John Ball
Tiverton, Devon
Ball’s position in the church at Tiverton is unsure, as no designation
such as “minister”, “elder” or “pastor” is mentioned after his name in the list
of those attending the 1689 General Assembly, though this list implies that he was
a “minister”. Tristram Truvin is listed as “minister” from this church in the
Narrative, and was clearly a pastor in the church. In 1690, Ball became a founding
member of Tiverton’s daughter church in Bampton, Devon, and was called “by unanimous
consent upon tryall, to the office of Ruling Elders, or helps in goverm’t for the
better management of the affairs of the church” [from the manuscript church book].
Such an action seems to have been rare among the Particular Baptist churches, as
most of them did not recognize a distinction between ruling and teaching elders.
This book has been accessed more than 12972 times since September 1, 2006.
