Religious leadership, organisational models and secularisation today

Overview

Episcopal model of church government, strengths and weaknesses of the congregational model and classic secularisation thesis.

What you need to know

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Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What is an episcopal model of church government, and what is claimed for it?

   Model answer

   An episcopal model vests authority in bishops understood to stand in succession from the apostles, as in the Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican churches. Supporters argue that it provides continuity with the early church, a focus of unity beyond the local congregation and a teaching authority that can settle disputes.

2. 2

   What criticisms are made of episcopal government?

   Model answer

   Critics argue that authority is exercised at a distance from ordinary members, that reform is slow and that the system depends heavily on the character of individual bishops. The handling of abuse cases in several churches has been widely cited as evidence that hierarchy can protect the institution rather than the vulnerable.

3. 3

   How does presbyterian government work?

   Model answer

   Authority is exercised by elders meeting in courts, from the local session through the presbytery to a general assembly, with ministers regarded as equal to one another. Decisions are taken by discussion and vote, and the Presbyterian Church in Ireland is governed in this way.

4. 4

   What are the strengths and weaknesses of the congregational model?

   Model answer

   Each local church governs itself under Christ, calls its own minister and owns its decisions, which gives strong local ownership and adaptability. Against this, a congregation has no higher court to appeal to, can become isolated from the wider church and may become dependent on the personality of one leader.

5. 5

   What forms of leadership are found in newer charismatic and network churches?

   Model answer

   Leadership is generally recognised by evident gifting and results rather than conferred by ordination in a historic order, and congregations are often linked in voluntary networks around a founding figure. Such churches are often flexible and fast-growing, though critics note that they can lack any external accountability for the leader.

6. 6

   How does Max Weber's account of authority illuminate church leadership?

   Model answer

   Max Weber distinguished charismatic authority resting on a leader's personal gift, traditional authority resting on inherited custom, and legal-rational authority resting on office and rule. Weber also described the routinisation of charisma, by which a movement founded on personal inspiration must convert it into institutions if it is to outlive its founder.

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