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The central theme in Catholicism today is the synodal way, in which bishops and laypeople discuss church reforms. With synodal processes proceeding worldwide at the suggestion of Pope Francis, what experiences are different countries having and what topics are being discussed for the renewal of the Catholic Church? How is the synodal way perceived worldwide? What questions do believers in other local churches have? Universal Church in Motion: Synodal Paths brings together essays from around the world about the future of the Catholic Church. The book features essays on the synodal process in several European countries as well as writings by theologians and church leaders.

CONCERN: A Pamphlet Series for Questions of Christian Renewal was born in the 1950s of shared concerns over a gap between an Anabaptist vision and contemporary, North American Mennonite reality. The initial group views the increasingly hierarchical denominational structure, the emergence of centralized, professionalized, pastoral ministry, and the resultant changes in polity and practice as fundamentally incompatible with a Believers'Church ecclesiology. Essays here present that critique and discussion of the reconfiguration of pastoral and communal authority, as well as the assertion that reclamation of a disciplined priesthood of all believers is the path of Christian renewal. Today the question of what institutional forms best structure the leadership, authority, and shared life of congregations persists, marked by particular concern to attend to the exercise of power within actual communities of faith.

The Rise of Bishops reveals how Christian congregations, which were self-governing in the second and third centuries, became subject to the general supervision and direction of diocesan bishops and higher officeholders, thus ending their independence from outside the local parish. The New Testament says nothing about church government after the apostles. Thus, the question becomes'who replaced the apostles?'Local church congregations in the period between AD 100 to 300 appear to have been administered by bishops and deacons, and sometimes elders, all as congregational officeholders, with no superstructure above the congregation. Yet, the fourth century sees congregations governed in groups by a collective hierarchy, based on diocesan bishops. This book attributes most of the change to Constantine the Great and his immediate successors, motivated by desire for more efficient functioning and greater control by the emperors once the majority church was co-opted into the Roman state. Although bishops have long been key officials in the church, surprisingly little has been written in our time on how the framework for choosing and regulating them developed in early times. What little is available consists of journal articles rather than standalone publications. The Rise of Bishops helps close this gap.

Ours is an anti-polity age, perhaps more than any other time in the history of the church. Yet polity remains as important now as it was in the New Testament. What then is a right or biblical polity? The contributors to this volume make an exegetical and theological case for a Baptist polity. Right polity, they argue, is congregationalism, elder leadership, diaconal service, regenerate church membership, church discipline, and a Baptist approach to the ordinances. Each section explores the pastoral applications of these arguments. How do congregationalism and elder leadership work together? When should a church practice church discipline? How can one church work with another in matters of membership and discipline? To be read sequentially or used as a reference guide, Baptist Foundations provides a contemporary treatment of Baptist church government and structures, the first of its kind in decades.

Churches have split and denominations have formed over the issue of church government. While many Christians can explain their church's form of rule or defend it because of its'tried and true'traditions, few people understand their church's administrative customs from a biblical perspective.Who Runs the Church? explores questions such as: What model for governing the church does the Bible provide, and is such a model given for practical or spiritual reasons? Is there room for different methods within Christianity? Or is there a right way of'doing church'? And, finally, how (and by whom) should the church be governed?Four predominant approaches to church government are presented by respected proponents: Episcopalianism - represented by Peter ToonPresbyterianism - represented by L. Roy TaylorSingle-Elder Congregationalism - represented by Paige PattersonPlural-Elder Congregationalism - represented by Samuel E. Waldron As in other Counterpoints books, each view is followed by critiques from the other contributors, and its advocate then responds.

In'New Ecclesiology and Polity,'Steckel argues that the United Church of Christ ecclesiology and its polity have an urgent need to be re-examined and re-shaped if the church is to be a faithful and strong ministry in the post-modern world. He describes the transition from modernity to post-modernity focusing on ways the United Church of Christ, is aware of these transitions in the life of the church, but no awareness of how the denominational governing structures undermine faithful mission in a post-modern world.

Ian Fair examines the crucial demands of leadership in a time of deep and broad cultural change. He offers practical guidelines for congregational leaders trying to be sensitive to the needs of their flocks and faithful to the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ. New to this edition is a chapter on how to develop leaders within a congregation.