Church Structure and Organization
The Church is essentially organized as an episcopal polity, a form of church governance which is hierarchical in structure, and in which the chief authority over a local Christian church rests with a bishop. The external governmental structure of the Church is based upon a portion of Swedenborg's writings that describes a 'circle of life' composed of a 'descending line' and an 'ascending line'; the priesthood corresponds to the former and the laity to the latter.
Headquartered in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, U.S., the Church has ministries or societies in Africa, Europe, and the United States. It has a worldwide membership of approximately 1000, with the majority of these residing in southern Africa.
The headquarters of the church, with its main church building, are located adjacent to the Pennypack preserve, west of the Pennypack creek and the creek road trail.
The Church is supported by a non-profit corporation of the same name.
Read more about this topic: Lord's New Church Which Is Nova Hierosolyma
Famous quotes containing the words church, structure and/or organization:
“Religion stands, the Church blocking the sun.”
—Stephen Spender (1909–1995)
“For the structure that we raise,
Time is with materials filled;
Our to-days and yesterdays
Are the blocks with which we build.”
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1809–1882)
“Prostitution is the most hideous of the afflictions produced by the unequal distribution of the world’s goods; this infamy stigmatizes the human species and bears witness against the social organization far more than does crime.”
—Flora Tristan (1803–1844)