Perspectives on Church Government: Five Views of Church Polity

Church polity is a fascinating topic and it is no light study to try to understand the differences in ecclesiastic praxis that we encounter even in our own broad theological traditions. This counterpoint introduction to Church polity includes five authors which represent three specific polities: Congregationalism, Presbyterianism, and Episcopalianism. The Congregational authors (Daniel Akin, James Leo Garrett, Jr., and James R. White) each represent subtle differences in Congregationalism (single elder, plurality of elders, and one representative of general Congregationalism who argues mostly for a plurality of elders). Why the editors chose three representatives of Congregationalism is not clear - they could have equally chosen three representatives of either of the other two ecclesiastic traditions. To add to the confusion, Daniel Akin was tasked with making a case for the Single-Elder-Led-Church but concedes that he personally prefers a plurality of elders. Huh?I suspect most non-Congregationalist readers will find Akin's and White's arguments for Congregationalism tenuous at best; however, many will likely find James Leo Garrett's contribution to this work fairly helpful and perhaps some may even find it convincing.For those interested in looking for a strong presentation of Episcopalian polity, they will need to look elsewhere. One wonders if the Editors were even familiar with their author's views on the subject prior to soliciting their participation. Case in point: Paul Zahl, the chosen representative of Episcopalianism. Zahl doesn't seem much interested in actually making a case for Episcopal polity, so no argument is presented, no exegesis is offered. What we get instead is his history of the Anglican Church. An interesting read nonetheless, but hardly appropriate for this venue.That leaves Robert Reymond and his defense of Presbyterianism. Reymond is a gifted author and his confidence and handling of the subject at hand is attractive. Reymond will certainly be appreciated by Presbyterians and, like Garrett, will likely given opponents of Presbyterianism a better understanding of Reymond's tradition and the reasoning purported to support it.The disadvantage to a format such as this book adopts is that it is not sufficiently interactive. Each author is given the opportunity to comment on each other author's presentation, but that's where it ends. This leads you to want to know how each author would respond to his peer's reviews, which would probably generate a lot more clarification of each author's intention and position.When I am seeking to purchase books on Amazon, I read the reviews ultimately to determine if I should make the purchase or not. Is this one worth your money? I suppose that depends on how familiar you are with the topic. If you feel you have a good grasp of the traditions represented in this book, you should probably save your money as you are unlikely to gain much from this book. However, if you are not so familiar, then it is certainly is worth the money and in that case it has my recommendation.

We have been searching for a new church and several of the churches that we have been looking at are elder led - one of those having a single elder. We are used to a pastor and a board of deacons. I ordered "Perspectives on Church Government: Five Views of Church Polity" to read biblical perspectives from the points of views of others who had different background from mine as I dealt with the possible change I faced.The book was remarkably refreshing in that the men presented each of their cases for the type of church government that they preferred and, in most cases, were open-minded enough to understand that there is latitude for difference without one side necessarily being right or wrong. The most interesting part of the book in my opinion was that after each man presented his views, the others werer given the opportunity to respectfully challenge those views. It made for a very interesting exchange of ideas - again, with a high level of respect among the different men - and helped me tremendously. I really appreciated the book.

A good introduction on the differences in church polity among Protestants. I think most readers will probably get the impression that the publisher is biased towards Congregationalism since three of the five perspectives deal with some form of it. I would have loved a more rigorous defense of Episcopalianism. In my view, Paul Zahl did the worst job in presenting the case for Episcopalianism; he doesn't really present an argument for the Episcopal form of government, but he seems to just a give a history of the Anglican church. I was particularly impressed with Reymond's defense of Presbyterianism; I felt that he presented the best defense for his position. For whatever reason, Danny Akin was given the task to present the single-elder form of congregationalism, even though he doesn't actually favor the position. All in all, it was a good introduction.

Perspectives is effective at presenting the arguments for and against the different church polities that it examines. In general the essays are done in sufficient depth to understand the positions, with effective references, and the responses help to identify particular challenges to the positions that are stated in the essays. As a person not that familiar with church polity I found it helpful

I appreciate the breadth of coverage that the authors (and editors) gave to each of the government styles included in the book. These five views do indeed compass the prevailing styles currently used in church polity. The reader is given adequate description as well as references for each style. By having different authors represent each style, the reader gets to see each style presented in a complete, authoritative manner. This legitimizes the material presented. In the end, the reader has a valid and valuable resource for their library.

I find this book to be engaging and very good discussion. But I disagree with the author view point when it comes to church polity and government structure at it relates to God divine order for His church. Having experience church order for Many years we must be lead by the Holy Spirit. The early church of Jews and Gentiles where able to work together as this was the first formation of the first church. There is a system of church order and organizational service that enables the church to be what God has design it to be according to God purpose and plan.

Provides a thought provoking examination in the topic of church leadership styles. Worthy of reading in order for a person to sincerely develop a convictional position on this issue.

This is an excellent read if you'd like to better understand the differences and backgrounds between the five prevailing protestant church governments. The essays and critiques are written by 5 very will versed individuals and proved to be very insightful.