Congregational Polity

This excellent study of the history and development of congregation polity in both the Unitarian and Universalist traditions over four centuries is perfect for those entering the ministry or studying UU history.

Congregational reevaluation and right relation among communities are the goals of the UUA trustees' proposed four-year process called Fulfilling the Promise. Redeeming Time was put together as a tool for use by Unitarian Universalist congregations in their quest to reestablish a spiritually grounded, interdependent web of congregations. The central idea in this work is to reconnect with the concept ora covenant -- the promise of support and accountability which is foundational to a liberal religious community. Includes helpful sample covenants and discussion questions ideal for workshops and adult religious education classes.

Perspectives on Church Government presents in counterpoint form the basic models of church government which have developed over the course of church history with a view toward determining which is most faithful to Scripture. Each chapter will be written by a prominent person from within each tradition—with specific guidelines dealing with the biblical, historical, and theological issues within each governance tradition. In addition, each writer will have the opportunity to give a brief response to the other traditions.

The models of church government discussed are the Plural Elder-led Congregational model, the Single Elder-led Congregational model, the Democratic Congregational model, the Episcopal model, and the Presbyterian model.