Who is in charge of YOUR church?

[DJgang]

I attend a Prebyterian church so we have Kirk Session that is in charge of our local congregation. This is a body made up of the Ministers and congregational elders of the church. It directs the details of church life within the Presbyterian tradition.

Individual churches are grouped together geographically into a presbytery. Each church sends their minister(s) and an elder to prespytery meeting. This bodies approves candidates for ministry, ministerial calls and dismissing ministers.

Presbyterys are grouped together in synods. All members of the presbytery attend the synod meeting. This body handles matters that are more than local in nature. For example, they run training sessions, summer camps and retreat centers.

At the top is the General Assemby which meets annual. This is the body that governs the national church and sets policy.

All these bodies pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

There ya go…thanks for your answer.

I was a Presbyterian once!

 

[mathematician]

I, personally, am not bashing Protestants. It’s something that they all should be asking and curious about on their own.

It the question bothers you, then that probably explains why you are now a Catholic. You won’t find a church which comes any more authoritarian than the RC’s. However, me it doesn’t bother.

 

[AgnosTheist]

No, I don’t know. Each and every denomination is different.

no its not. thats a catholic misconception.

My button is not too easy to push, thank you, just in case that’s what YOU are trying to do.

Im honestly not trying to push your buttons. What is obvious though is that your the one whose trying to push protestant buttons.

Your title itself is an obvious bait, a loaded question. “YOUR” church huh? Not God’s church. But “Your” church.

 

[Hisalone]

The Holy Ghost.

.Catholics and NonCatholics operate in entirely different paradigms With regards to a question as such.
I go to a Non Denominational Church the pastor is the head of that church. There are Hundreds of thousands of churches like this. There must be accountability and that falls on either the elders or some overseer.

I have no problem saying my pastor is led by the Holy Ghost because I have seen him operate with the gifts of the Spirit.

Think guys for a minute would the 1st century Corinth church or Phillipi church say there leader was Peter-----highly unlikely.

 

[rpp]

Its already stated in my profile. You just refused to recognize it.

I “refuse” nothing.

Under “Other Information” where a person’s religion is listed, there is only one entry: “N/A”?

 

[Lee44]

Well, as I am Episcoplian. Here goes. On a Parish level the Bishops Committee, of which our Priest is a member. That would be followed by our Diocese Convention and the Bishop of our Diocese. Then on a national level the House of Bishops and there is another house composed of regular parishoners. And the Presiding Bishop of the TEC, then on a international level it would follow up to the ArchBishop of Canterbury and all of the Anglican Bishops that compromise the 80 million members of the Global Anglican Church.

 

[AgnosTheist]

I “refuse” nothing.

Under “Other Information” where a person’s religion is listed, there is only one entry: “N/A”?

Its right there on my signature for everyone to see.

It does require a little bit of thinking to figure out my religion.

 

[Gabriel_of_12]

The Holy Ghost.

.Catholics and NonCatholics operate in entirely different paradigms With regards to a question as such.
I go to a Non Denominational Church the pastor is the head of that church. There are Hundreds of thousands of churches like this. There must be accountability and that falls on either the elders or some overseer.

I have no problem saying my pastor is led by the Holy Ghost because I have seen him operate with the gifts of the Spirit.

Think guys for a minute would the 1st century Corinth church or Phillipi church say there leader was Peter-----highly unlikely.

Yes Peter was recognized as leader of the Apostles, if you read Acts you will find Peter is the one who follows Phillip and others who have evangelized and set up Christian churches, Peter authenticated the teachings and help set up church leaders in each province. So did Paul who 3 years later met with Peter, to be fully accepted and recognized by Peter the leader of the Apostles. Also in the epistles.

 

[Gabriel_of_12]

It the question bothers you, then that probably explains why you are now a Catholic. You won’t find a church which comes any more authoritarian than the RC’s. However, me it doesn’t bother.

mathematician, I dont know if you know this or not, but your negative statements about the Catholic Magisterium only gives creedence and authenticates the Catholic Church’s authority to teach an unchangable Gospel.

Maybe try another tactic to discredit her authority, like can you state some facts to your claims instead of making your personal opinions about the divinely authoritative teaching the Roman Catholic Church posses.

And can you rightly distinguish between divine authority and man made authority?

Which authority do you protest of the Catholic church, her divinely given authority, or her disciplines, teachings about what is worthy of belief? Because some things are changeable, but her doctrines will never change, is this the authority that troubles you, because not even the Pope or the Magesterium can make changes to the deposit of faith handed to her from Jesus and the Apostles.

 

[Hisalone]

Yes Peter was recognized as leader of the Apostles, if you read Acts you will find Peter is the one who follows Phillip and others who have evangelized and set up Christian churches, Peter authenticated the teachings and help set up church leaders in each province. So did Paul who 3 years later met with Peter, to be fully accepted and recognized by Peter the leader of the Apostles. Also in the epistles.

You missed my point entirely.
When Paul set up his various autonimous Churches in Corinth, Phillipi, Ephesia would these churches say Peter was their head-----Not for a minute.

 

[rpp]

You missed my point entirely.
When Paul set up his various **autonimous **Churches in Corinth, Phillipi, Ephesia would these churches say Peter was their head-----Not for a minute.

What do you conclude that they were autonomous?

 

[DJgang]

no its not. thats a catholic misconception.

Im honestly not trying to push your buttons. What is obvious though is that your the one whose trying to push protestant buttons.

Your title itself is an obvious bait, a loaded question. “YOUR” church huh? Not God’s church. But “Your” church.

Yes, every Protestant denomination has different structure authority, it is not a misconception.

YOUR is a pronoun in this case…sorry if YOU are offended by it. And I know that not all churches are God’s.

Or would it be an adjective…I’m not good at grammar, but again, it wasn’t my intention to push button using the word YOUR again…you are not pushing mine. God bless.

 

[DJgang]

It the question bothers you, then that probably explains why you are now a Catholic. You won’t find a church which comes any more authoritarian than the RC’s. However, me it doesn’t bother.

I respect your statement and it does make sense. Thank you.

 

[ALLFORHIM]

Hi,
I was going to copy and paste from our Constitution but it is too long.
So briefly–Im non-denom

The head is of course Jesus Christ
Next the minister(s), Elders, Deacons–they make decisions on how to run the building and by-laws within the church and finances and how to use the facility(building)

If they want to make a major change(like changing the Constitution)–they have to have a vote with the congregation.

There are so many details–I cant list them all. But, it is run like a government using the bible as its guide, and they are accountable to each other. No one person has final say-no ultimate power belongs to anyone in our church.

 

[Gabriel_of_12]

You missed my point entirely.
When Paul set up his various autonimous Churches in Corinth, Phillipi, Ephesia would these churches say Peter was their head-----Not for a minute.

I understood your statement, and Yes these communities would recognize Peter as their head as far as the teachings on faith and Morals. Peter and councils sent their letters to all the sorrounding areas of their decisions in council and these communities were given instruction to heed these revealed teachings. Some but not all of Peter’s, Paul’s and other apostles writings did not get cannonized by the Catholic church, because the Catholic council prevented them, because under the guidance of the holy spirit, they were told these books were not inspired of God.

Can you imagine that, A Pope and a council of Bishops determined under the Holy Spirit which books were inspired of God and which books were not. A repeat of the first councils recorded in sacred scripture.

 

[DJgang]

ALLFORHIM, does you church have a statement of Faith?

Opps, sorry, does God’s (Your) church have a statement of Faith?

What I ran into was Anti-Catholic statements of Faith while I was trying to homeschool my children. That really upset me. (Not saying your church is) In order for me to be a part of that homeschool group I had to sign, literally, their statement of Faith, thus in honesty, that lead me to educate myself more on the Catholic Church and what/why everyone was being so anti…and now, I’m coming into the Catholic Church at Easter.

God bless.

 

[ALLFORHIM]

ALLFORHIM, does you church have a statement of Faith?

Opps, sorry, does God’s (Your) church have a statement of Faith?

What I ran into was Anti-Catholic statements of Faith while I was trying to homeschool my children. That really upset me. (Not saying your church is) In order for me to be a part of that homeschool group I had to sign, literally, their statement of Faith, thus in honesty, that lead me to educate myself more on the Catholic Church and what/why everyone was being so anti…and now, I’m coming into the Catholic Church at Easter.

God bless.

Yes we do have a statement of faith. We do not run a school so we would not require that someone signs anything(as far as childre goes)

I do not know how our home school group runs. My kids go to public school.

To be a member of our church you simply have to give your testimony(salvation–when you became a believer)in writing.

When we have vacation bible school, I know they ask what church you belong to but that’s it.

 

[Publisher]

Each Monthy, Quarterly and Yearly Meeting is run by consensus as the Spirt leads. Friends do not vote on issues but go through a discernment process that can be daunting until a “sense of the Meeting” is discerned by the Presiding Clerk. He/she then states it back to the meeting asking if he/she understands the sense of the Meeting correctly. If there are no objections it is recorded in the minutes that the “Sense of the Meeting” on such and such topic is binding on Friends. If there is disagreement on an item of business a time of worship and prayer is entered into, then discussion begins again…some issues take years to come to agreement on as discernment isn’t an easy process.

Friends do not believe that the “majority” voice is necessarily “right”.

 

[DJgang]

Each Monthy, Quarterly and Yearly Meeting is run by consensus as the Spirt leads. Friends do not vote on issues but go through a discernment process that can be daunting until a “sense of the Meeting” is discerned by the Presiding Clerk. He/she then states it back to the meeting asking if he/she understands the sense of the Meeting correctly. If there are no objections it is recorded in the minutes that the “Sense of the Meeting” on such and such topic is binding on Friends. If there is disagreement on an item of business a time of worship and prayer is entered into, then discussion begins again…some issues take years to come to agreement on as discernment isn’t an easy process.

Friends do not believe that the “majority” voice is necessarily “right”.

Sorry for my ignorance, but is this just your local Friends meeting, or is it a regional type of thing.

 

[Publisher]

Sorry for my ignorance, but is this just your local Friends meeting, or is it a regional type of thing.

Each Monthly Meeting belongs to a Quarterly Meeting and each Quarterly Meeting belongs to a Yearly Meeting…so it’s not really “regional”.

Each Meeting is autonomous and governs itself by consensus…but the “form of government” is pretty consistent. There use to be a group called “Five Year Meeting” where all the Yearly Meetings would gather for worship and business. Now most Monthy Meetings belong to either Evangelical Friends International, Friends General Conference, Friends United Meeting or Friends Conservative Meetings. Some Monthy Meetings are independent but meet regionally. All American Friends work together through American Friends Service Committee, Friends Committee on National Legislation or one of the various peace groups.

Friends also work closely with Mennonites and Brethren.