Yes, they have a General Conference composed of representatives from the 13 divisions that they have divided the world into. The General Conference elects a President and worldwide leadership and oversees the global administration of the church.How about those seventh-day churches?
In the Anglican Communion, no one person is the boss. It doesn’t matter what country you live in. If you are Anglican, you are part of one Communion which transcends national borders, and it has always been so, ever since the first Bishop was installed outside of the United Kingdom.In the (Roman) Catholic Church, the Pope is the boss. It doesn’t matter what country you live in. If you are Catholic, you are part of one Communion which transcends national borders, and it has always been so, ever since the first Bishop ventured outside of the Roman Empire.
The authority of protestant church leaders seems to always end at the border. Sometimes like-minded protestant leaders might meet in an international synod, but I have never heard of any such synod that had any real authority to impose its resolutions upon their faithful - these synods are are advisory only. They are not like Ecumenical Councils, which are binding upon all Catholics worlldwide.
The Anglican Communion is worldwide, but it is a confederacy rather than a hierarchy, and so its governmental structure is rather more complex than the Catholic one. Each province is autonomous, and some provinces also recognise the autonomy of units within themselves. Our bishops and archbishops are leaders more than bosses, and our essential ecclesiastical authority is conciliar rather than individual.Are there any truly worldwide protestant churches?
…and you got these “stats” where?Seventh Day Adventist Church-
Each Church elects its own officers: elders, deacons, deaconesses, clerks, treasurers, and department leaders.
•The minister of a local church is appointed by the local conference.
•The local conference consists of local churches in a designated area.
•Officers of the local conference are elected every three years.
•Union conferences are comprised of local conference in a designated area.
•Union conference officers are elected every five years.
•The division is comprised of two or more union conference with officers elected every five years.
•General conference encompasses ALL DIVISIONS with officers elected every five years.
The SDA Church is in more countries spreading the gosple than the RCC now and has the largest Schooling system and largest protestant hospital system. Baptizing 3000 members a day its one of, if not the quickest growing protestant church in the world.
Not bad for a small church hey! Shows me that the Holy Spirit is leading the church to achieve such wonderful results.
With all do respect, I think you know the answer to your post. There is no Protestant denomination that has the leadership in a pope or even doctrine control as in the magisterium that the Catholic Church has. I am not sure if you were looking for a real answer which you basically already know or are you looking to see what other come up with in trying to answer if there are any type of world wide leadership like in the Pope. Back to the reference to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Blessed John Paul II did met with him I think more than once is discussions with the Anglican communion. Even though it is very loose, he ultimately is considered the quasi head in a very very loose sense. I don’t think if he wasn’t the Pope would have met with him.I am a former Anglican, and my wife is a former Baptist.
Huh? I was just responding - I see nothing rude in my response. If you are offended by THAT, I suggest you are in the wrong forum. There are people here who really WILL jump down your throat, and you seem to be ill prepared for such an event.
thanks for the clarification. I knew there was an international council but it does get confused with the different synods that we see in the US.The polity of Lutheranism has always been in this way, more of national or cultural synods.
Even the early synods in the US are offsprings of various immigrant groups.
there are, however, two world wide bodies, the largest being the Lutheran Wolrd Federation, of which the ELCA is a member, and the International Lutheran Council, of which the LCMS is a member.
Both of these are more of a federation than an ecclesiastical body.
Jon
Simple answer. No, there are not any worldwide Protestant churches that are lead by a single man like the Catholic church is lead by the Pope.In the (Roman) Catholic Church, the Pope is the boss. It doesn’t matter what country you live in. If you are Catholic, you are part of one Communion which transcends national borders, and it has always been so, ever since the first Bishop ventured outside of the Roman Empire.
Are there any present-day protestant churches like this? (I’m asking about established ecclesiastic communions, not mission churches. And I’m not asking about other Catholic Communions such as the Greek Orthodox. I’m asking about Christian protestants).
The authority of protestant church leaders seems to always end at the border. Sometimes like-minded protestant leaders might meet in an international synod, but I have never heard of any such synod that had any real authority to impose its resolutions upon their faithful - these synods are are advisory only. They are not like Ecumenical Councils, which are binding upon all Catholics worlldwide.
Are there any truly worldwide protestant churches?
During her lifetime Ellen White the “prophetess” of the SDA church had as much power amoung he followers as any Pope.How about Seventh-Day Adventists?