What Presbyterians Believe

What Presbyterians Believe

Presbyterians are part of the Reformed tradition which began with the Protestant Reformation. Our key distinguishing feature is church governance by “Presbyters.” This is a body of Teaching Elders (Pastors) and Ruling Elders elected by the congregation for the sake of discerning God’s will and guidance for the Church.

The following is taken from the Presbyterian Church (USA) website. More information is available by following this link.

Presbyterians trace their history to the 16th century and the Protestant Reformation. Our heritage, and much of what we believe, began with the French lawyer John Calvin (1509-1564), whose writings crystallized much of the Reformed thinking that came before him.

Calvin did much of his writing from Geneva, Switzerland. From there, the Reformed movement spread to other parts of Europe and the British Isles.

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. The first Assembly was convened by the Rev. John Witherspoon, one of the few ordained ministers to sign the Declaration of Independence.