The Being of Churches: Neo-Congregational Polity

What is a church? Are denominations churches? Who has the authority to ordain ministers of the Gospel? How do we determine what a church gathering should look like? These are the questions of "polity," or the principles and foundations for the organisation and conduct of a church. Nearly 400 years ago, Christians in New England produced a clear articulation of polity based on the Bible, called The Cambridge Platform of Discipline. This document offers much insight into the way God would have churches act. In this book, the author engages with the Bible in the tradition of the Cambridge Platform to offer a new congregational polity, an account of the being and conduct of churches that retrieves the best insights of the Cambridge Platform while attempting to improve upon it in light of the later failings of American congregationalism and the 400 years of Christian reflection on the church that has followed that document.

It is the author's prayer that this book would help churches engage with the Bible as they think about what it means to be a church and would give them the tools to do so with faithfulness and clarity.

James Rutherford holds a PhD in Theology from Moore Theological College (thesis: "Rightly Defining the Son of God: An Examination of the Definition of Chalcedon"). Prior to this, he graduated from Pacific Life Bible College with a Bachelor of Pastoral Leadership and from Regent College with a Master of Arts in Theological Studies, majoring in biblical languages (Hebrew focus), and a Master of Theology (thesis: "God's Kingdom through His Priest-King: An Analysis of the Book of Samuel in Light of the Davidic Covenant"). Currently, James is working on community outreach in Punchbowl and Greenacre NSW and manages Teleioteti.ca. He is happily married to Nicole and the father of Aliyah, Asher (who has gone to be with his Lord), and Adriel. When not writing, James serves at Riverwood-Punchbowl Anglican Church, enjoys cooking, and enjoys exploring the East Coast of Australia with his family.