ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

no single style of liturgy. The United Church of Christ recognizes sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, or Holy Communion. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE the As might be expected, the organizational structure of the numerous Christian groups or denominations varies widely. However, there are three basic organizational forms of church government: episcopal, presbyterian, and congregational. The Episcopal Ecclesiastical Government The episcopal form of church government is characterized by a govern- ment headed by bishops. The areas in which the churches are located are divided into dioceses which are presided over by a bishop. The individual churches are called parishes, and are presided over by the parish clergy. The Episcopal, the Roman Catholic, the United Methodist, and the Eastern Orthodox churches follow the episcopal form of ecclesiastical government. The Presbyterian Ecclesiastical Government The presbyterian ecclesiastical form of church government is a graded system of ecclesiastical government by presbyters or elders. The churches are closely organized with elected elders or presbyters. The presbytery consists of ministers and elders from a district, and the synod or assembly of ministers and elders represent a wider area, or the whole country. The congregation is responsible to the presbytery and the presbytery to the synod. The Presbyterian church follows the presbyterian ecclesiastical form of govern- ment. The Congregational Ecclesiastical Government The congregational ecclesiastical form of church government is charac- terized by churches which are self-governing. Each congregation has its own pastor and church officers. No church has authority over any other church—each church is theoretically a pure democracy. Congregationalists and Baptists follow the congregational form of ecclesiastical government. WORSHIP REQUIREMENTS FOR CHRISTIAN GROUPS Congregational worship is practiced in most Christian groups. The titles given to religious leaders vary from group to group as do the names given to the houses of worship. Forms of public worship also vary greatly. Liturgy is a rite or series of rites prescribed for public worship in a Christian church in accordance with an authorized or stated form. This section is meant to familiarize the RP with the most common forms of public worship, or liturgies, used by the various groups. The following forms of worship are cited solely as examples of the most commonly practiced liturgies or rites utilized by Christian groups or bodies. 2-23