What is a Presbyterian Church?
Dear CPC Family,
Let’s give thanks to God for his grace and provision in bringing us to this point: approved by our Presbytery last Friday to organize as a new congregation!
In the words of some of our youngest members (who I live with), we were a “baby” church and now we’re becoming a “kid” church. That’s a good way to put it. It’s a real milestone but there remains much to do to grow in maturity and ministry capacity. Rest assured that Jesus is building his church in Corona–and we each have a role to play!
There’s an ancient tradition in the church of pastors writing letters to the congregations they serve. I hope this will be an edifying practice for us, especially as we approach a new season in church life.
In this inaugural letter I want to answer the question “What is a Presbyterian Church?”
You may have heard churches like CPC described interchangeably as “Reformed” or “Presbyterian.” Both terms are true, but they’re not interchangeable.
Reformed describes our theology. Presbyterian describes our church government (the way the church is run).
Presbyterian comes from the Greek word presbuteros meaning, simply, “elder.” In a Presbyterian church, church government is entrusted in a special way to elders.
Not only is elder the most common term for church leadership in the New Testament (see 1 Timothy 4:14, Acts 20:17, 1 Peter 5:1), it was also a recognized office of leadership for the Old Testament people of God (see, among many, Exodus 24:9 “Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up”).
In the centuries between the early church and the Reformation, a lot of unnecessary complexity was added to the government of the church. The Reformed branch of the Protestant Reformation, especially in Scotland, recovered the biblical understanding of church government by godly elders.
What Does This Look Like in Practice?
Within the OPC there is no elaborate church hierarchy. Instead elders lead at every level, always as undershepherds of Jesus Christ, the Great Shepherd, and ministers of his Word:
The Local Church: the government of each local church is entrusted to their own elders, known as the Session.
The Regional Church: the government of the regional church is entrusted to the elders within that region at gatherings of the presbytery throughout the year.
The Whole Church: our denomination is governed by the elders who represent the various presbyteries at the annual General Assembly.
Is Presbyterian church government essential to the existence of a church? No. Plenty of faithful churches do not have a Presbyterian form of government. Is Presbyterian church government important to the well-being of a church? Yes (but, of course, I am biased!).
How does Presbyterian government foster a healthy church?
Here are a few ways:
Plurality: the pastor does not call the shots. At every level, decisions are made by deliberation as a whole governing body.
Transparency: we’re not making this up as we go along! Everything about how CPC runs is laid out in our Book of Church Order–especially those areas (like worship, church discipline, and changes in church leadership) that tend to create controversy in a church.
Accountability: CPC is accountable to our presbytery and our presbytery is accountable to the general assembly. If anything goes awry with our teaching or practice, there is a built in way to address and correct those problems. Additionally, members can appeal to a higher governing body if they seriously disagree with decisions made at the local church level. For a biblical example of this, read Acts 15.
Patience: it is a feature and not a bug that decisions can take time within a smoothly running Presbyterian church. Our form of government requires us to approach important questions with diligence, prayer, and deliberation.
No, OPC does not stand for “Only Perfect Church.” Any form of church government can be abused. But we should be very thankful for the shoulders we stand on and the biblical heritage of church government they have passed on to us.
For Further Study
Our CPC 101 class covers church government and I am always happy to talk to you about why we do things the way we do.
If you’d like to read more about church government, here are a few recommendations:
The Book of Church Order: it’s not particularly exhilarating reading but this will give you a clear explanation of the essentials.
The Glorious Body of Christ by R.B. Kuiper: a very readable and accessible book on the doctrine of the church.
How Jesus Runs the Church by Guy Waters: if you’d like to consider the biblical basis for Presbyterian government, this book, by a PCA minister and seminary professor, is the go-to.
As we move forward by God’s grace, we move forward as a Presbyterian church.
In the Father’s love,
Pastor Andrew
P.S. You can see Presbyterian church government in action at CPC’s service of recognition and installation on November 20 at 5pm. This worship service will also be a meeting of the Presbytery of Southern California. Be there!