Perspectives on Church Government: Five Views of Church Polity (Perspectives)

by Robert L. Reymond; James R. White; Daniel L. Akin; James Leo Garrett Jr.

and

3 more

Publisher:

B&H

, 2004

Overview

How does God intend his people to be governed and guided? How a church organizes itself can be its greatest strength and greatest weakness. Organization and leadership are crucial to the work of the kingdom of God, but with polity often comes politics. The decision as to who offers earthly governance to the body of Christ cannot be made in a cultural or historical vacuum. The Bible must be examined to determine God’s intent for the governing of his people. Perspectives on Church Government presents in counterpoint form the basic models of church government which have developed over the course of church history with a view toward determining which is most faithful to Scripture. Each chapter is written by a prominent representative from within each tradition and deals with the biblical, historical, and theological issues for each governance tradition. In addition, each writer provides a brief response to other traditions.

Product Details

• Title: Perspectives on Church Government: Five Views of Church Polity
• Contributors: Robert L Reymond, James R. White, Daniel L. Akin, James Leo Garrett Jr., R. Stanton Norman, Chad Brand and Paul F. M. Zahl
• Editors: Chad O. Brand and Stan Norman
• Series: Perspectives
• Publisher: B&H
• Publication Date: 2004
• Pages: 368

About the Editors

Chad O. Brand serves as Associate Dean of Biblical and Theological Studies at Boyce College.

Stan Norman is Provost and Executive Vice President for Campus Life at Oklahoma Baptist University.

About the Authors

Robert Reymond taught for more than 25 years on the faculties of Covenant Theological Seminary and Knox Theological Seminary. He holds B. A., M. A., and Ph. D. degrees from Bob Jones University and did post-doctoral studies at Fuller Seminary, New York University, Union Seminary, Tyndale House, Cambridge, and Rutherford House, Edinburgh. Currently he is the Emeritus Professor of Systematic Theology at Knox Theological Seminary, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

James R. White is the director of Alpha and Omega Ministries, an evangelical Reformed Christian apologetics organization based in Phoenix, Arizona. He is the author of more than twenty books and has engaged in numerous moderated debates. White serves as an elder of the Phoenix Reformed Baptist Church.

Daniel L. Akin is Dean at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He holds an M.Div. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Arlington. He and his wife Charlotte were married in 1978 and are the parents of four sons.

James Leo Garrett, Jr. is Distinguished Professor of Theology Emeritus at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He holds a B.A. from Baylor University (1945), a B.D. from Southwestern Baptist Seminary (1948), a Th.M. from Princeton Theological Seminary (1949), a Th.D. from Southwestern Baptist Seminary (1954), and a Ph.D. from Harvard University (1966). He has also studied at the Catholic University of America, the University of Oxford, St. John's University, and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He has taught at both Baylor University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and was a visiting professor at the Hong Kong Baptist Theological Seminary. He has also lectured in Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Uruguay, Romania, the Ukraine, and at numerous U.S. schools.

R. Stanton Norman serves as director for the Baptist Center for Theology and Ministry. He also occupies the Cooperative Program Chair for SBC Studies and serves as Associate Professor of Theology at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He resides in Mandeville, Louisiana.

Chad Brand received his B. A. from Rockmont College, and an M. Div. and Ph. D. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has done graduate studies at the University of Texas in Arlington and the Texas Christian University. He is Associate Professor of Christian Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is co-author of One Sacred Effort in the Broadman & Holman Baptist History Collection (11 Vols.).

The Very Rev. Dr. Paul F. M. Zahl is a retired Episcopal priest who has served as rector of All Saints' Episcopal Church in Chevy Chase, MD, and dean and president of Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry, Ambridge, PA.

Sample Pages from the Print Edition

Contents

Top Highlights

“Congregationalism locates the authority of the church in each local body of believers. No person or organization is above or over it except the Lord Jesus Christ alone as its head.” (Page 27)

“The present author proposes to define and to defend Congregational polity as follows: it is that form of church governance in which final human authority rests with the local or particular congregation when it gathers for decision-making. This means that decisions about membership, leadership, doctrine, worship, conduct, missions, finances, property, relationships, and the like are to be made by the gathered congregation except when such decisions have been delegated by the congregation to individual members or groups of members.” (Page 157)

“In the third place, Congregationalism will only function effectively within the context of a regenerate church membership and discipline.” (Page 70)

“Fourth, Congregationalism often is best practiced in the form of a representative model. The church should seek out, call, and follow godly leaders.” (Page 70)

“Second, Congregationalism honors best the doctrine of the priesthood of all the believers and the church as the body of Christ.” (Page 70)

Product Details

• Title: Perspectives on Church Government: Five Views of Church Polity
• Authors: Robert L. Reymond, James R. White, Daniel L. Akin, James Leo Garrett Jr., R. Stanton Norman, Chad Owen Brand, Paul F. M. Zahl
• Series: Perspectives Series
• Publisher: B&H
• Print Publication Date: 2004
• Logos Release Date: 2009
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subject: Church polity
• ISBNs: 9781430077497, 9780805425901, 9781433669149, 080542590X, 1433669145, 1430077492
• Resource ID: LLS:PERSCHGV
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2023-10-09T17:46:22Z