A republic (Latin: res publica, meaning “public affair”) is a form of government in which the country is considered a “public matter”, not the private concern or property of the rulers.
In the context of American constitutional law, the definition of republic refers specifically to a form of government in which elected individuals represent the citizen body and exercise power according to the rule of law under a constitution,including separation of powers with an elected head of state, referred to as a constitutional republic or representative democracy.
Merriam Webster: Definition of Republic
1a(1): a government having a chief of state who is not a monarch and who in modern times is usually a president.
(2)b: a government in which supreme power resides in a body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officers and representatives responsible to them and governing according to law.
Diffen: Democracy vs. Republic
The key difference between a democracy and a republic lies in the limits placed on government by the law, which has implications for minority rights. Both forms of government tend to use a representational system — i.e., citizens vote to elect politicians to represent their interests and form the government. In a republic, a constitution or charter of rights protects certaininalienable rights that cannot be taken away by the government, even if it has been elected by a majority of voters.In a “pure democracy,” the majority is not restrained in this way and can impose its will on the minority.
Most modern nations—including the United States—are democratic republics with a constitution, which can be amended by a popularly elected government.
At Standing Stone Bible Church (SSB), we are a group of citizens (heavenly citizens and official members) who are under the rule of law (the Bible and the summary of its truths found in a Statement of Faith) and select men to lead and guide the church within the limits of the law. If the law is to be altered or tweaked, it is by consent of the “citizens.” Such a government protects the few and the minority from hostilities of the majority and thus restrains the majority from mob mania or irrationality. Furthermore, the citizens are protected from abuses by leaders and the government by the laws agreed upon by the citizens.
SSB is a republic in that it is under the rule of law, the Bible, and a team of officers (elders) selected by the membership who are then responsible to carry out the law regardless of the whims of a few or even the majority. Thus, SSB’s government is not a democracy (all things put to vote), semi-democracy (many things put to vote), monarchy (a ruling head with “yes” men), or dictatorship (a ruling head) as are practiced in many other churches.
The SSB elders are elected based on their desiring to serve, agreeing to up-hold the Bible and church Constitution and laws, and being found to line up with the Bible’s standards and church expectations. Elders are thus empowered to guide the church within her laws in all matters both spiritual and physical for God’s glory and the good of the members. The elders are also charged to guard the church from falsehoods and false teachers. The membership votes on Constitution, by-law, and money changes and who serve as elders, but otherwise, the elders rule as in a republic.
a PK Musing 
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