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What form of government do you have in your Church?

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What form of government do you have in your Church?

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First and foremost, Jesus Christ is the Head of God's Church (Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18). The United Church of God strives to yield to Him and the Father to guide the decision-making process.

On a human level, the Council of Elders (comprising 12 ordained ministers chosen by the Church's elders around the world) oversees the care of the Church in general, the preaching of the gospel and the administration of financial resources.

The ministerial services team and the home office staff in Cincinnati, Ohio, serve under the authority and guidance of a president chosen by the Council of Elders—functioning in cooperation with this body of ministers and its chairman.

Similar arrangements prevail in other countries. All make up the United Church of God, an International Association, working in cooperation with the home office in the United States. For a more detailed understanding, please request our free booklet Preaching the Gospel, Preparing a People: This Is the United Church of God.

United Church of God church governance Doctrinal Beliefs

Comments

  • Norbert Z
    Norbert
    When it comes from scriptural examples where a Church wide decision was made in unison, look at Acts 16:4. The authority is described as those "ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem". Scripture shows that Peter nor James did NOT speak in some preform of ex cathedra for that decision. Others highly imply that there was no primacy of Peter as the government structure during the time of the Apostles. From 1 Peter 5:1, he describes himself as a fellow elder, not as the leading apostle. In Gal 2:2 the apostle Paul states that the validity of his work, whether or not he has run in vain, is up to those in Jerusalem, not just Peter. More can be said, but that should be enough to start with. As Herbert Armstrong said, “Don't believe me – BELIEVE YOUR BIBLE – BELIEVE GOD!”
  • rwp_47
    rwp_47
    When you say - "On a human level, the Council of Elders (comprising 12 ordained ministers chosen by the Church's elders around the world) oversees the care of the Church in general, the preaching of the gospel and the administration of financial resources." - it sounds like you're saying the United Church of God utilizes the Presbyterian form of Church government ... which is government by representative assemblies of elders. From this perspective it wouldn't seem unreasonable to think of United as the "Presbyterian Church of God". What biblical example is used as the template for this form of church government? And is this a form of Church government that would have been indorsed by the late Herbert W. Armstrong?

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