Course
Church Polity: Primacy, Authority and Decision Making
In the Acts of the Apostles the early forms of church government were documented. Since then church polity has been a decisive part of the development of Christianity. Church polity is the operational structure for governance of the Church. It involves the ministerial structure of the Church, as well as the impact and influence of the laity, and how authority and human resources are used within the community, with particular regard to how decisions are reached in the church. In this course, students will identify various forms of church governance, and how the concepts of democracy, sustainability and gender can be applied to structures of authority and governance in the church, particularly in regard to the laity. An important aspect of the course is the role of the bishop in the Church, and the impact church polity exerts on international relations.
By the end of the course the student is expected to be able to:
- demonstrate an in-depth understanding of various expressions and theories of church polity
- display advanced insight into how various theological thinkers have perceived the exercise of power within operational structures of governance
- demonstrate the ability to connect theological theories to polity
- critically reflect on church polity from the perspective of democracy, sustainability and gender.
The course literature may be subject to revision.
Avis, Paul (2008). Beyond the Reformation? Authority, Primacy and Unity in the Conciliar Tradition. New York, NY: T&T Clark International (206 pp.).
Chryssavgis, John, editor (2016). Primacy in the Church. The Office of the Primate and the Authority of Councils. Volume 1. Historical and Theological Perspectives. Yonkers, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press (430 pp.).
Chryssavgis, John, editor (2016). Primacy in the Church. The Office of the Primate and the Authority of Councils. Volume 2. Contemporary and Contextual Perspectives. Yonkers, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press (485 pp.).
Frank, Thomas Edward (2006). Polity, Practice, and the Mission of the United Methodist Church. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press (328 pp.). or Hovorun, Cyril (2017). Scaffolds of the Church. Towards Poststructural Ecclesiology. Eugene, Oregon: Cascade Books (234 pp.).
Group of Farfa Sabina (2014). Communion of Churches and Petrine Ministry. Lutheran-Catholic Convergences. Translated by Paul Misner. Grand Rapids, Michigan/Cambridge, UK: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (125 pp.).
Koffeman, Leo J. (2014). In Order to Serve. An Ecumenical Introduction to Church Polity. Zürich: Lit Verlag (264 pp.).
Valliere, Paul (2012). Conciliarism. A History of Decision–Making in the Church. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press (251 pp.).
The schedule is available at the latest one month before the course starts. We do not recommend that you print the schedule as some changes may happen.
Michael Hjälm
Head of Department of Eastern Christian Studies, Doctor of Theology, Senior Lecturer
Grades
A = Excellent, B = Very good, C = Good, D = Satisfactory, E = Sufficient, Fx = Insufficient, F = InsufficientExamination Format
- Papers
- Seminars
- Take-home examination
- Written examination
A Bachelor’s degree in Theology (equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen) from an internationally recognized university, or equivalent competence. Proficiency in English by means of an internationally recognized test, e. g. TOEFL, IELTS or equivalent.
Established by Subject Representative College at Enskilda Högskolan Stockholm on December 15, 2020.