長老制
Major forms of church government include [[Episcopal polity|episcopal]] governance (Anglican, [[Catholic]], Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy), [[Presbyterian polity|presbyterian]] governance, and [[Congregationalist polity|congregational]] governance ([[Baptist]], some Pentecostal, Congregationalist, [[Charismatic movement|charismatic]], and other Protestant denominations). Before the Protestant Reformation, church leaders (the bishops) were universally understood to gain their authority through [[apostolic succession]] via the [[Holy Orders|Sacrament of Ordination]].