Topic

Church

What the church is and how it is governed: who holds authority, how ministers are chosen, and how local congregations relate to the wider body.

The oldest pattern is government by bishops, found in the Early Church by the 2nd century. The Roman Catholic church places the bishop of Rome at the head of all bishops, while the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches stress councils of bishops acting together. The Reformation produced new models: rule by elders in the Reformed churches, and self-governing congregations among the Anabaptist and later Baptist movements. Many churches mix these forms in practice.