The Quest for Authority
An Ecclesiological Pursuit from a “United” and “Reformed” Perspective
Foreword by John P. Bradbury
Imprint: Pickwick Publications
Authority lies at the very center of what it means to be called together in an ecclesial community and shapes how the Church understands its purpose and orders its activity. It can manifest itself as something owned and used by those in power, yet it is something fundamental to the entirety of Church life. However, while some polities exude authority in every pronouncement and every action, other ecclesiologies find it more difficult to locate and express authority, often needing a quest to explore and discover the authority that shapes the Church's life.
Focusing on the United Reformed Church in the United Kingdom, this book explores the particular shaping and bringing together that is a characteristic of a United and Reformed ecclesiology and examines how this influences ecclesial polity and practice. Matthew Prevett argues that authority in ecclesial life can be understood historically and empirically, drawing deeply from the well of tradition and history yet inspired by the social, political, and technological challenges of the twenty-first century.
Matthew Prevett is the head of the Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care service, and a Visiting Fellow in the School of History, Classics, and Archeology at Newcastle University. He is also a minister of the United Reformed Church.
“If you enjoy looking squarely at the realities of church beneath the aspirations, you will relish every page. This book reveals moments when culture, compliance, and money hold power when the authorities we name (Scripture, tradition, councils of the church) become more muted. When all churches are both questioning and questing for authorities to depend on, here is a vivid story of how urgent, and challenging, the task has become.”
—Susan Durber, Moderator of the Faith and Order Commission, World Council of Churches
“The ecumenical theology lying behind united and uniting churches is well documented. Less attention has been paid to the theological issues emerging from such churches because of their union. Prevett gives exactly that attention to the United Reformed Church in its lived quest to understand, organize, and embody its inter-conciliar mediation of Christ’s authority. This fascinating and topical book takes the theology of authority into rich conversations about trust, technology, law, and even pandemic lockdowns. Immensely valuable to similar churches around the world.”
—Geoff Thompson, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, University of Divinity
“This book covers several disciplines—not least history, theology, and ecclesiology—and in it, Prevett sets out how these lead to a variety of tensions concerning authority. I commend it to everyone interested in exploring the journey toward possible answers.”
—Michael Hopkins, Clerk of the General Assembly, United Reformed Church
“As we live through a season in which many will interrogate current and past articulations of the church, Prevett takes on the enormous task of examining the role of authority. He thoroughly grasps what must change without discarding important aspects of what continues to serve the church well. This is an important work for anyone who cares about how the church establishes and uses its authority for the good of the whole.”
—John C. Dorhauer, General Minister and President, United Church of Christ, National ministries
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