Congregationalism

Historical Context Essay

Alan Argent (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.04: English Writing and Culture of the Seventeenth Century, 1625-1688.
Vol. editors: Jennifer Brady (Rhodes College), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Neil Forsyth (Université de Lausanne), Claire Preston (Queen Mary, University of London), J A Roe (University of York), Virginia Mason Vaughan (Clark University)

Domains

Religious Persuasion

Dates

Date of occurrence 1658

Places

United Kingdom (Location)

Congregationalism is the term used for that form of church government which asserts the autonomy of each local church. Congregationalists assert that it is the Holy Spirit who gathers God's people together and who prompts them to enter a covenant relationship with each other and with God and, therefore, to walk together in church order. Historically it has been one of the three main types of ecclesiastical polity – alongside Episcopacy and Presbyterianism. In Congregationalism all members of the local church make decisions on its behalf together, without reference to outside bodies; consequently ultimate authority for the church's work and witness, including the issuing of a call to its ministry, resides in the church meeting when the …

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2030 words

Citation: Argent, Alan. "Congregationalism". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 11 March 2008 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1789, accessed 24 November 2024.]

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Congregationalism

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