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the affairs of the churches. It was their duty to carry the gospel to unevangelized districts, to
found churches, and then to appoint others from among the people for the task of ruling these
churches. Before the end of the first century the Apostolate had disappeared entirely.
4. THE ROMAN CATHOLIC SYSTEM.
This is the Episcopal system carried to its logical conclusion.
The Roman Catholic system pretends to comprise, not only successors of the apostles, but also
a successor to Peter, who is said to have had the primacy among the apostles, and whose
successor is now recognized as the special representative of Christ. The Church of Rome is of
the nature of an absolute monarchy, under the control of an infallible Pope, who has the right
to determine and regulate the doctrine, worship, and government, of the Church. Under him
there are inferior classes and orders, to whom special grace is given, and whose duty it is to
govern the Church in strict accountability to their superiors and to the supreme Pontiff. The
people have absolutely no voice in the government of the Church. This system also conflicts
with Scripture, which recognizes no such primacy of Peter as that on which the system is built,
and distinctly recognizes the voice of the people in ecclesiastical affairs. Moreover, the claim of
the Roman Catholic Church, that there has been an unbroken line of succession from the time
of Peter down to the present day, is contradicted by history. The papal system is, both
exegetically and historically, untenable.
5. THE CONGREGATIONAL SYSTEM.
This is also called the system of independency. According
to it each church or congregation is a complete church, independent of every other. In such a
church the governing power rests exclusively with the members of the church, who are entitled
to regulate their own affairs. Officers are simply functionaries of the local church, appointed to
teach and to administer the affairs of the church, and have no governing power beyond that
which they possess as members of the church. If it is considered expedient that the various
churches should exercise communion with one another, as is sometimes the case, this
fellowship finds expression in ecclesiastical councils and in local or provincial conferences, for
the consideration of their common interests. But the actions of such associated bodies are held
to be strictly advisory or declarative, and are not binding on any particular church. This theory
of popular government, making the office of the ministry altogether dependent on the action of
the people, is certainly not in harmony with what we learn from the Word of God. Moreover,
the theory that each church is independent of every other church, fails to express the unity of
the Church of Christ, has a disintegrating effect, and opens the door for all kinds of arbitrariness
in church government. There is no appeal from any of the decisions of the local church.
6. THE NATIONAL-CHURCH SYSTEM.
This system, also called the Collegial system (which
supplanted the Territorial system) was developed in Germany especially by C. M. Pfaff (1686-
1780), and was later on introduced into the Netherlands. It proceeds on the assumption that