Congregationalist polity
Congregationalist polity, often known as
congregationalism, is a system of church
governance in which every local church con-
gregation
is
independent, ecclesiastically
sovereign, or "autonomous." Among those
major Protestant Christian traditions that
employ congregationalism are those Con-
gregational Churches known by the "Con-
gregationalist" name that descended from
the Anglo-American Puritan movement of the
17th century, the Baptist churches, and most
of
the groups brought about by
the
Anabaptist movement in Germany that im-
migrated to the U.S. in the late 18th century.
More recent generations have witnessed also
a growing number of non-denominational
churches, which are most often congrega-
tionalist in their governance. In Christianity,
congregationalism
is distinguished most
clearly from episcopal polity, which is gov-
ernance by a hierarchy of bishops. But it is
also distinct from presbyterian polity,
in
which higher assemblies of congregational
representatives can exercise considerable au-
thority over individual congregations.
Congregationalism is not limited only to
organization of Christian congregations; the
principles of congregationalism have been in-
herited by the Unitarian Universalist Associ-
ation. Jewish synagogues and most Islamic
mosques in the U.S. operate under congrega-
tional
government
as well,
with
no
hierarchies.
Theological foundations
of congregationalism
Before embarking on the theological founda-
tions of congregationalism, it is also note-
worthy that the earmarks of Congregational-
ism can be traced back to the Pilgrim societ-
ies of the United States in the early 1600s.
Congregationalism expressed the viewpoint
that (1) every local church is a full realization
in miniature of the entire Church of Jesus
Christ; and (2) the Church, while on earth,
besides the local church, can only be invis-
ible and ideal. While other theories may in-
sist on the truth of the former, the latter
precept of congregationalism gives the entire
theory a unique character am