Editing Episcopal polity (section)

== Other Protestant churches ==
The [[Reformed Church of Hungary]] and [[Lutheran church]]es in [[continental Europe]] may sometimes be called “episcopal”. In these latter cases, the form of government is not radically different from the [[Presbyterian polity|presbyterian]] form, except that their councils of bishops have hierarchical [[jurisdiction]] over the local ruling bodies to a greater extent than in most [[Presbyterian]] and other [[Reformed churches]]. As mentioned, the Lutheran Church in Sweden and Finland (along with Lutheran Churches established in various parts of the world by missionaries from these denominations) are exceptions, claiming apostolic succession in a pattern somewhat like the Anglican churches. Otherwise, forms of polity are not mandated in the Lutheran churches, as it is not regarded as having doctrinal significance.<ref>{{cite book |title=Book of Concord |pages=Article XIV. Of Ecclesiastical Order}}</ref> [[Old World]] Lutheranism, for historical reasons, has tended to adopt [[Erastian]] theories of episcopal authority (by which church authority is to a limited extent sanctioned by secular government). In the United States, Lutheran churches tend to adopt a form of government that grants congregations more independence, but ultimately has an episcopal structure.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023|reason=The citation to the Book of Concord that I moved to a previous sentence in the paragraph cannot be used to verify the polity of churches in the US because it predates them by hundreds of years}} A small minority of [[Episcopal Baptists]] exists.