About Presbyterians:

The Uniqueness of Presbyterians

Infant Baptism

 A Brief Statement of Faith

The Uniqueness of Presbyterians

What is unique about the 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.

Reformed Theology. Theology is a way of thinking about God and God's relation to the world. Reformed theology evolved during the 16th century religious movement known as the Protestant Reformation. It emphasizes God's supremacy over everything and humanity's chief purpose as being to glorify and enjoy God forever.

In its confessions, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) expresses the faith of the Reformed tradition. Central to this tradition is the affirmation of the majesty, holiness, and providence of God who creates, sustains, rules, and redeems the world in the freedom of sovereign righteousness and love. Related to this central affirmation of God's sovereignty are other great themes of the Reformed tradition:
     * The election of the people of God for service as well as for salvation;
     * Covenant life marked by a disciplined concern for order in the church according to the Word of God;
     * A faithful stewardship that shuns ostentation and seeks proper use of the gifts of God's creation;
     * Recognition of the human tendency to idolatry and tyranny, which calls the people of God to work for the transformation of society by seeking justice and living in obedience to the Word of God. (Book of Order G-2.0500)

Church Government. A major contributor to Reformed theology was John Calvin, who converted from Roman Catholicism after training for the priesthood and in the law. In exile in Geneva, Switzerland, Calvin developed the presbyterian pattern of church government, which vests governing authority primarily in elected laypersons known as elders. The word presbyterian comes from the Greek word for elder.
 
Elders are chosen by the people. Together with ministers of the Word and Sacrament, they exercise leadership, government, and discipline and have responsibilities for the life of a particular church as well as the church at large, including ecumenical relationships. They shall serve faithfully as members of the session. (G-10.0102) When elected commissioners to higher governing bodies, elders participate and vote with the same authority as ministers of the Word and Sacrament, and they are eligible for any office. (Book of Order G-6.0302)

The body of elders elected to govern a particular congregation is called a session. They are elected by the congregation and in one sense are representatives of the other members of the congregation. On the other hand, their primary charge is to seek to discover and represent the will of Christ as they govern. Presbyterian elders are both elected and ordained. Through ordination they are officially set apart for service. They retain their ordination beyond their term in office. Ministers who serve the congregation are also part of the session. The session is the smallest, most local governing body. The other governing bodies are presbyteries, which are composed of several churches; synods, which are composed of several presbyteries; and the General Assembly, which represents the entire denomination. Elders and ministers who serve on these governing bodies are also called presbyters.

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For more information, contact:
Office of Theology and Worship in the Congregational Ministries Division
100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, KY 40202-1396.

This is document number 311 from the PresbyFax service.  Call 502-569-8850 from the phone on your fax machine to receive this and other documents of interest regarding the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)  If you have questions, call PresbyTel at 1-800-872-3283.

USED BY PERMISSION.  Copyright © 1997, PresbyFax, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Louisville, KY.
Right is hereby granted to copy and use this material only as long as proper credit is given as to its source.

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Infant Baptism

The Bible declares that God claimed humanity as God's own "before the foundation of the world." (Ephesians 1:4)

Both believers and their children are included in God's covenant love. Children of believers are to be baptized without undue delay, but without undue haste. Baptism, whether administered to those who profess their faith or to those presented for Baptism as children, is one and the same Sacrament. The Baptism of children witnesses to the truth that God's love claims people before they are able to respond in faith. (Book of Order W-2.3008)

Baptism, therefore, usually occurs during infancy, though a person may be baptized at any age. Parents bring their baby to church, where they publicly declare their desire that he or she be baptized. When an infant or child is baptized the church commits itself to nurture the child in faith. When adults are baptized they make a public profession of faith.

Baptism distinguishes children of those who believe in God's redemptive power from children of nonbelievers. The water that is used symbolizes three accounts from the Bible's Old Testament: the waters of creation, the flood described in the story of Noah, and the Hebrews' escape from slavery in Egypt by crossing the Red Sea. All three stories link humanity to God's goodness through water.

Baptism signifies:

* the faithfulness of God,
* the washing away of sin,
* rebirth,
* putting on the fresh garment of Christ,
* being sealed by God's Spirit,
* adoption into the covenant family of the Church,
* resurrection and illumination in Christ.
(Book of Order W-2.3004)

Unlike some denominations, Presbyterians do not require a person to be entirely immersed in water during baptism. Baptism is received only once. Its effect is not tied to the moment when it is administered, for it signifies the beginning of life in Christ, not its completion. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) believes that persons of other denominations are part of one body of Christian believers; therefore, it recognizes and accepts baptisms by other Christian churches.

Baptism is almost always administered as part of a worship service. In the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), baptism must be authorized by the session of a particular congregation and performed by a minister.

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For more information, contact:
Office of Theology and Worship in the Congregational Ministries Division
100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, KY 40202-1396.

This is document number 314 from the PresbyFax service. Call 502-569-8850 from the phone on your fax machine to receive this and other documents of interest regarding the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). If you have questions, call PresbyTel at 1-800-872-3283.

USED BY PERMISSION. Copyright © 1997, PresbyFax, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Louisville, KY.
Right is hereby granted to copy and use this material only as long as proper credit is given as to its source.

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A Brief Statement of Faith
of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

In 1983 the two largest Presbyterian churches in the United States reunited. The Plan for Reunion called for the preparation of a brief statement of the Reformed faith for possible inclusion in the Book of Confessions. This statement is therefore not intended to stand alone, apart from the other confessions of our church. It does not pretend to be a complete list of all our beliefs, nor does it explain any of them in detail. It is designed to be confessed by the whole congregation in the setting of public worship, and it may also serve pastors and teachers as an aid to Christian instruction. It celebrates our rediscovery that for all our undoubted diversity, we are bound together by a common faith and a common task.

The faith we confess unites us with the one, universal church. The most important beliefs of Presbyterians are those we share  with other Christians, and especially with other evangelical Christians who look to the Protestant Reformation as a renewal of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Diversity remains. But we are thankful that in our time the many churches are learning to accept, and even to affirm, diversity without divisiveness, since the whole counsel of God is more than the wisdom of any individual or any one tradition. The Spirit of Truth gives new light to the churches when they are willing to become pupils together of the Word of God. This statement therefore intends to confess the catholic faith.

We are convinced that to the Reformed churches a distinctive vision of the catholic faith has been entrusted for the good of the whole church. Accordingly, "A Brief Statement of Faith" includes the major themes of the Reformed tradition (such as those mentioned in the Book of Order, Form of Government, Chapter 2),2 without claiming them as our private possession, just as we ourselves hope to learn and to share the wisdom and insight given to traditions other than our own. And as a confession that seeks to be both catholic and Reformed, the statement (following the apostle's blessing in 2 Cor. 13:14) is a trinitarian confession in which the grace of Jesus Christ has first place as the foundation of our knowledge of God's sovereign love and our life together in the Holy Spirit.

No confession of faith looks merely to the past; every confession seeks to cast the light of a priceless heritage on the needs of the present moment, and so to shape the future. Reformed confessions, in particular, when necessary even reform the tradition itself in the light of the Word of God. From the first, the Reformed churches have insisted that the renewal of the church must become visible in the transformation of human lives and societies. Hence "A Brief Statement of Faith" lifts up concerns that call most urgently for the church's attention in our time. The church is not a refuge from the world; an elect people is chosen for the blessing of the nations. A sound confession, therefore, proves itself as it nurtures commitment to the church's mission, and as the confessing church itself becomes the body by which Christ continues the blessing of his earthly ministry.

(This preface does not have confessional authority, but is included as an aid to interpret the Brief Statement of Faith.)
 

                                      The Statement

 1 In life and death we belong to God.
 2   Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
 3      The love of God,
 4        And the communion of the Holy Spirit,
 5   we trust in the one triune God, the Holy One of Israel,
 6      whom alone we worship and serve.

 7 We trust in Jesus Christ,
 8      Fully human, fully God.
 9   Jesus proclaimed the reign of God:
10      preaching good news to the poor
11        and release to the captives,
12      teaching by word and deed
13        and blessing the children,
14      healing the sick
15        and binding up the brokenhearted,
16      eating with outcasts,
17      forgiving sinners,
18      and calling all to repent and believe the gospel.
19   Unjustly condemned for blasphemy and sedition,
20   Jesus was crucified,
21      suffering the depths of human pain
22      and giving his life for the sins of the world.
23   God raised Jesus from the dead,
24      vindicating his sinless life,
25      breaking the power of sin and evil,
26      delivering us from death to life eternal.

27 We trust in God,
28      whom Jesus called Abba, Father.
29   In sovereign love God created the world good
30      and makes everyone equally in God's image
31        male and female, of every race and people,
32      to live as one community.
33   But we rebel against God; we hide from our Creator.
34      Ignoring God's commandments,
35      we violate the image of God in others and ourselves,
36      accept lies as truth,
37      exploit neighbor and nature,
38      and threaten death to the planet entrusted to our care.
39      We deserve God's condemnation.
40   Yet God acts with justice and mercy to redeem creation.
41      In everlasting love,
42        the God of Abraham and Sarah chose a covenant people
43           to bless all families of the earth.
44      Hearing their cry,
45        God delivered the children of Israel
46           from the house of bondage.
47      Loving us still,
48        God makes us heirs with Christ of the covenant.
49      Like a mother who will not forsake her nursing child,
50      like a father who runs to welcome the prodigal home,
51        God is faithful still.

52 We trust in God the Holy Spirit,
53      everywhere the giver and renewer of life.
54   The Spirit justifies us by grace through faith,
55      sets us free to accept ourselves and to love God and neighbor,
56      and binds us together with all believers
57      in the one body of Christ, the church.
58   The same Spirit
59      who inspired the prophets and apostles
60      rules our faith and life in Christ through Scripture,
61      engages us through the Word proclaimed,
62      claims us in the waters of baptism,
63      feeds us with the bread of life and the cup of salvation,
64      and calls women and men to all ministries of the church.
65   In a broken and fearful world
66   the Spirit gives us courage
67      to pray without ceasing,
68      to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior,
69      to unmask idolatries in church and culture,
70      to hear the voices of peoples long silenced,
71      and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace.
72   In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit,
73      we strive to serve Christ in our daily tasks
74        and to live holy and joyful lives,
75      even as we watch for God's new heaven and new earth,
76        praying, Come, Lord Jesus!

77 With believers in every time and place,
78   we rejoice that nothing in life or in death
79   can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

80 Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.*
*Instead of saying this line, congregations may wish to sing a version of the Gloria.

USED BY PERMISSION.  
Copyright ©1991 by the Office of the General Assembly,  Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
The sessions, presbyteries, and synods of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) may use sections
of this publication without receiving prior written permission of the publisher.

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