Presbyterians derive their name from the Greek word presbuteros, which means “elder.” Presbyterian churches are so named because they are governed by elders or presbyters.
Presbyterian churches are ultimately rooted in the work of two men—John Calvin and John Knox. In the next chapter, which deals with Reformed churches, I will focus attention on John Calvin (1509–1564), who was truly the driving force behind the emergence of Reformed churches. In the present chapter, it is enough to acknowledge that Calvin was also instrumental in the rise of Presbyterian churches. Calvin did not found the Presbyterian Church, but he certainly laid the foundation on which Presbyterianism emerged in Switzerland, Holland, France, England, Scotland, and Ireland. He sought to establish a church government based on the New Testament concept of the office of elder.*
Though Calvin laid the groundwork, the real founder of Presbyterianism is John Knox (1513–1572). Knox was born in Scotland, educated at the University of Glasgow, and ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood in 1530. He became a convert to Protestantism around 1545 as a result of studying the Bible and the works of Augustine and Jerome. This was a huge turning point in his life.
Knox became a thunderous preacher, willing to confront anyone—whether religious leaders or political leaders. He was a strong and vitriolic opponent of Roman Catholicism and often used scathing language to describe this church. He earned the reputation of being the “ruffian of the Reformation.” He even carried a sword with him wherever he went.
Knox exerted an extraordinary influence on the religious landscape of his day. He preached in England for a number of years and even participated in the formation of the 39 Articles of the Church of England. He exited England, however, when Mary Tudor rose to power. Tudor, a staunch Catholic, stood against the emerging Protestantism with everything that was in her, burning some 300 people at the stake. No wonder she became known as Bloody Mary. Understandably, Tudor’s ascension to the throne motivated Knox to leave, and at that time he decided to study under his friend John Calvin in Geneva.
Knox also preached a great deal in Scotland, and in 1560 he helped write the Scottish Confession of Faith adopted by the Parliament. History shows that Knox was the prime driving force behind the Scottish Reformation. By 1567, the Reformed Church of Scotland—with a presbyterial style of church government—was legally recognized by the Parliament. It was only a matter of time before churches with presbyterial governments started cropping up all over Ireland, Holland, Switzerland, and other countries.
Sometime later, an important creed was written that would become the primary confession of faith for Presbyterian churches—the Westminster Confession of Faith. This confession arose out of the stormy political scene in England during the reign of Charles I. In 1643, the English parliament commissioned the Westminster Assembly to develop the creed of the Church of England. The confession was written by 121 English Puritan ministers and was completed in 1646 after more than 1000 sessions. It strongly stresses the sovereignty of God as well as the five points of Calvinism, often represented by the acronym TULIP: total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints. The influence of this creed has been immeasurable.
It was inevitable that Presbyterian churches would eventually find their way to America. Indeed, the steady stream of immigrants into colonial America from countries like Scotland, Ireland, and England included many Presbyterians.
The first American presbytery or association of local Presbyterian churches was founded in Philadelphia in 1706. The First General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church was held in the same city in 1789. It was convened by the Reverend John Witherspoon, the only minister to sign the Declaration of Independence.
During the interim, in the 1720s, William Tennent Sr. (1673–1746) founded a small “Log College” in Neshaminy, Pennsylvania. It was a Presbyterian institution of higher learning that later became the College of New Jersey and then became Princeton University. This school produced many powerful Presbyterian preachers who played a major role in the Great Awakening in the early eighteenth century. They also played a role in the expansion of Presbyterianism in the United States. In what follows, I will summarize some of the more important denominations in the Presbyterian camp.
Distinctive Ideas in Presbyterian Churches
• Local churches are (obviously) ruled by presbyters (elders).
• Conservative Presbyterians hold to the five points of Calvinism. There is typically a strong emphasis on the sovereignty of God.
• The Westminster Confession of Faith is the primary summary of Presbyterian orthodoxy.
• Conservative Presbyterians hold to the inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture, though liberal Presbyterians believe it is merely a “witness” to Christ couched in human (fallible) words.
ASSOCIATE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Founded: 1782
Members: 35,200
Congregations: 275
Beginnings
As noted above, by 1567, the Reformed Church of Scotland, with a presbyterial style of church government, was legally recognized by the Scottish Parliament. Under the leadership of King William II, the Reformed Church of Scotland was reorganized in 1688 into the Established Presbyterian Church of Scotland.
Unfortunately, divisions in the church emerged in the early eighteenth century. Some believers saw the close alliance between the church and state as problematic and formed a separate Associate Presbytery. A decade later, other believers had a conflict with the national church over polity and worship and organized themselves into the Reformed Presbytery. Eventually, both of these bodies immigrated to Pennsylvania. Soon enough, the Associate and Reformed groups merged in 1782 to become the Associate Reformed Synod in Philadelphia. It embraced churches in Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, North and South Carolina, and Georgia.
A complicated set of splits and mergers followed. By 1803, the church grew to establish four synods (overseeing the Carolinas, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio regions), and in 1804 the first General Synod was established. However, controversy soon swelled in the ranks of some of these synods over the issues of church government, closed communion (communion only for members of the church), and whether only psalms should be sung in church services. The controversy became heated and led to defections by some synods. The defecting synods eventually merged to become the United Presbyterian Church in 1858. The one synod that remained outside of that union—the Synod of the Carolinas—continued on as the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church.
Beliefs
The Bible. The entire Bible is inspired by God. By God’s care and providence, the biblical manuscripts were kept pure in all ages. The Bible is without error in all it teaches and has full authority as the rule of faith and life. It provides the whole counsel of God.
God. The only one true God is infinite in being and perfection. He is invisible, immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, Almighty, most wise, most free, most absolute, all-sufficient, abundant in goodness and truth, working all things according to the counsel of His own immutable will, and doing all for His own glory. In the unity of the one God are three persons equal in substance, power, and eternity—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son.
Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Son of God. He is eternal God and is of the same divine substance as the Father. In the fullness of time, He took upon Himself a human nature, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin. He was very God and very man in one person. He was crucified for the sins of the elect, died, was buried, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven to the right hand of the Father, and now lives to make intercession for us. By His perfect obedience in life and His perfect sacrifice ending in death, He fully satisfied the justice of the Father and purchased our reconciliation.
The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. He is of the same divine substance as the Father and the Son. He is present everywhere and is the Lord and Giver of life. He is the only efficient agent in the application of redemption: He convicts humans of their sin, moves them to repentance, persuades and enables them to place faith in Jesus, and regenerates them by His grace. He indwells believers as their Comforter and Sanctifier, and He seals them to the day of redemption.
Sin and salvation. Adam and Eve fell from their original righteousness and lost communion with God. They became dead in sin, and every aspect of their being became defiled. All humans since that time have been born with a corrupted nature.
Humanity’s fall was so devastating that humans became unable to convert themselves by their own strength. They lost all ability of will to do spiritual good. For this reason, God Himself enables those who are elected to salvation to believe to the saving of their souls. The Holy Spirit convicts the elect of their sin, moves them to repentance, persuades and enables them to place faith in Jesus, and regenerates them by His grace.
Elect believers cannot totally or finally fall away from a state of grace but will persevere to the end and be eternally saved. The security of salvation among the elect is rooted in the immutability of God’s decree of election, the abiding ministry of the Holy Spirit, and the continued intercessory ministry of Jesus Christ.
Elect infants who die are regenerated by Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.
The church. The universal church, which is invisible, is made up of all the elect who have been, presently are, or will be gathered into one body, with Christ as the head. The visible church consists of those throughout the world who profess faith in Jesus Christ. God’s goal for the church is that it engage in ministry, faithfully administer the sacraments, and facilitate the gathering and perfection of the saints.
The church is governed by synods and councils. These institutions determine the order of public worship, settle controversies over doctrine, and deal with any complaints that may emerge. Women are permitted to be deacons but not elders.
The sacraments. Baptism is a sign and a seal of believers’ engrafting into Christ, their regeneration, their remission of sins, and their walking in newness of life. It is to be performed in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, utilizing the modes of sprinkling or pouring. Infants, as members of the covenant community, are baptized too.
The Lord’s Supper is a sign and seal of believers’ communion with Christ and with each other as members of His body. It seals the benefits of Christ’s death to the believer. It is also a perpetual remembrance of the sacrifice of Jesus in His death. Christ is spiritually present in the elements. Members of all evangelical denominations are welcome to partake.
The end times. At death, the souls of believers go to heaven and await the resurrection of the body. The souls of the wicked are cast into hell and are preserved for a future day of judgment. On the last day, all will be raised. Believers will be raised to honor and will be made conformable to Christ’s glorious resurrection body. Unbelievers will be raised to dishonor.
All humans will be judged and give an account for their thoughts, words, and deeds committed during mortal life. The righteous will go into everlasting life and receive the fullness of joy and the refreshing that comes from being in the presence of the Lord. The wicked will be cast into everlasting punishment, forever quarantined away from the presence of the Lord. The denomination takes no stance on millennial views.
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• Jesus loves the little children (Matthew 18:1-6).
• David knew he would see his dead infant again in heaven (2 Samuel 12:22-23).
• No infant is ever mentioned at the final judgment of the wicked (Revelation 20:11-13).
• Infants are not old enough to understand moral “oughts” and “shoulds” (James 4:17).
• God, in His justice, would not demand of an infant something he could not do (like exercise saving faith) (Zephaniah 3:5).
• Conclusion—God applies the benefits of Christ’s death to infants who die, and He brings them straight to heaven.
CUMBERLAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Founded: 1810
Members: 78,500
Congregations: 730
Beginnings
Two primary issues led to the founding of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church—a controversy over the ordination of ministers, and a disagreement regarding the Westminster Confession of Faith. More specifically, the Kentucky Synod stood against some of the ordinations in connection with the Cumberland Presbytery because the ministers were uneducated. Further, those affiliated with the Cumberland Presbytery (including the newly ordained ministers) did not believe in the doctrine of election and reprobation as taught in the Westminster Confession of Faith. The Kentucky Synod ruled that these ordinations were invalid. The Cumberland Presbytery refused to submit to the ruling of the Kentucky Synod.
Meanwhile, three Presbyterian ministers in Dickson County, Tennessee—Finis Ewing (1773–1841), Samuel King (1775–1842), and Samuel McAdow (1760–1844), each of whom rejected the doctrines of election and reprobation—constituted a new presbytery in 1810, again calling themselves the Cumberland Presbytery. The new presbytery wanted more flexibility in ordaining ministers in the midst of unique circumstances intrinsic to the American frontier. However, the Kentucky Synod still would not budge. In response, the Cumberland crowd decided to create several more presbyteries, after which they formed the Cumberland Synod in 1813 (three presbyteries are required to make a synod).
The new synod met in 1814 at the Beech Church in Sumner County, Tennessee. Attenders formulated a brief doctrinal statement that clearly distinguished their beliefs from those espoused in the Westminster Confession. They stipulated that (1) there are no eternal reprobates, (2) Christ died for all people, not just the elect (unlimited atonement), and (3) the Holy Spirit operates on the whole world (not just the elect), just as Christ died for the sins of the whole world (universal grace).
Beliefs
The Bible. The Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired by the Holy Spirit. It is the infallible rule of faith and practice and is an authoritative guide for Christian living.
God. The one true God is eternal, immutable, wise, all-powerful, holy, just, good, and full of truth. He is the Creator of the universe and exercises providential control over all things. Within the unity of the one God are three eternal persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ. Jesus is God’s Son and is the supreme revelation of God. When Jesus took on human flesh, He was truly divine and truly human but was without sin. He willingly suffered on the cross for sin, was buried, rose from the dead, appeared to the disciples, ascended into heaven, and now makes intercession for us at the right hand of the Father.
The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit works in many ways, including through the Scriptures, the sacraments, the corporate worship of the church, the witness of believers in word and deed, and in many ways finite humans cannot understand. He convinces sinners of their sins and their need for salvation and seeks to incline them to repentance and faith toward God.
Sin and salvation. Adam and Eve fell into sin and became inclined toward sin in all aspects of their being. Now all human beings are enslaved to sin and death. All people are guilty and are under divine wrath and judgment unless they respond to God’s grace through Jesus Christ.
God has given all human beings the capacity and freedom to respond to divine grace or not to respond. They are thus responsible for their choices and actions before God. Those who, in dependence on the Spirit, respond to God’s grace in repentance and faith receive salvation (justification and regeneration). This call, however, can be resisted, and those who resist go into eternity lost. Those who do believe to salvation are preserved in their salvation such that they will never fall away from it. God will bring believers into eternal life.
The church. The one, holy, universal, apostolic church is the body of Christ, Christ Himself being the head. The church is called universal because God’s act of salvation in Jesus Christ cannot be limited to any place or time. It is called apostolic because it was proclaimed by the apostles.
The church includes all people of all ages—past, present, and future—who respond in faith to God’s invitation to join His covenant community. It consists of all who respond in faith to God’s saving grace and who enter into formal covenant with God and with each other. The church is called by God to engage in worship, to witness to all persons, and to reach out to all who have not experienced God’s grace in Christ.
The church is governed by officers who make decisions that guide the life and ministry of the covenant community. This government involves sessions, presbyteries, synods, and the General Assembly, with progressively increasing levels of authority. These bodies determine matters of faith and practice, consider different forms of worship and witness, exercise discipline when needed, and resolve disputes.
The sacraments. All believers should seek baptism for themselves and their children, for it is an external sign of the covenant that marks membership in the community of faith. Pouring or sprinkling is believed to best represent baptism in the Holy Spirit, and the ceremony is performed in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is administered to infants, with one or both parents present who affirm faith in Christ and who accept the responsibilities of the covenant.
The Lord’s Supper is a means by which Christians remember Christ’s passion and death on the cross. It is a means of celebrating the perpetual presence of the risen Lord until He returns again. The celebration should be preceded by solemn self-examination, reverence, humility, and a grateful awareness of Christ’s spiritual presence.
The end times. When Jesus returns, the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of the Lord, and He shall reign forever. The redemption of the saved will be complete in the resurrection of the body. The unsaved will forever remain alienated from God.
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EVANGELICAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Founded: 1981
Members: More than 89,000
Congregations: 205
Beginnings
The Evangelical Presbyterian Church began in late 1980 and early 1981 when a group of conservative pastors and elders held a series of meetings in Saint Louis, Missouri, for the purpose of planning and prayer. These conservative pastors and elders were from mainline Presbyterian denominations like the United Presbyterian Church (Northern churches) and the Presbyterian Church in the United States (Southern churches). Their concern was the theological liberalism growing in their denominations. They sought to establish a new church and denomination free of theological liberalism, completely committed to the Word of God, and faithful to the theology of the historic confessions of faith.
The meetings culminated in a General Assembly that was convened in 1981 in Detroit, Michigan, at which time the Evangelical Presbyterian Church formally began.
Beliefs
This denomination takes a unified stand on the essential doctrines of Christianity but allows liberty of conscience on peripheral issues over which Christians are free to hold their own opinions.
The Bible. The Bible is fully inspired by the Holy Spirit. It alone is our infallible authority for faith and practice. It is the supreme and final authority in all matters on which it speaks.
God. The one true God is the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of the universe. He is infinitely perfect and eternally exists in three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Living Word and is one in substance with the Father and equal in Deity. He became flesh by His miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit and His virgin birth. In the Incarnation, He was true God and true man in one person. He died as a sacrifice for sins on the cross, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven to the right hand of Majesty, where He now intercedes for us as our High Priest.
The Holy Spirit. A primary ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify Christ. He convicts humans of sin, draws them to the Savior, and applies the saving work of Christ to their hearts. He indwells believers, gives them new life, empowers them for ministry, and gives them spiritual gifts for service. He instructs and guides believers into all truth. He also seals believers for the day of redemption.
The denomination allows flexibility on the issue of charismatic gifts. Some churches in the denomination believe tongues and other such gifts are still for today; others do not. This illustrates the policy of the denomination: In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity.
Sin and salvation. Sin is a harsh reality. However, people can be freed from guilt and the power of sin through repentance and personal faith in Christ. Christ alone is the ground of God’s saving grace. God’s grace alone is the only way to be reconciled to God. Faith alone is the only means of receiving God’s grace. Those who put faith in Jesus are justified—declared righteous—and become heirs of eternal life. Such believers cannot completely or finally fall from a state of grace and lose their salvation.
The church. The church is composed of all who have placed faith in Jesus Christ and, through the work of the Holy Spirit, are united together in the body of Christ. Local churches are a visible though imperfect expression of this body of believers. These local churches preach the Word of God, properly administer the sacraments, maintain loving fellowship, and provide scriptural discipline when necessary.
Local churches control their own property, elect their own officers, and make decisions regarding worship style. Governance is according to the scriptural pattern of elders. Each congregation is also represented at presbytery and General Assembly meetings.
Individual congregations have the freedom to decide their own policies regarding women officers. Local churches can elect to have a woman pastor, though the decision is subject to presbytery approval.
The sacraments. Baptism is a sign and seal of membership in the covenant community of God. It points to the believer’s union with Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection. It is administered to believers and their children. The Lord’s Supper constitutes a perpetual remembrance of Christ’s sacrificial death on our behalf and provides spiritual nourishment for believers.
The end times. Jesus will one day come again personally, visibly, and bodily. He will then judge the living and the dead and consummate the eternal plan of God. Heaven is the destiny of believers. There they will live in God’s presence and experience the full redemption of their bodies. Hell is the destiny of the wicked, where they remain in torment and complete darkness.
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Founded: 1936
Members: 28,750
Congregations: 325
Beginnings
The Orthodox Presbyterian Church is not affiliated with Eastern Orthodoxy but is orthodox in the sense of subscribing to historic, biblical Christianity. It embraces the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed. It began in reaction to the rise of theological liberalism that swept across the United States in the early twentieth century.
More specifically, in 1924 a significant minority of Presbyterian ministers—1300 out of 10,000—signed the liberal Auburn Affirmation. This document denied the inerrancy of the Bible and declared that pivotal beliefs such as the substitutionary atonement of Christ and His bodily resurrection from the dead should not be made tests for ordination or for good standing in the church.
In 1929, Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey, hired some liberal professors for the faculty. In protest, four conservative professors at Princeton resigned and founded Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia to continue teaching biblical Christianity. They were not about to remain at a seminary where some of its professors denied the full authority of the Bible and rejected the virgin birth of Jesus Christ.
Following this, Presbyterian missionaries began teaching liberal theology, and J. Gresham Machen (1881–1937), one of Christian history’s greatest opponents of liberalism, campaigned against the liberal camp. Machen—a Presbyterian minister and professor at Princeton, and later Westminster—challenged the liberal tendencies in the foreign missions of the Presbyterian Church in the USA, but the General Assembly in 1933 decided not to take action.
Machen and his followers left and founded a new independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions. The following year, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the USA condemned their action and deposed them from office. Machen, along with 34 ministers, 17 ruling elders, and 79 laymen met in Philadelphia in 1936 to found the Presbyterian Church of America. However, the Presbyterian Church in the USA filed suit over the name, so in 1939 Machen and his associates changed the name of their church and denomination to the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. The denomination has continued to oppose theological liberalism and emphasize the authority of Scripture.
Beliefs
The Bible. The Bible is the inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God. It is entirely trustworthy and without error. It is the only rule of faith and life and is the only source of special revelation for the church today.
God. The one true God is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. He is an invisible Spirit, is completely self-sufficient, and is unbounded by space or time. He is personal, holy, just, loving, merciful, and in complete sovereign control of all things. Within the unity of the Godhead are three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Son of God and is eternal Deity. At the appointed time, He took upon Himself a human nature, being born of the Virgin Mary. In the Incarnation, He was fully God and yet fully man in one person. He lived a perfect sinless life and rendered a perfect sacrifice on the cross for sins, thereby securing salvation for His chosen ones. He rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and now sits as Lord and rules over His kingdom.
The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit convicts the elect of sin, draws them to Christ, and enables them to believe. He indwells them, sanctifies them, and enables them to increasingly stop sinning and to live in righteousness. Charismatic phenomena such as speaking in tongues, prophesying, and miraculous healings are explicitly rejected.
Sin and salvation. Because of Adam’s sin, all humans are now corrupt by nature, dead in sin, and subject to the wrath of God. However, God determined, by a covenant of grace, that sinners may receive forgiveness and eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. Those whom God has predestined to salvation are effectually drawn to Christ by the inner working of the Holy Spirit as they hear the gospel. They are enabled by the Holy Spirit to repent and believe. Once they believe in Jesus, God justifies them, pardons their sins, accepts them as righteous, and imputes Christ’s merits to them. They are adopted as children of God and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit continues His work in their lives, enabling them to increasingly cease sinning and act righteously. Such believers persevere to the end and thus have an assurance of salvation.
The church. The church is the body of Christ, of which He is the head. Christ established the church for the purpose of gathering and perfecting His people through the ministry of the Word of God, the sacraments, and discipline when necessary. Local churches are called to engage in worship, education, evangelism, ministries of mercy, and godly discipline.
Believers who have professed faith in Jesus Christ and have been baptized are called “communicant members.” They are permitted to partake of the Lord’s Supper and have voting rights. Baptized children are viewed as noncommunicant members and do not partake of the Lord’s Supper or have voting rights.
Church government involves sessions, presbyteries, and a General Assembly. Sessions govern individual congregations. Presbyteries meet twice per year, oversee the well-being of congregations, and supervise ministers in their geographical area. The General Assembly meets once a year and oversees the entire denomination.
The sacraments. Baptism is administered to believers and their children. In the Lord’s Supper, the body and blood of Jesus are spiritually present to the faith of believers.
The end times. Jesus will one day come again to judge the living and the dead. The saved will enter into eternal life. The unsaved will be consigned to everlasting punishment. Many in the denomination are amillennialists, but some are postmillennialists, and a few are historic premillennialists. There is liberty in eschatology, except concerning dispensationalism, which is firmly rejected.
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PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN AMERICA
Founded: 1973
Members: 340,750
Congregations: 1650
Beginnings
The National Presbyterian Church was founded in December of 1973 but was rechristened in 1974 as the Presbyterian Church in America. This is another denomination that emerged in reaction to the theological liberalism of American churches in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
To review, theological liberalism says that the Bible is a fallible human document, that miracles are not possible, that human beings do not have a sin nature and are fundamentally good, that there was no virgin birth, that Jesus is not eternal God but is rather a good moral teacher, that Jesus did not resurrect from the dead, and that there is no such thing as eternal suffering in hell. In view of such ideas, it is understandable that a group of conservative believers split off from the Presbyterian Church in the United States (the Southern churches) because of its escalating liberalism (which the conservatives saw as a gospel that tended toward humanism), an unbiblical view of marriage and divorce, the financing of abortion, a diluted theology, and an affiliation with the (liberal) National Council of Churches and World Council of Churches.
In view of such liberalism, conservatives in the denomination met at Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama, in December of 1973. They represented some 260 congregations with a total communicant membership of more than 41,000 people. The denomination that emerged from this meeting was firmly committed to the Westminster Confession of Faith.
The Bible. The entire Bible is inspired in the original manuscripts and is therefore free from error of fact, doctrine, and judgment. It is our only infallible rule of faith and life.
God. The one true God eternally self-exists in three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding, the Son is eternally begotten of the Father, and the Holy Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son.
Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Son of God. He is eternal God, of one substance with the Father. In the fullness of time, He became a human being, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. In the Incarnation, He joined full Godhood and full manhood in one person. He died for the sins of the elect on the cross, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and makes intercession at the right hand of the Father.
The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit guided the writers of Scripture so that they were kept free of error of fact, doctrine, and judgment. He quickens sinners (among the elect) so that they are enabled to believe in Christ as Savior and become born again.
Sin and salvation. All humanity participated in Adam’s fall from his original sinless state to a state of sin. Human beings are unable in themselves to reach out toward God.
In His grace, God has unconditionally elected some human beings to salvation. Nothing in any of these humans rendered them personally worthy of saving, but God sovereignly predestined some to everlasting life for no other reason than His own unfathomable love and mercy. Jesus died on the cross only for the sins of the elect, accomplishing a “particular atonement.” The Holy Spirit effectually moves on the hearts of the elect to apply the work of redemption. Through His irresistible grace, the Holy Spirit quickens the hearts of the elect, enabling them to believe in Jesus as Savior by the Word of God so that they become born again and justified (being clothed with the very righteousness of Christ). The elect are secure in their salvation. They will all persevere to the end.
The church. The church is God’s covenant community on earth. One becomes a member of this elect community through personal faith in Jesus Christ through the enabling ministry of the Holy Spirit. Sessions govern the local church, regional presbyteries govern the sessions, and the General Assembly governs the presbyteries and all churches at the national level.
The offices of teaching and ruling elders can be held only by men. Sessions determine how women may exercise their gifts in other functions.
The sacraments. Baptism is a sign and seal of God’s covenant and of the believer’s engrafting into Christ, his regeneration, his remission of sins, and his walking in newness of life. It is properly administered to believers and their children in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The proper mode is pouring or sprinkling.
The Lord’s Supper is a perpetual remembrance of Jesus’s sacrifice and serves to seal all the benefits of His death to true believers. It is a bond and a pledge of believers’ communion with Jesus and with other believers as members of the body of Christ. It provides spiritual nourishment to the believer.
The end times. At death, the bodies of all people return to dust. The soul of the Christian passes directly into the presence of God in heaven. The soul of the unbeliever is eternally separated from God and remains condemned until the future judgment day. Jesus will one day come again visibly and bodily. He will then consummate history and the eternal plan of God.
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Founded: 1983
Members: 2,940,000
Congregations: 10,800
Beginnings
Presbyterianism suffered a major division in 1861 during the Civil War years. The two Presbyterian branches created by that division—the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (national) and the Presbyterian Church in the United States (Southern)—were finally reunited in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1983 to form the Presbyterian Church (USA), now the largest Presbyterian group in the country. The reunion took place at a historic communion service celebrated by 15,000 persons in the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. The event was televised.
Beliefs
The Bible. The Bible is sacred Scripture and is inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Bible contains all we need to understand regarding how God has been present with humanity since the beginning of time and continues to be present today.
God. The one true God is the Creator of the world. In the unity of the one God are three persons who are equal in substance—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ. Jesus, the Son of God, is the Lord of the universe and full Deity. In the Incarnation, He was fully God and fully man in one person, having been born of a virgin. He was crucified for human sin, was raised from the dead, and ascended into heaven.
The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is everywhere the Giver and Renewer of life. He binds believers together in the one body of Christ, the church. The Holy Spirit convinces people of their sin, effectually moves them to repentance, and persuades and enables them to embrace Jesus by faith. Believers are accordingly justified—declared righteous before God.
Ministries of the Holy Spirit among believers include empowerment for service, enablement to live holy lives, and the production of spiritual fruit. God sent the Holy Spirit to be a companion, counselor, and guide for the believer.
Sin and salvation. Because of Adam’s sin, all human beings have violated the image of God in themselves and others, falling short of God’s glory. They are now estranged from God and deserve God’s condemnation.
Through the death of Jesus at the cross, God triumphed over sin and death. Those who repent and believe in Jesus Christ are saved and are made heirs with Christ. This salvation is based entirely on the grace of God. Believers become sealed by the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption and are thus secure in their salvation.
The church. The church is God’s covenant community on earth. Congregations are ruled by sessions, presbyteries, synods, and a General Assembly, with escalating levels of authority. Women can be ordained as elders and ministers.
The sacraments. Baptism is a one-time sacrament for believers and their children. The proper mode is sprinkling. The Lord’s Supper is only for believers. Each believer should examine his or her life before partaking.
The end times. Jesus will one day return in great glory and will judge the earth in righteousness. The righteous will go into eternal life and receive the fullness of joy and refreshing in God’s presence. The wicked will be cast into eternal torment and everlasting punishment.
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* Calvin noted, though, that elder rule is not the only legitimate form of church government.