The Who Runs the Church?: 4 Views on Church Government - Paperback

by Peter Toon (Author), Paul E. Engle (Editor), Steven B. Cowan (Editor)

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 Toon
• Presbyterianism - represented by L. Roy Taylor
• Single-Elder Congregationalism - represented by Paige Patterson
• Plural-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.

Back Jacket

Churches have split and denominations have formed over the issue of church government. Yet while many Christians can explain their particular church's form of rule and may staunchly uphold it, few have a truly biblical understanding of it. What model for governing the church does the Bible provide? Is there room for different methods? Or is just one way the right way? In Who Runs the Church? Four predominant approaches to church government are presented by respected proponents: * Episcopalianism (Peter Toon) * Presbyterianism (L. Roy Taylor) * Single-Elder Congregationalism (Paige Patterson) * Plural-Elder Congregationalism (Samuel E. Waldron). As in other Counterpoints books, each view is followed by critiques from the other contributors, and its advocate then responds. The interactive and fair-minded nature of the Counterpoints format allows the reader to consider the strengths and weaknesses of each view and draw informed, personal conclusions.