Quote:
Originally Posted by pelathais
In the New Testament we find that the churches have "elders" (you could call them "pastors" as well). But the pattern appears to be that a group of leaders were at the helm of the local churches.
The "bishops" were literally "overseers." Their function would eventually morph into what we saw in the early Catholic Church with bishops and bishoprics. This of course led to secular authority being wielded by churchmen and the abuses that were so prominent later in medieval times. A case where one man simply had too much power.
Some would argue that similar abuses can be observed on the more local scale with the "one pastor" model of church government.
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I've heard of this teaching. There is a pastor in Pennsylvania (I believe) who wants to go to this system. At the risk of being wrong, I believe it was Rev David Huston.