Nearly twenty years ago, several elders and deacons resigned from our Church. They had shifted from a Congregational to a more Presbyterian polity. Their resignations were detailed and thoughtful. This quote from a resignation seems to encapsulate it: "The principle of the Congregational Church Meeting being able to find the 'Mind of Christ' in decision-making may sound good, but we feel that in practice it does not work. In reality a church is often made up of some unsaved people." OBSERVATION: And immature people. This is not the ideal. Yet the hazards of Presbyterianism and Episcopalianism are said by Congregationalists to be greater. The "mixed bag" of the Congregational Church Meeting is seen as a motive to mature a congregation. Also, newer Christians bring a freshness to the Church that older Christians may not have. As for the unsaved or immature, they keep the Church on its toes.
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