Chapell Meeks 4 K Types Of Church Government

Front 1

Episcopal

Back 1

the fundamental unit of the church is the college of bishops/communion; the rule of Christ is mediated through them to individual bishops and then down to local priests and parishes. The episkopos and the priest/elder are the units of authority, and are wholly external to the church.

Front 2

Congregational

Back 2

the fundamental unit of the church is the local congregation; the rule of Christ is mediated up from congregations to pastors and whatever "denominational" structures are in place. Whatever elected body the congregation creates is the ultimate unit of authority, and is wholly internal to the church.

Front 3

Presbyterianism

Back 3

the fundamental unit of the church is the session, but this session is part of a body of mutual submission within the presbytery and general assembly. Thus, Christ's reign flows both upward and downward, from local congregations in the ordination of elders and from broader bodies in the approval and communion of this organization.

Front 4

Erastianism

Back 4

the fundamental unit of the church is the state; authority flows down through monarchs of political bodies to the church as a part of Christian society. Christ's reign flows downward, but peculiarly so through the divinely-ordained government. This was one strand within Anglicanism, especially in its earlier years.