The Presbyterian Church in the United States of America grows out of the Protestant Reformed movement initiated by John Calvin at Geneva, Switzerland in the 16th century. The root of the word Presbyterian is a Greek word meaning: "elder" and refers to the fact that our churches are led by elders elected from the congregation. The elders together with the pastors of an individual church form the Session which is the ruling body of the church. At all levels of the church beyond the local church decisions are made by an equal number of elders and pastors. We consider our church to be a representative democracy and are proud of the fact that our federal government was modeled to some extent upon the Presbyterian example.
Along with other Christians we uphold the Trinitarian formula for the ways that we encounter God in the scriptures and in our human experience. We come to know God as our Creator (Father), our Redeemer (Son), and as an ever-present Spirit (Holy Spirit). We believe in the Word made flesh in Jesus Christ, in the authority of the Bible, and in salvation by God's grace through Jesus Christ, Our Savior. We believe that the Bible and nothing else is the source of spiritual authority and affirm that God alone is the Lord of the conscience. We firmly believe that no single statement of faith will ever take in the whole of Christian experience, and so we seek to be guided by a Book of Confessions which is opened-ended and which may be added to from time to time as we find new ways to formulate what we believe in our own time and in our own words.
We believe in a church of shared responsibility and authority. That sharing takes place between lay people and clergy and between the various levels of our church organization. We are organized into a series of interconnected governing bodies which are responsible for the orderly life and mission of the whole church. Our entire denomination operates under a constitution which is amended from time to time to help deal with new situations and new times.
Our church teaches that our belief must be put into daily action and so the Presbyterian Church has traditionally been active in areas of social justice, peacemaking, and promoting racial harmony. We also believe Christians are called upon to work together in fulfilling the commands of Jesus Christ and so we have been at the forefront of the ecumenical movement. Furthermore, we believe that God has called us to respond to God's will with both our feelings and our rational faculties, therefore our church has been vitally concerned with both Christian and public education.
Because we uphold the right of personal Christian conscience, our members hold a broad perspective of beliefs centered on the one essential affirmation of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. In addition to confessing that basic belief, those who unite with our church are asked to affirm their trust in Jesus, to put His practices into their daily living, and to be a faithful member of the worshipping, learning, and serving community of an individual Presbyterian Church.
Members of our staff will be happy to respond to your questions. You are welcome to post them via E-mail to 1stpres@ameritech.net.