Results for “Church Constitution”
Encyclopedia article
Church Constitution
A church constitution is the foundational body of rules in which a denomination codifies its principles of confession of faith, church government, offices, worship, and discipline. Depending on the denomination, it may be called a "constitution," *The Doctrines and Discipline*, or another name.
Articles 1,000, showing 20
- Church BylawsOrganization & Polity
Church bylaws are a written body of self-governing rules that set out the basic principles of a church's operation, including its purpose, membership qualifications, decision-making bodies, election of officers, and management of finances and property.
- Church DisciplineOrganization & Polity
Church discipline is the practice by which a church examines the sins and wrongdoing of its members or officers, urges them to repent, and, when necessary, imposes censures in accordance with its church constitution. It is also referred to as church governance or, in its judicial form, ecclesiastical trial.
- Particular ChurchOrganization & Polity
A particular church is an individual local church that belongs to the whole church throughout the world, the universal church. The term is used chiefly in Presbyterian church constitutions. In Korean Protestant usage, the corresponding term can also refer to a branch congregation that a megachurch establishes in another area.
- Board of Church Officers (Jejikhoe)Organization & Polity
The board of church officers (jejikhoe) is a deliberative body in which a congregation's officers, such as pastors, elders, deacons, and kwonsas, meet to discuss and carry out the practical work of church finances and service. It is found chiefly in Korean Presbyterian churches, where it operates under the provisions of the church constitution.
- Church PolityOrganization & Polity
Church polity refers to the systems and structures by which a church appoints its officers, makes decisions, and exercises governance and discipline. It is broadly divided into three forms: episcopal, presbyterian, and congregational.
- Evangelist PastorChurch Offices
An evangelist pastor is a pastoral title used chiefly in the constitutions of Presbyterian denominations. It refers to a pastor sent by a presbytery to preach the gospel in an area without a church and to establish new churches there.
- Suspension from the Lord's SupperOrganization & Polity
Suspension from the Lord's Supper is a form of church discipline in which a member who has sinned is barred from participating in Communion for a period of time. The term is used chiefly in Presbyterian church constitutions.
- DenominationOrganization & Polity
A denomination is an organized body formed by churches that share a common confession of faith and system of church government. Several denominations may exist within a single denominational tradition.
- Pastor's Wife (Samo)Church Offices
A pastor's wife is the spouse of a pastor. In Korean Protestant churches she is addressed by the honorific title samo. The title does not denote an office established by church constitutions, but in many churches the pastor's wife assists in pastoral ministry.
- General AssemblyOrganization & Polity
A general assembly is the highest national decision-making body of a denomination. It amends the denominational constitution, sets policy, and elects officers. Among Korean Protestant denominations, Presbyterian bodies usually hold their regular general assembly each September.
- Retirement Age for PastorsControversies
The retirement age for pastors is the age at which a minister steps down from public duties such as serving as senior pastor. In Korea, most major Protestant denominations have set it at 70, and debate continues over proposals to raise or abolish this age.
- The Church and PoliticsControversies
The question of how the church and individual Christians should engage in politics. Views differ on the meaning of the separation of church and state, the boundary between preaching and political speech, and the proper forms of the church's social engagement.
- Twelve Articles of FaithDoctrine & Theology
The Twelve Articles of Faith is a twelve-article creed adopted by the Independent Presbytery of the Korean Presbyterian Church, which was organized in 1907. It still appears in the doctrinal sections of the constitutions of several Korean Presbyterian denominations.
- Minister Without ChargeChurch Offices
A minister without charge is a title used in Presbyterian constitutions for an ordained minister who retains ministerial standing but has no church or institution in which he or she is assigned to serve.
- Cooperating PastorChurch Offices
A cooperating pastor is an ordained pastor who is affiliated with a church or institution and assists the senior pastor in ministry. The title is used mainly in Presbyterian churches, and its conditions of service and standing within the presbytery vary according to each denomination's constitution.
- Institutional PastorChurch Offices
An institutional pastor is a minister who does not serve a local church but instead works in a Christian institution such as a denominational headquarters, school, hospital, media organization, or mission agency. The title is used chiefly in the constitutions of Presbyterian denominations.
- ChurchDoctrine & Theology
The church is the community of those who believe in Jesus Christ. The word translates the New Testament Greek term ekklesia (an assembly of those who have been called out), and it refers first to a gathering of people rather than to a building.
- Church MinisterChurch Offices
A church minister is a person whose principal work is ministry in the church, such as preaching, teaching, and pastoral care. In Korean Protestant usage, the associate pastors, evangelists, and others who assist the senior pastor are collectively called associate ministers.
- Church BulletinWorship & Rites
A church bulletin is a newsletter that a church publishes every Lord's Day, containing the order of worship, sermon information, church news, and announcements.