,
, Most Churches were originally gathered without a minister; if necessary, they could function without one for weeks, months, or even years. This was indeed mentioned
, due to the Church's idiosyncratic use of its terms and their variation over time. Congregational polity distinguished between the offices of 'pastor,' 'teacher,' 'elders,' and 'deacons,' but without attributing pre-eminence to either pastor or teacher. 25 In Bedford, John Gifford had used 'overseer,' 'teacher,' and 'pastor' indiscrimately (CB, 18, 21), and John Burton was referred to as a 'teacher' (CB, 38), although he clearly fulfilled the functions of a 'pastor' as well, 1659.
CB, 32) and it was suggested that an 'assistant' should be found with the help of London ministers (CB, 34) ,
The Pilgrim's Progress and the Extremes of the Baptist Mind, pp.47-100, 2006. ,
, The Savoy Declaration, The Creeds and Platforms of Congregationalism
Nordbeck (1893; rpr, vol.404, pp.340-408, 1991. ,
Edification and Beauty: The Practical Ecclesiology of the English Particular Baptists, pp.88-117, 2008. ,
Social History, p.63 ,
, , pp.62-66
, , pp.279-90
Tenacious of their Liberties: The Congregationalists in Colonial Massachusetts, 1999. ,
When Was Bunyan Elected Pastor? Fixing a Date in the Bedford Church Book, BS, vol.18, pp.7-41, 2014. ,
, Dissenting Hands,' special number of BS, p.20, 2016.
The Organizational Response of Nonconformity to Repression and Indulgence: The Case of Bedfordshire, Church History, vol.44, pp.472-84, 1975. ,
A Social History of Congregational Religious Practice during the Puritan Revolution, 2010. ,
London Calvinistic Baptists 1689-1729: Tensions within a Community Under Toleration' (unpublished D, 1982. ,
Congregationalism and the Social Order: John Goodwin's Gathered Church, 1640-1660, Journal of Ecclesiastical History, vol.38, pp.210-245, 1987. ,
Visible Saints: The Congregational Way, 1975. ,