In the framework of the international academic dialogue on Reformed church polity this study focuses on the way the notion of authority is articulated in the church orders of three Indonesian churches with different historical and missionary backgrounds. The analysis deals with the main aspects of church polity that would articulate power: identity, assembly, and ministry. It shows resonances between the characteristic features of Reformed polity and the cultural context of Indonesia. Authority can be characterized as context-relevant, relational, and accountable.

Roy Alexander Surjanegara (1979), serves an Indonesian congregation in Australia. He started his PhD research in church polity in Amsterdam in 2012.