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Why does the Church have a "president" as head of the Synod rather than some sort of Bishop? it just sounds so...business like, as if its some kind of corporation 
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LCMS hierarchy
- Thread starter Searching_for_Christ
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Why does the Church have a "president" as head of the Synod rather than some sort of Bishop? it just sounds so...business like, as if its some kind of corporation
The LCMS is "congregational" in polity, meaning it is governed from the bottom up, originating at the congregational level. Biblically, the Church exists at the congregational level, with the gathering of believers (ecclesia, koinonia). The word "bishop" is used to translate the Greek word "episkope" which, in the New Testament, refers to the spiritual overseer. In the congregation, that's the pastor. While the word "bishop" can be used to describe the synod president or district presidents in regards to part of their responsibilities, overall they are "presiders" over the congregations in an organizational level, and don't necessarily serve as spiritual overseers at the congregational level, which is where the Church exists. This is why the word "bishop" is not used as a title to those man-made offices (synodical leader, district leader).
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