Who Runs the Church?: 4 Views on Church Government (Counterpoints: Church Life)

This book is good for pastors to read. It's also good for those who are considering a denominational change. If you are a young pastor, this book will help you understand church government and the model that best fits your leadership style. Each scholar articulates his position well, and all four views are supported by Scripture. No one view appears to be against Scripture. Churches in the First and Second Century may have varied in their approaches, according to the authors. And it's obvious that God uses all four models today. The four are described here but may be summarized in three.Episcopalian is "hierarchical" with the bishop ordaining each priest or rector in the local church. This model includes churches such as the Catholic Church, Anglican Church, Episcopalian Church, the United Methodist Church, and some Lutheran groups.Presbyterian is "representative" with presbyters or elders providing the oversight of local churches and pastors. This model includes the Presbyterian Church (USA), Christian Reformed Church, the Assemblies of God, and others.Congregational is "independent" with the pastor providing the oversight of the local church without any external ecclesiastical authority (or regional district) as found in the other two models. This model includes churches such as the Southern Baptists, General Baptists, Churches of Christ, and other independent churches. (The fourth view is an offshoot of this model but with a plurality of pastors as the authority instead of a single pastor).If you are considering a denominational change, particularly for leadership reasons, then this book is a must read. It gives insight into how denominations function and why. It will confirm which model best fits your style and goals. Some pastors enjoy climbing ecclesiastical ladders within a denomination, while others enjoy their exclusive focus on the local church. It may save some pastors years of frustration fighting red tape, while birthing vision in others who desire to oversee a region of churches. It is well written and researched.

This is a solid introduction to the topic of church governance or polity. It gives a bit of a skewed perspective, and unfortunately doesn't represent global Christianity but rather it's conservative, Western variety (two writers are Southern Baptists). Nevertheless, if you're just getting into the discussion this is a good place to start.

The author could have been a bit more forthcoming had he identified by title and introduction the fact that he was NOT really interested in answering the question, "Who Runs the Church?", but instead is compiling four accounts, only one of which he concedes is correct. He should have just stuck to and explanation of his own beliefs, and just titled the book, "The Way the Church Should Be Run, According to Me."

I found this book surprisingly hard to put down. It's a great introduction to church government and gives you a real sense of the strengths and weaknesses of the various positions.

If you only wanted to read one of the two possible "4 or 5 Views" on church government, this one or the "Perspectives on Church Government", get this one (the Zondervan) for sure. The other one is kind sloppy and just not nearly as complete as this one edited by Cowan.

Excellent defenses of the various church governances. Having spent my life in one structure, and recently investigating another, this presentation and format was extremely helpful. The four authors were respectful of each other even as they were critical of each other's position. Each presented their respective position as well as I have seen them presented, knowing that they would immediately thereafter be scrutinized and critiqued. Highly recommend for anyone interested in the topic.

this is a very good overview of the four views presented. the format is helpful, but a bit redundant. If you are just starting to study the subject, consider beginning here and then looking for more in-depth resources.

Great

This is a great book on Church Government. The authors do an amazing job at presenting their preferred style of church polity. They also do a great job at criticising each other's viewpoints, a feature that makes the book well worth reading.After reading this book, anyone should have a working knowledge as to what Church Goverment is; what it has looked like in the past; and how to evaluate their own beliefs about it.Good read.

Need to get back to basics. This tells you how.