This book provides an introduction to Congregationalism, a type of Protestant church polity that emphasizes local autonomy and democratic decision-making. The author, Henry M. Dexter, was a prominent Congregationalist minister and historian who sought to explain the distinctive features of his denomination. The book covers the history, theology, and practice of Congregationalism, and is aimed at a general audience. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.