I’ve recently finished reading Jonathan Leeman’s defense of congregationalism. I believe it is the single best resource on the issue today. I highly recommend the work.

Jonathan Leeman, Don’t Fire Your Church Members: The Case for Congregationalism.   Nashville: B&H Academic, 2016. ISBN: 978-1433686238 $19.36 208 pages

Introduction

• Not Just Decision Making, But Work
• Who Really Promotes Individualism?
• Firing Church Members
• Elder Leadership
• Challenge 1: The Inevitability of Congregationalism and Blessed Inconsistencies
• Challenge 2: The Odd Case of Multi-Site Churches
• Challenge 3: Erroneous Views of Congregationalism
• Challenge 4: Lopsided Understandings of Government
• Challenge 5: Biblical Norms and Polity
• Church Order and the Gospel Faith
• The Plan

Chapter 1: Who’s in Charge of What Around Here?

• What is an Institution?
• Five Rules for an Institutional Hermeneutic:
• Conclusion

Chapter 2: A Covenantal Job Assignment

• Adam’s Office Assignment
• Abraham and a Reassignment of Adam’s Office
• Moses, David, and the Implementation of Adam’s Office
• The New Covenant and the Promise of Adam’s Office
• Jesus and the Fulfillment of Adam’s Office
• The Church and Re-commissioning of Adam’s Office
• Congregationalism by Covenantal Trajectory

Chapter 3: The Keys to Office

• The Keys to the Office
• Another Proposal for Combining Elder and Congregational Authority
• Something More than The New Covenant Promises?
• Who Represents Heaven on Earth?
• Declaring What and a Who
• Judicial Declarations as Jurisdictional, Legal, Epistemological, Interpretive Speech
• The Ordinances
• Conclusion

Chapter 4: How Jesus Gives a Job to the Whole Church

• How Jesus Gives a Job to the Whole Church
• A Glimpse of Church History
• A Glimpse of Historical Backgrounds
• To Whom Does Jesus Gives the Keys?
• Looking for Authorizations
• Matthew 18:18: Congregational Possession of the Keys
• Matthew 18:19–20: The Gathered Church as the Basic Unit of Kingdom Authority
• Matthew 18 and the Congregation’s Priestly Authority
• Matthew 28 and the Congregation’s Kingly Authority
• Looking for Examples and Precedents
• The Congregation’s Jurisdiction
• Keeping Authority Tied to the Gathering
• Conclusion

Chapter 5: How the Holy Spirit Establishes Overseers

• Jurisdiction
• Disposition
• Looking for Authorizations, Examples, and Precedents
• The Authority of an Office
• The Authority to Teach
• Complementarian Leadership
• The Abuse of Authority
• Leading the Church in Its Decision Making
• The Authority to Rule
• Elder Leadership + Congregational Rule = Discipleship
• The Exercise of Submission and Trusting Another’s Judgment
• Conclusion

Chapter 6: Working with Other Congregations

• Acts 15
• Building as Scripture or as an Act of the Keys
• Independence and Interdependence
• A Better Appreciation of Family Ties
• Separate Churches Share the Same Christ
• Separate Churches Share the Same Confession
• Separate Churches Share the Same Commission
• Conclusion

Chapter 7: Getting to Work

• What is a Gospel Culture?
• What Are the Necessary Kingdom Structures
• Right Preaching
• A Right Administration of the Ordinances
• The Kingdom Gain of Congregationalism

Appendix 1: Quick Answers to Critiques of Elder-Led Congregationalism

Appendix 2: Sample Members’ Meeting Agenda