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Thesis (Th. M.)--Westminster Theological Seminary, 2006. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 160-167).

Thesis (S.T.B.)--Biblical Seminary in New York, 1950. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 116-119).

Thesis (Th. M.)--Westminster Theological Seminary, 2006. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 160-167).

Thesis (B. Div.)--Northwestern Theological Seminary, 1954. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 67-70).

From Preface: In this Ecumenical Age it is necessary that each Christian Communion consider again its particular doctrine of the Church, and restate it for the benefit of the whole Body of Christ. This Thesis is an attempt to show some historical and theological facets of the traditional Congregational doctrine of the Church. However, it must be stated that a full exposition of Congregational ecclesiology is an impossible task for any thesis. Firstly, inherent within Congregationalism is the fear of dogmatizing about matters of faith and practice. It has expressed itself in Statements and Declarations but always with the qualification that these things are 'commonly believed amongst us' Therefore, Congregationalism, while it has a characteristic ecclesiology, has never formulated a rigid pattern of Churchmanship which has to be adhered to by all the Churches. Secondly, a full study of Congregational ecclesiology would entail the study of the practices of every Congregational Church through the ages. That is an impossible task. Therefore, we have been confined to available material; but material which nevertheless expresses what we would regard as traditional congregationalism. Thirdly, a study of this nature must be content merely to state, however critically, what Congregationalists have believed about the Church at various times in the history of Congregationalism. It is impossible to convey the pulse and feeling of the life of a Congregational Church, for it is very important in seeking to understand any Churchmanship, not only to understand its theological form and structure, but also to experience its ' koinonia ' in its common life and worship.

The Rev. John Howard Shakespeare was General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland from 1898 until his resignation on the grounds of ill health in 1924. This thesis describes and evaluates changes in the Baptist denomination in England during that period, and assesses the significance of Shakespeare’s contribution. Following summaries of the history of Baptist ecclesiology and Shakespeare’s personal background, the main areas of denominational reform are described. The first of these is the strengthening of the Baptist Union and the expansion of its influence, which was the major feature of the period up to about 1908. This presented a challenge to the Baptists' traditional congregational church polity. The second is the changing approach to the recognition and support of Baptist ministers within the denomination, culminating in the 1916 Baptist Union Ministerial Settlement and Sustentation Scheme. The third is Shakespeare's search for church unity, both within Nonconformity and between Nonconformists and the Church of England, which dominated the post-war period. The formation of the Federal Council of the Evangelical Free Churches, of which Shakespeare was the first Moderator, in 1919, and conversations following the 1920 Lambeth Appeal, were central elements of this search. It had significant implications for Baptist church polity. Shakespeare's approach to the question of women in the ministry, and the circumstances surrounding his resignation, are also described. A final chapter discusses Shakespeare's legacy for Baptists. The institutions he created have played an important part in the subsequent history of Baptists and Nonconformity in general. However, they failed to achieve his objective of stemming numerical decline. They also exacerbated tensions in Baptist church polity between the centralisation of denominational life and Congregationalism. These tensions have been a major factor in Baptist church life throughout the present century.

Thesis (Th. D.)--Rijksuniversiteit, Utrecht, 1951. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [299]-303) and index.

Thesis (Th. D.)--Rijksuniversiteit, Utrecht, 1951. / Includes index. Includes bibliographical references (p. [299]-303).

This dissertation examines how changes in the understanding of Christian time developed in the Congregational Church in the United States, and in particular considers the processes and influences that led to the adoption and wide sharing of the broadly ecumenical Christian liturgical calendar in local Congregational churches. Internal and external factors from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century that may have inspired these shifts are investigated, including: the emerging ecumenical movement, and in the United States the work of the Federal and National Council of Churches; the international and ecumenical liturgical movement; the writings of influential Congregationalists such as Von Ogden Vogt and Willard Sperry; and new approaches regarding church architecture and other ecclesiastical arts, including hymnody. While developments from the seventeenth century to the middle of the nineteenth century are not neglected in this study, focus is given primarily to the period from 1886, when the National Council of the Congregational Church issued its first survey of local congregations concerning worship practices, to 1957, when the Congregational Church, having already merged with the Christian Church, joined the Evangelical and Reformed Church to form the United Church of Christ. Church-related periodicals, denominational hymnals, annual reports, writings of various Congregational clergy, and minutes of national Congregational meetings serve as primary texts in this investigation. A vital component of the study is the examination and interpretation of a variety of worship resources produced by the Commission on Worship and Evangelism of the Congregational Church and the National Council of Congregational Churches, as well as worship-related letters, editorials, and services found within various Congregational publications. While external factors were important in the reception of the ecumenical liturgical year into the annual calendars of Congregational churches, this research shows that it is the writings of various Congregational clergy, published as pamphlets, articles, and books, that have had the greatest influence. The results of this work fill a lacuna in scholarship related to the worship of the Congregational churches from the late nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries, and contribute more generally to studies of the transitions in mainline American Protestant theology and practice in the late modern period.