What it Means to be Presbyterian
Who are We?
Spring Lake Presbyterian Church, is a member of the Central Florida Presbytery which is part of the South Atlantic Synod, which makes up a collection of congregations of the Presbyterian Church, USA. Being part of this larger body is a significant part of our identity. It forms and shapes how we work together in mission and ministry.
(Click here to read about the history of Spring Lake Presbyterian Church.)
As far back as 1837 the General Assembly which is our governing body declared that the church, by its very nature, is a missionary society whose purpose is to share the love of God in Jesus Christ in word and deed and with all the world. Witnessing to the good news of Jesus Christ throughout the world, Presbyterians engage in mission activities, seek to alleviate hunger, foster self-development, respond to disasters, support mission works, preach the gospel, heal the sick, and educate new generations for the future. In partnership with more than 150 churches and Christian organizations around the world, the missionary efforts of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) involve approximately 1,000 volunteers and compensated personnel. [More]
What is a Presbyterian? (The short version)
The word Presbyterian describes a particular type of church government, and not our theological beliefs which are reformed. The word Presbyterian derives from the Greek word presbuteros-which means elder. Presbyterians elect members of the church as officers who represent the congregation in church affairs, thus we have a representative form of government. In fact, America's representative democracy was based on this model. At least fourteen signers of the Declaration of Independence were Presbyterians and the only cleryman to sign was a Presbyterian minister.
We Are PRESBYTERIAN.
In the New Testament, "PRESBUTEROS" means "elder" and refers to the custom of choosing leaders and advisors from among the member of the church.
We Are the CHURCH of Jesus Christ.
Jesus called us His "ECCLESIA", His people who are called out of the world to both learn of God and serve God through His teachings. We are members of the Body of Christ throughout the world.
Presbyterian is a denomination of Christianity which is democratically organized to embrace the faith common of all Christians. The local church is governed by elders who are elected from and by the congregation. Active elders make up the decision-making body called the [Session] .
A general guide to facts about the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
The Presbyterian Church (USA) has approximately 3 million members, 11,200 congregations, and 21,000 ordained ministers. Presbyterians trace their history to the 16th
century and the Protestant Reformation. Our heritage, and much
of what we believe, began with the French lawyer John Calvin (1509-1564),
whose writings crystallized much of the Reformed thinking that
came before him.
Calvin did much of his writing from Geneva,
Switzerland. From there, the Reformed movement spread to other
part of Europe and the British Isles. Many of the early Presbyterians
in America came from England, Scotland and Ireland. The first
American Presbytery was organized at Philadelphia in 1706. The
first General Assembly was held in the same city in 1789. The
first Assembly was convened by the Rev. John Witherspoon, the
only minister to sign the Declaration of Independence. [More]
What is distinctive about Presbyterian Church?
Presbyterians are distinctive in two major ways:
- they adhere to a pattern of religious thought known as Reformed theology and
- a form of government that stresses the active, representational leadership of both ministers and church members. [More]
A little Presbyterian History
Portions of the Presbyterian church in the United States have separated from the main body, and some parts have reunited, several times. The greatest division occurred in 1861 during the American Civil War. The two branches created by that division were reunited in 1983 to form the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), currently the largest Presbyterian group in this country. [More]
The [Presbyterian Historical Society] has the greatest number of historical resources belonging to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) You can get online access to [CALVIN] , a records database of over 75,000 books, periodicals, and processed archival collections housed at the society's headquarters in Philadelphia, PA and regional office in Montreat, NC.
[A Brief History of the Presbyterian Church in this Country] . Presbyterians were among the earliest Reformed immigrants to America. They settled up and down the east coast, and began to push westward into the American wilderness, founding congregations as early as the 1630s.
Presbyterian Churches in North America
Presbyterian Theology
Reformed theology began during the Protestant Reformation. Men like Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Knox believed the church of their time had become corrupted and strayed from the truths of the Bible. These men and others led a movement to reform the church which ultimately led to a split from the Roman Catholic Church. The doctrines which came out of this reformation have become known as "reformed theology."
Some of the principles articulated by John Calvin remain at the core of Presbyterian beliefs. Among these are the sovereignty of God, the authority of the scripture, justification
by grace through faith and the priesthood of all believers. What they mean is that God is the supreme authority throughout the universe. Our knowledge of God and God's purpose for humanity
comes from the Bible, particularly what is revealed in the New Testament through the life of Jesus Christ. Our salvation (justification) through Jesus is God's generous gift to us and not the result of our own accomplishments. It is everyone's job - ministers and lay people alike - to share this Good News with the whole world. That is also why the Presbyterian church is governed at all levels by a combination of clergy and laity, men and women alike. [More]
Read [Common Faith] an early document by John Knox, a Scottish priest who became a Protestant reformer and founder of Scottish Presbyterianism.
The Presbyterian Constitutional Body
The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. is the constitutional body of the church. It consists of two parts.
Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to download these publications.
Our position on social issues:
In the 1958 Statement of the PCUA, p. 537:
The General Assembly:
- Affirms its conviction that neither the Church
as the body of Christ, nor Christians as individuals, can be
neutral or indifferent toward evil in the world;
- Affirms its responsibility to speak on social
and moral issues for the encouragement and instruction of the
Church and its members, seeking earnestly both to know the mind
of Christ and to speak always in humility and love;
- Reminds the churches that their duty is not
only to encourage and train their members in daily obedience
to God's will, but corporately to reveal God's grace in places
of suffering and need, to resist the forces that tyrannize,
and to support the forces that restore the dignity of all men
as the children of God, for only so is the gospel most fully
proclaimed.
[More]
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