which goes beyond and, in my judgment, against the pattern we see reflected in the New Testament. Second, Congregationalism honors best the doctrine of the priesthood of all the believers and the church as the body of Christ. It recognizes the fact that God calls each believer to doctrinal vigilance (Jude 3) and that God gifts each and every believer for service to the body. It recognizes that God has committed certain matters to the congregation as a whole (e.g., church discipline). In the third