A Day of Worship
Sunday
Sunday School
Morning Worship
Evening Worship
What is a Presbyterian?
Adapted from Atkins Flegley
Edited by Rev. Michael Cannon
Suppose four people came walking down the street, a Roman Catholic, a Methodist, a Presbyterian, and a Baptist.
Question: How could you tell which person was the Presbyterian? Answer: You couldn't.Presbyterians look pretty much like anyone else.We are a church of much diversity in background, race, age, and culture.Traditionally, however, Presbyterians have exhibited certain distinctives.
What Will I Notice in a Presbyterian Worship Service?
Most likely, a Presbyterian Worship service will be distinctly reverential. There have been a number of Presbyterian congregations that have left this practice in worship but the general rule is still reverential in worship and reformed in theology (see below).
What makes a service reverential is not so much the singing of traditional hymns as it is the disposition of the people before God. Much of what is communicated in a Presbyterian service is concerned with the holiness of God. He is our creator and there is hardly any way we can even begin to grasp just how holy and magnificent he is. On the other hand, we are rather small in comparison. Therefore, our service communicates this vital truth in our worshp experience. We exault God and confess our need of His mercy and grace.
You will also notice the use of creeds in worship. A creed is a brief statement of belief that reflects the teachings of scripture. They were written long ago by our church fathers to combat false teaching in a time when the church didn't have any written statement of beliefs. The use of a creed is much like a hymn except it is spoken instead of sung. The creed belongs to the whole church and as such we say it together sharing our common belief in the one true God.
Presbyterian Distinctives in Beliefs
Presbyterians are particularly distinctive in two noticeable ways: we 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.
Points of Interest: Presbyterians confess their beliefs through statements and creeds that have been written over the years of church history to clarify the teachings of scripture. Often these statements of our beliefs were written to combat false teaching and summarize the Christian faith in as concise a statement as possible. These confessions of faith (Apostles & Nicene Creed particularly), reflect our understanding of who God is, saving Faith, the person and work of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, The Bible, Sin, and Salvation and how God has spoken and worked through His Son and through the Holy Spirit.
Historical Background -- We look back on a long history
Presbyterians trace our roots to the Reformation in the fifteenth century, as well as to the very beginnings of the Christian Church, founded by Jesus Christ in the first century and built upon the witness of the first believers.
Presbyterians are first and foremost followers of Jesus Christ. We trace our roots back to the those who walked with Jesus, believed in Him, and received the eternal life He promised. Presbyterians consider the Bible to be the inspired Word of God, our rule of faith and life. The Apostle's Creed is one of the foundational expressions of the faith of Presbyterians.
Presbyterians trace their denominational history to the 16th century and the Protestant Reformation. John Calvin (1509-1564), a French/Swiss theologian, formulated the distinctive Biblical insights that came to be known as Reformed theology. Key points of Reformed theology include the sovereignty of God, the universal sinfulness of all human beings, salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone, and the call for individuals and the Church to grow in grace and to impact culture.
Presbyterians have a high regard for the Bible, acknowledge that it is "God's Word and God's Word to us."We embrace and affirm a number of the historic Creeds and Confessions of the Church as "reliable expositions of the Truth contained within the Bible."
Presbyterians are a group of Protestants whose church is founded on the concept of representative government under the authority of the Word of God.
The term "Presbyterian" comes from the Greek word meaning "elders", and refers to the fact that each congregation is governed by a group of elders elected from the membership.
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, convened by the Rev. John Witherspoon, the only minister to sign the Declaration of Independence.
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 alone 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.
Theologically, Presbyterians believe that Jesus Christ is:
- God's Son & our Savior, sinless and perfect
- Sovereign of the universe and Lord of our consciences
- Hope for the hopeless and Peace for the troubled
All that is required to be a Presbyterian is to:
- Confess your Faith in Jesus Christ
- Promise to follow Christ and Christ's example for living
- Commit one self to attend church and become involved in its work.
can be a Presbyterian.
