Perspectives on the Church Government (Essay Sample)

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Perspectives on the church government: Five views of church polity (Book Reviews)
According to Wax the church polity issue represents one of the most dividing issues in the local churches all over the world. There has been a splitting up in the house of worship concerning the issues of "elderly rule" versus some forms of congregational rule. The congregations of Episcopal system churches are not allowed to enter the church by leaders of the denomination who were not impressed by the behaviors of some local worshippers. Local congregations of the Presbyterian systems have had local church discipline decisions with biblical warranty changed by general assembly court and synod. The leaders and their congregations wonder what the biblical form of the government is, how the decisions is made, and how is organized. This is an important issue for a local house of worship that performs its relationships in a manner that pleases the Almighty God. Historically, there has been a development of many different types of church polity, and many nuances and variations occur in those types. A local house of worship which is under pressure with a new congregation or old organization wondering how to "start in the right way" is mostly left by some opposing models, some of which put down claim to biblical genuineness as well as shielded by trusted evangelical leaders, theologians, and pastors.
Wax points out that the Perspective on church government follows the helpful varying- perspective- on- one -subject approach of many books that allows leaders to evaluate presented by the conflicting positions where church policy is the subject. After the preliminary chapter, the other five chapters give a comprehensive argument for a given viewpoint, and the four authors offer a short critic. The positions argued by these authors include: the Presbyterian form, by Robert Reymond; the Single elderly-led congregational representation, championed by Akin Daniel; Paul F.M Zahl’s Episcopal model; the democratic congregational representation, championed by James Garret Jr and Plural elderly-Led congregational representation, championed by James R.White. These editors argues that church polity isn’t an issue not of creed and to some extent not even an issue of apparent and completely developed policy but quite a matter based on belief with historical ,reasonable and biblical argument for merit, not all of the authors could have the same opinion. One author argues that his positions express the divine right while another author have the extreme opposite where he argues that the positions in a manner that the judgment becomes binding or necessary. The New Testament proof is just too varied. There is none leading the ecclesiology of New Testament. The book is for lively and instructive reading given the five diverse and sometimes unequal positions including the changing degrees of convictions on which they are presented.
The main questions center on what defines a church and makes it, who leads the church as well as the relationships of these churches. Support is given from history, the Bible, creeds and conventions, theology and what mechanism works for the betterment of the house of worship. Some arguments rely on huge leaps of imaginations while some rests on good exegesis. Most of the theological lines appear sound as others are unsuccessful. History gives anything an author needs to look, supported by effectiveness, creeds, claims of ancient times, and confessions. Happily each and every given arrangement must live on four critics from the four different viewpoints where the leader is left alone to classify through the power and reliability of the given argument (Akin et al 27).
Wax points out that the editor on perspective on church government have assembled five essayists where each represents the different type of polity that gives the meaning of church polity, as well as its importance as the basis of the book. Polity is defined as an authority and association by Brand and Owen, which gives the reason as why the essays of the book center on how a house of worship administers and organize them. After these editors give a summary of the past progress of church polity, the five writers are introduced who gives a case for their given types of church polity
The single Elder led church by Daniel Akin first gives a basis by laying down the biblical facts for congregationalism. Then Daniel Akin shows the scriptural description of elders, their actual roles and who they are. He makes the case for a pastor-teacher who functions as the first among equals if there is a lone pastor or many of elders who leads the worshippers. The main reason for Akin’s article isn’t to ensure that every church is led by a lone elder but rather to give an argument that the New Testament allows for elasticity in the number of elders (Akin et al 28).
The Presbyterian Church by championed by Reymond makes an argument for Presbyterian Church government i.e. church governance by the elders or overseers in graded courts, with this officers doing the tasks of their place of work in on a uniformity with each other and with harmony, as well as the service of the house of worship being taken care by the deacons who are known corporately as the diaconate below the management of the church elders. He believes that Antioch was a Presbyterian church that represented several congregations as well dubs the meeting with the leaders in the city of Jerusalem as a general assembly (Akin et al 138).
The congregation led church by James Leo gives a definition of congregational polity as a church governance form in which last human power is with a given congregation or the locals when it comes together to make the decisions. The congregationalism’s vision is that the congregation rules itself being beneath the lordship of Christ without leading bodies of ecclesial as well as with each associate having a say in its decisions and its affairs (Akin et al 195).
The Episcopal polity by Paul Zahl is the most different from other essays since Zahl is the lone writer to argue in opposition to the thought that lone polity is that which is correct. Paul believes that when ecclesiology and polity become an absorbing question for the house of worship, one can bet that people are in the time of comparative stasis. Due to thi...