Presbyterianism.
Presbyterianism is a form of ecclesiastical polity in which the Church is governed by presbyters (Gk. πρεσβύτερος, ‘elder’). Its proponents in the 16th and 17th cents. did not regard it as an innovation but as a rediscovery of the apostolic model found in the NT. Many of them held it to be the only permissible form of government and thus permanently binding upon the Church. However, the model has been adapted to suit a wide variety of regional variations. The pattern for the city-state of ... ...
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