CHURCH OF BRETHREN

Manual of Organization and Polity 2010 (Church of the Brethren)

Manual of Organization and Polity 2010 (Church of the Brethren)

Introduction

The organization and polity refer to the understanding of the church's nature and its religious motives. It motivates a human and brings out the religious person inside him. Efforts have been made to make the governance system of the church in such a way that is comparable to other regional systems. This manual outlines the basic organization and polity of the church (Welch, 2011).

Chapter 1

The highest legislative authority of the Church of Brethren is the Annual Conference. It handles all matters related to procedures, polity, discipline and program. It serves as the final source of appeals in solving problems that come up in the church. The guidelines for the whole church life are set in this Conference, and it is assumed that these guidelines are implemented within a reasonable time period. Voting takes place in order to select the delegation body. This body is the final authority of the church in all matters (Manual of Organization and Polity, 2010).

There are different teams and committees within the church. The leadership team is responsible for acting as a middle man between the church and the annual conference. This team is also responsible for financing the Annual Conference. The program and arrangements committee is responsible for arranging the Annual Conference. It looks after each and every small detail needed to arrange the Conference.

Chapter 2

This chapter talks about the agencies of the annual conference. An agency of the Church of Brethren is one that has received the Annual Conference's approval on recommending Standing Committee (Manual of Organization and Polity, 2010). It is a separate entity and has a different legal status; its annual reports are of the Annual Conference which is supported by by-laws and organizational design.

The following are the agencies that are approved:

1.The Church of the Brethren itself.

2.Bethany Theological Seminary - a graduate school that educates people for Christian ministry and witnesses to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

3.The Church of Brethren Benefit Trust - its purpose is to support financial services' mutual ministry among the Church's employees, members and affiliated agencies.

4.On Earth Peace Assembly, Inc. - in a supportive spirit, On Earth Peace Assembly, Inc. will seek to establish cooperation to serve the larger good in the way of God.

Chapter 3

This chapter talks about the districts. A group of congregations that are in a geographic proximity to one another have a common purpose is known as a district. Its purpose is to look after and coordinate the religious activities carried within the district boundaries (Miller, 2009).

If a district wants to be a part of another denominational body or wants to share administration, it will have to follow certain procedures. With the increase in number of districts and their congregational relationships, there is an expectation that the number of disputes will also increase. It is the responsibility of the District leadership to anticipate such disputes and make arrangements resolve them before they receive an official ...