Forms of Church Government

Definition and Meaning

Forms of church government classify church organization according to who holds decision-making authority and disciplinary authority in the church. Disciplinary authority here refers to the power to care for, govern, and discipline church members. Three forms are commonly distinguished.

• Episcopal polity: Final authority rests with the bishop.
• Presbyterian polity: Final authority rests with a council made up of ministers and elders.
• Congregational polity: Final authority rests with the entire membership of the local church.

The church polity and church constitution of each denomination are usually based on one of these forms.

Biblical and Historical Background

The New Testament mentions both the office of bishop (overseer) and the office of elder. In some passages, such as Titus 1:5–9, the two terms appear to refer to the same person, and different traditions therefore read the same texts differently.

• Advocates of episcopal polity emphasize the office of the bishop as the inheritor of apostolic authority.
• Advocates of presbyterian polity cite the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15), where the apostles and elders met together to reach a decision.
• Advocates of congregational polity cite Acts 6, where the congregation chose its workers, and Matthew 18:17, "tell it unto the church."

Some denominations regard their own form as closest to Scripture, while others hold that Scripture does not prescribe a single form.

Historically, a system of one bishop for each city became established from around the second century. This tradition continued in the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Church. During the Reformation, presbyterian polity was developed in John Calvin's Geneva and John Knox's Scotland. In seventeenth-century England, Congregationalists and Baptists developed congregational polity, emphasizing the autonomy of the local church. Methodism arose from the movement led by John Wesley and was organized in America as a church with an episcopal system.

Practice in Korean Churches

• Presbyterian polity: Korean Presbyterian denominations maintain a hierarchy of councils extending from the session of the local church to the regional presbytery and the national General Assembly. The session consists of the minister and the elders elected by the members. Important matters are decided by the congregational meeting of baptized members.
• Episcopal polity: The Anglican Church of Korea has a bishop for each diocese. The Korean Methodist Church has bishops and district superintendents and operates annual conferences, district conferences, and a General Conference. Its bishops are elected and serve fixed terms, and the church also uses conciliar structures such as elders and sessions.
• Congregational polity: In Korean Baptist churches, such as those of the Korea Baptist Convention, a meeting of the local church's members decides major matters such as calling a pastor and finances. This meeting is commonly called a business meeting. The convention is understood less as a body that governs local churches than as one for mutual cooperation. Independent churches in Korea also generally approximate this form.
• Other forms: The Korea Evangelical Holiness Church has sessions, district conferences, and a General Assembly, giving it a system similar to presbyterian polity. In The Salvation Army Korea Territory, officers lead the churches within a military-style rank structure.

Because many Korean churches maintain the office of elder and a session regardless of denomination, the three forms sometimes appear in mixed form in Korea.