D. Jacoby, Jan. 2002 Polity 1538. [–L. politia – Gr. politeia ] 1. Civil order. b. Administration of a state; civil government 1715. 2.a A particular form of political organization 1597. b. An organized society; a state 1650. Polity concerns organizational set-up, but is not limited to structural matters alone. It also concerns “political” relationships within the church—those relations where issues of authority, power, or control are involved. Together, structure and leadership dynamics constitute polity, as the term will be used in this short paper. Transition, sometimes slow and sometimes swift, characterizes the movement of the people of God from Genesis to Revelation. This is nowhere truer than in the area of their organization and governance, or polity , which in biblical times underwent numerous minor or even major modifications. To read the entire document download the pdf or word document below. Available Downloads: Article (.doc - 85k)
