church in Zimbabwe to date. The research contributes to the ongoing gathering and production of historical data of the history of the Reformed Church in Zimbabwe.

Az esztergomi főszékesegyház és egyházkormányzati központ építészeti koncepciójának kialakulása és változásai •

Az esztergomi főszékesegyház és egyházkormányzati központ építészeti koncepciójának kialakulása és változásai •

All Roads Lead to New Rome: The Canonical Origins and Status of the Orthodox and Greek Catholic Churches of Ukraine

This article provides a brief account of the historical origins and canonical status of the three modern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic churches of Ukraine: the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate, and the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church. It contains four parts. The first briefly recounts the origins of Byzantine Christianity and the fused form of state and church governance that developed in Constantinople from the 4th to the 15th centuries. The second examines the Great Schism of 1054, which cleaved Eastern and Western Christianity, sending Eastern Orthodox Christianity down the path of territory- or nation-based churches constituted by eucharistic ecclesiology; this would ultimately give rise to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate in the Slavic lands that would become Ukraine. The third part considers two modern schisms, the Little Schism of 1596, which produced the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, and the Final Schism of 2018–2019, which brought into existence the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Drawing upon eucharistic ecclesiology, the final part offers brief concluding reflections concerning the ongoing implications of these three schisms for Orthodox Christianity in Ukraine.

The religious self‐alteration of Shem Irofa'alu during the anti‐colonial Maasina Rule in Solomon Islands (1944–1953)

This essay explores the post-World War Two anti-colonial Maasina Rule in north Malaita, Solomon Islands, to show how a church leader Shem Irofa'alu decided to establish a religious movement independent of the state and the traditional evangelical church. Irofa'alu's movement indexes an important moment of culture change towards increasing enthusiasm for the often-overlooked Christianity-based forms of sovereignty in the region. It highlights that Maasina Rule was not only a powerful rupture in social processes, but also sharpened the growing division between state and church. Irofa'alu's role in Maasina Rule shows that his influence peaked between 1948 and 1950 and then went into rapid decline. This change in fortune coincided with a critical turning point in the colonial government's attempts to end the movement through appeasement. No longer the head of the evangelical church in Malu'u sub-district and frustrated about the mother church's governance, Irofa'alu retreated to his home area and set about establishing a new church, Boboa (‘Foundation’), his first attempt at organizing a self-governing assembly before introducing Jehovah's Witnesses in north Malaita. In later years, Irofa'alu became a prophet-exemplar for new generations of religious leaders trying to establish Malaitan sovereignties based on their own power to move the truth of prophecies away from foreign state and church organizations.