trusteeism

1 9.9

A practice where local members who are not church leaders manage church property and affairs, causing conflict

noun
/trʌˈstiːɪɪzəm/

Archaic

: fideicomisariado

Historians study trusteeism to understand conflicts between church leadership and local congregations.

Examples

Many parishes were divided by trusteeism, as lay members demanded a greater say in church affairs.
The concept of trusteeism has created tension within many congregations.
The rise of trusteeism in the 1800s challenged the authority of Catholic bishops in the United States.
Many churches struggle with trusteeism and its implications.
The practice of trusteeism allowed lay members to play a significant role in managing church finances.
During the meeting, they discussed how trusteeism sometimes caused tensions between the church leaders and lay members.
Laypeople often felt empowered by trusteeism as it gave them a voice in church governance.

Synonyms

trusteeship

vstrusteeism

1 7.4

The job of managing money or property for other people

is a collective practice where lay members manage church property and clash with authorities

How Lay-Controlled

trusteeism

Archaic

1 9.9

clericalism

1 9.9

Surface Forms

trusteeism singular

trusteeisms plural

Morphology

trusteeism = trustee (transparent) = trustee + ism

The formation 'trustee' + '-ism' straightforwardly denotes the practice or system involving trustees and is readily inferable from the base word.

Etymology

Trusteeism comes from trustee, which comes from trust meaning 'to hold something for someone', and the part -ism, meaning 'a system' or 'a practice'. So trusteeism is the system where ordinary church members, not the priests, manage church property or affairs, which is why it often caused disagreements with church leaders.