We want our daily life together to be inspired and led by the Holy Spirit. Order and discipline are fruits of this, for “God is not a God of disorder but of peace.” Accordingly, a certain church order has been established in our communities based on Scripture and the example of the early church and shaped by the Anabaptist tradition and our own experience.
No system of church order or organization, however good in itself, should ever be allowed to hold back the leading of the spirit of Christ. We belong first and foremost to him. He is the head of the church, and he supersedes all human authorities and traditions. His body is no organization, but a living organism.
* This online version of Foundations is for reference only. For the authoritative version, see the print edition.
