Presbyterians what do they believe

The synod itself met in Philadelphia in to form the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America and it also adopted its own constitution for the church.

During the First Great Awakening, Presbyterians split over the issue of revivals. One side, called the revivalist New Side, believed in revivalism. The other, called the anti-revivalist Old Side, were considered anti-revivalist. Later, however, the two groups reunited to form a synod. Another split came in when the church required ordained ministers to be formally educated.

Over the years, various Presbyterian denominations have been formed or split from each other. In the U. The largest are the Presbyterian Church U. The church name comes from the system of government the religion uses. Representative assemblies of elders, which are called presbyteries , govern the church.

In comparison, bishops govern the Episcopal Church and congregational church is government by congregations. In the Presbyterian church, teaching elders and ruling elders, or ministers, are ordained and responsible for their local congregation. Other business duties of the church, such as finance and buildings, are responsibilities given to deacons.

In the Presbyterian Church USA , a Presbyterian polity is used, where the governing bodies are session, a group of elected pastors and elders; presbytery, which is all congregations in a geographic area; synods, which are presbyteries in a geographical area; and the general assembly, which is the highest governing body in the church. These confessions are found in the Book of Confessions , which contains several historical statements of what Presbyterians believe. Presbyterians believe in a sovereign God and in worshipping him.

In many Presbyterian churches, elders are chosen from among the congregation or elected. Among its own constitution and beliefs, many Presbyterian churches opt to vote for changes. Presbyterians argue that Christ is genuinely present in these elements, but it is a spiritual presence, rather than a physical presence. That is, it is not a question of molecules of bread becoming molecules of human flesh.

Instead, it is Christ coming to dwell within us, as he promised to do. An altar is a place where a sacrifice is offered and it is often viewed with special reverence. In the traditional Roman Catholic understanding the priest re-offers Christ on the altar as a sacrifice to God.

Presbyterians believe the sacrifice of Christ has already been offered once for all, it needs no repetition, and the action of a priest cannot make it occur again. Although many Communion tables are rather ornate, the table itself holds no particular significance or holiness; it is simply a supper table.

Where do people go when they die? Our lives are still impure when we die; how can we exist in heaven, alongside the holiness of God? This was a worthy speculation, but Presbyterians believe it is not necessary. God will indeed redeem us and cleanse us from all our sins and we will be readied for heaven without our needing to postulate a third possible place to go when we die. Ah, but what about unbaptized babies who die? The medieval argument ran this way: They never got a chance to grow up and become wicked, so it seems unjust to condemn them to hell.

There is no point in sending them to purgatory to purge away their sins, because they did not live long enough to commit any. On the other hand, they were not baptized, so they cannot go to heaven. They must end up in some fourth place, limbo, instead. Presbyterians give an answer parallel to the one regarding purgatory: God will take care of this, and we do not need to speculate on yet another place in the afterlife.

Where does the authority of the church reside? Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Orthodox, Methodist and Episcopal churches believe it is carried in the office of the bishop. Bishops receive their authority from previous bishops, all of whom received their authority from still earlier bishops. Catholics and some Anglicans trace this authority back to the apostles themselves. Presbyterians believe church authority is not carried in individuals this way; rather, church leaders can declare the will of God only on the authority of Scripture.

When you have problems, you may ask your friends to pray for you. But why restrict yourself to present-day friends? Why not also ask radiant Christians from previous centuries to offer up their intercessions on your behalf?

This is perhaps the most positive way to think of praying to the saints. Yet there is a problem here. God has given us the church for our mutual support, correction, and encouragement. We need a relationship with other Christians in order to be all that God intends us to be. This is one of the reasons the Presbyterian Church has a connectional form of church government.

Through the Presbyteries, Synods, and the General Assembly each local congregation stays connected to the larger church. It is also one of the reasons we work together in teams for ministry. We need to do the work of Christ with other people. We believe God calls people to be connected with a local congregation and church membership is the way we recognize and celebrate that calling. Presbyterians are a people of mission. Presbyterians believe that we cannot simply live in our own sheltered world.

God has called us to take the gospel to the entire world. God has called us to exhibit the kingdom of Christ to our community. The Presbyterian Church sends missionaries into all corners of the globe, through the regular offerings of local churches. Our denomination has been instrumental in taking the gospel to many other countries in this century. Each local congregation participates in mission activities in its specific community, on a national level, and on a global scale.

Presbyterians are a people of the mind. Presbyterians believe that the mind is a terrible thing to waste. God has given us our minds as gracious gifts. Our reasoning faculties ought to be trained for the service of God. This is why ministers in the Presbyterian Church are held to the highest academic standards. It is why the training of elders and Sunday School teachers is so very important in the Presbyterian church.

It is why we encourage everyone to grow in knowledge of the Bible, church history, theology, and an understanding of the spiritual disciplines of the Christian life. Presbyterians have two sacraments. The Presbyterian Church does not have many ceremonies and rituals.

We believe these are the only two ceremonies, which we call sacraments, which Christ instituted for the church throughout the ages. Baptism is administered only once as a sign of our forgiveness from sin and our entrance into the family of God. Our congregation celebrates it on the first Sunday of every month. This ceremony reminds us, over and over, that we need the spiritual nourishment Christ brings to us and that Christ, our living Savior, is present with us, now and in the future.