Congregationalists and the Importance of the Local Church Meeting

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Congregationalists have no further authority than the local church meeting.  In essence the Church Meeting is both the local bishop and the diocese; the centre of authority in, for instance, appointing ministers and removing them.

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The gathered fellowship would recognise itself as a church by covenanting together, appointing a minister or pastor and electing officers - deacons etc to serve in the running of the church.   A covenant can be very simple,  “We, the fellowship at Victoria Road Congregational Church in this year gather together in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by joining hands solemnly covenant together to serve him and walk together in all God's ways and ordinances with one another in this place and in the world….”  

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Added to this or separate might be a constitution on how the church should be run. Further, if the fellowship goes on to buy a building for worship, they will want to set up a trust  whose managing trustees will be the church meeting.  The trust deed itself  will specify in the most general terms what sort of worship and worshippers would be deemed appropriate to carry on for perhaps the next hundred years or so. For instance it may require the church to remain independent or to practice infant baptism or not as the case might be.  It is to the custodial trustees to insure these requirements are carried out by church meeting.  All of this is in accordance with charity law, regulated by the Charity  Commission.