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How did the Presbyterian Church originate?
The earliest Christian church consisted of Jews in the first
century who had known Jesus and heard his teachings. It gradually grew and
spread from the Middle East to other parts of the world, though not without
controversy and hardship among its supporters.
During the 4th century, after more than 300 years of
persecution under various Roman emperors, the church became established as a
political as well as a spiritual power under the Emperor Constantine.
Theological and political disagreements, however, served to widen the rift
between members of the eastern (Greek-speaking) and western (Latin-speaking)
branches of the church. Eventually the western portions of Europe, came under
the religious and political authority of the Roman Catholic Church. Eastern
Europe and parts of Asia came under the authority of the Eastern Orthodox
Church.
In Western Europe, the authority of the Roman Catholic Church
remained largely unquestioned until the Renaissance in the 15th century. The
invention of the printing press in Germany around 1440 made it possible for
common people to have access to printed materials including the Bible. This, in
turn, enabled many to discover religious thinkers who had begun to question the
authority of the Roman Catholic Church. One such figure, Martin Luther, a German
priest and professor, started the movement known as the Protestant Reformation
when he posted a list of 95 grievances against the Roman Catholic Church on a
church door in Wittenburg, Germany in 1517. Some 20 years later, a French/Swiss
theologian, John Calvin, further refined the reformers' new way of thinking
about the nature of God and God's relationship with humanity in what came to be
known as Reformed theology. John Knox, a Scotsman who studied with Calvin in
Geneva, Switzerland, took Calvin's teachings back to Scotland. Other Reformed
communities developed in England, Holland and France. The Presbyterian Church
traces its ancestry back primarily to Scotland and England.
Presbyterians have featured prominently in United States
history. The Rev. Francis Mackemie, who arrived in the U.S. from Ireland in
1683, helped to organize the first American Presbytery at Philadelphia in 1706.
One of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, the Rev. John
Witherspoon, was a Presbyterian minister. The Rev. William Tennent founded a
ministerial "log college" in New Jersey that evolved into Princeton University.
Other Presbyterian ministers, such as the Rev. Jonathan Edwards and the Rev.
Gilbert Tennent, were driving forces in the so-called "Great Awakening," a
revivalist movement in the early 18th century.
The Presbyterian Church in the United States has split and
parts have reunited several times. Currently the largest group is the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), which has its national offices in Louisville, Ky.
It was formed in 1983 as a result of reunion between Presbyterian Church in the
U.S. (PCUS), the so-called "southern branch," and the United Presbyterian Church
in the U.S.A. (UPCUSA), the so-called "northern branch." Other Presbyterian
churches in the United States include: the Presbyterian Church in America, the
Cumberland Presbyterian Church and the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church.
What do Presbyterians believe?
What do Presbyterians believe? This question usually tops the
list among folks who want to know more about the Presbyterian Church.
Fortunately, the Presbyterian Church is a confessional church. This means that
while the Scriptures remain our final authority in matters of faith and
practice, we affirm that the church of Jesus Christ has produced powerful,
abbreviated statements of faith to guide and instruct the faithful over the past
2,000 years. Our earliest doctrinal statement, The Apostles' Creed, dates, in
part, to the second century. Our most recent confessional statement, A Brief
Statement of Faith, was written in the 1980's. Our Book of Confessions contains
nine confessional statements in total. Some of our confessional statements
reflect the faith of the entire church of Jesus Christ, while others reflect
more the particular understanding of Christianity that is particular to the
Reformed family churches, in which tradition the Presbyterian Church stands.
Inasmuch as it is our most recent confessional statement, A Brief Statement of
Faith will answer basic questions you may have concerning "what Presbyterians
believe."
A Brief Statement of Faith
In life and in death we belong to God.
Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit,
we trust in the one triune God, the Holy One of Israel,
whom alone we worship and serve.
We trust in Jesus Christ,
fully human, fully God.
Jesus proclaimed the reign of God;
preaching good news to the poor
and release to the captives,
teaching by word and deed
and blessing the children,
healing the sick
and binding up the brokenhearted,
eating with outcasts,
forgiving sinners,
and calling all to repent and believe the gospel.
Unjustly condemned for blasphemy and sedition,
Jesus was crucified,
suffering the depths of human pain
and giving his life for the sins of the world.
God raised this Jesus from the dead,
vindicating his sinless life,
breaking the power of sin and evil,
delivering us from death to life eternal.
We trust in God,
whom Jesus called Abba, Father.
In sovereign love God created the world good
and makes everyone equally in God's image,
male and female, of every race and people,
to live as one community.
But we rebel against God; we hide from our Creator.
Ignoring God's commandments,
we violate the image of God in others and ourselves,
accept lies as truth,
exploit neighbor and nature,
and threaten death to the planet entrusted to our care.
We deserve God's condemnation.
Yet God acts with justice and mercy to redeem creation.
In everlasting love,
the God of Abraham and Sarah chose a covenant people to bless all families of the earth.
Hearing their cry,
God delivered the children of Israel
from the house of bondage.
Loving us still,
God makes us heirs with Christ of the covenant.
Like a mother who will not forsake her nursing child,
like a father who runs to welcome the prodigal home,
God is faithful still.
We trust in God the Holy Spirit,
everywhere the giver and renewer of life.
The Spirit justifies us by grace through faith,
sets us free to accept ourselves and to love God and neighbor,
and binds us together with all believers
in the one body of Christ, the Church.
The same Spirit
who inspired the prophets and apostles
rules our faith and life in Christ through Scripture,
engages us through the Word proclaimed,
claims us in the waters of baptism,
feeds us with the bread of life and the cup of salvation,
and calls women and men to all ministries of the Church.
In a broken and fearful world
the Spirit gives us courage
to pray without ceasing,
to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior,
to unmask idolatries in Church and culture,
to hear the voices of peoples long silenced,
and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace.
In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit,
we strive to serve Christ in our daily tasks
and to live holy and joyful lives,
even as we watch for God's new heaven and new earth,
praying, "Come, Lord Jesus!"
With believers in every time and place,
we rejoice that nothing in life or in death
can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Now at this point, you may or may not feel your question has
been satisfactorily answered. To be sure, this Brief Statement of Faith speaks
to the basic elements of Christian faith, from a Presbyterian perspective, but
what do Presbyterians believe about many additional items not specifically
mentioned in the statement? What do Presbyterians believe about abortion,
euthanasia, violence in the media, human sexuality, and global economics? Well,
when it comes to most of these issues, the simple truth is that Presbyterians
believe many things. We are politically, economically, and theologically
diverse. The diversity of the Presbyterian Church is quite remarkable, and it
exists not by accident, but by design. There are two reasons for this breadth of
conviction, and both are clearly articulated in our denomination's Book of
Order.
First, we affirm that Jesus Christ alone is head of the
church.
"All power in heaven and earth is given to Jesus Christ by
Almighty God, who raised Christ from the dead and set him above all rule and
authority, all power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in
this age but also in that which is to come. God has put all things under the
Lordship of Jesus Christ and has made Christ Head of the church, which is his
body.
In all things, it is Christ's will that we seek to guide and
govern the church. In many cases, the will of Christ is quite clear to us,
because we have so much of his teaching faithfully preserved in the pages of the
New Testament. In some cases, however, the Bible can't provide the kind of
unequivocal guidance we might want. Faithful Christians, in good conscience,
will interpret the Scriptures in different ways. When this happens, the church
has a profound choice. It can either be divided or it can be diverse. A divided
church is one which polarizes over a 'hot' issue with each side claiming the
Scriptures as supporting their side. The two factions will eventually divide,
and go their respective ways. A diverse church is one which maintains the
Lordship of Jesus over His church, and seeks to maintain open dialogue as both
sides communicate their convictions and beliefs, subject to the authority of
God's Word.
This brings us to the second reason for our tremendous
diversity-the right of private judgment-which is also part of our Book of Order.
"God alone is lord of the conscience, and hath left it free
from the doctrines and commandments of men which are in anything contrary to his
Word, or beside it, in matters of faith or worship.
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
- A faithful stewardship that shuns ostentation and seeks
proper use of the gifts of God's creation;
- The 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.
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. 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.
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.
What is the history of the United Presbyterian Church?
Before North Dakota was a state, before
the city of Jamestown was incorporated, the First Presbyterian Church of
Jamestown was preaching the Word of God, was administering the Sacraments, and
was bringing spiritual guidance and comfort to its members and to the entire
community. It was a Presbyterian minister, the Reverend D. C. Lyon of St.
Paul, MN, who held the first church service of any kind on record in
Jamestown. The First Presbyterian Church was the first formally recognized
church in Jamestown and was organized on December 5, 1879.
Presbyterians are a group of Protestants
whose church is founded on the concept of democratic rule under the Word of
God. The Presbyterian denomination is a form of Christianity democratically
organized to embrace the faith common to all Christians.
According to church
records, a petition was presented to representatives of the Presbytery of Red
River at a meeting held at the courthouse in Jamestown; it read as follows:
“We (ten charter members) the undersigned, for the purpose of the better
worship of God and our own growth in Divine Life, do hereby request the
Presbytery of Red River through the Committee on Missions to organize us and
others uniting with us into a district as the First Presbyterian Church of
Jamestown.”
The newly-organized
church’s first pastor was the Reverend Neville D. Fanning who was installed in
1880. It was during his ministry that the congregation completed its first
building in 1881; it was replaced by the current structure in 1914 and
additional rooms for Sunday school and a chapel were completed in 1958. An
elevator and office renovation project was completed in May, 1998. The
beautiful stained glass windows were completely restored with new protective
glass glazing on the exterior in 2005.
The United Presbyterian
Church serves to be a “Christ-centered, Bible-based community drawn together
to worship God, to learn about the saving grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ, and to celebrate the work of the Holy Spirit as we share the Good
News” (Current mission statement adopted in 2003).
Staff members currently
include the Rev. Dave Thompson, Pastor; Sharon Watson and Diane Witzig,
Secretaries; Doreen Larson, Director of Christian Education; Elizabeth Sherfy,
Director of Children's and Youth Ministry; Tania Falk, Financial Secretary;
and David Morlock, Organist/Choir Director.
What is the meaning of church membership?
What is the meaning of church membership? We Presbyterians
take our understanding of church membership from the life, death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ. One becomes an active member of the church through
faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, and acceptance of his Lordship in all of life.
Baptism and a public profession of faith in Jesus as Lord are the visible signs
of entrance into the active membership of the church.
The church universal consists of every person in every
nation, together with their children, who profess faith in Jesus Christ as Lord
and Savior and commit themselves to live in a fellowship under his rule. Since
this whole company cannot meet together in one place to worship and serve, it is
reasonable that it should be divided into smaller congregations. The Ojai
Presbyterian Church is one such smaller congregation. We are part of the
universal church of Jesus Christ, yet also unique due to our Reformed theology
and Presbyterian government. A single church of Jesus Christ, the world over,
yet separated into unique expressions of Christian faith and life. As Paul
teaches us in Ephesians 4:5-6, we have "one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one
God and Father of us all."
What responsibilities does one accept in joining the
Presbyterian Church? As our Book of Order makes clear, "a faithful member
accepts Christ's call to be involved responsibly in the ministry of his Church.
Such involvement includes:
- proclaiming the good news,
- taking part in the common life and worship of a particular
church,
- praying and studying Scripture and the faith of the
Christian Church,
- supporting the work of the Church through the giving of
money, time and talents,
- participating in the governing responsibilities of the
Church,
- demonstrating a new quality of life within and through the
Church,
- responding to God's activity in the world through service
to others,
- living responsibly in the personal, family, vocational,
political, cultural, and social relationships of life,
- working in the world for peace, justice, freedom, and
human fulfillment."
When a person joins the church, they enter into a joyful
covenant of faithfulness with God, and also this community of faith. We pledge
to love and support each other as we grow together as Christ's disciples. The
church's ministry is an expression of our collective witness to the work of
Jesus Christ in the world today. In joining the church, you become part of God's
work in our midst at this time. We encourage new members to become active in the
life and ministry of our congregation, finding their special place in the Body
of Christ, his church.
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