 First
Presbyterian Church, Lake
Jackson |
| To Know, Proclaim and Serve Jesus Christ |
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What Do Presbyterians Believe?Presbyterians, first of all, are Christians. We believe in one God who revealed Himself and His plans for us in the Bible and especially through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)--2.57 million strong--we are an expression of Reformed Christianity, a part of the holy catholic church celebrated in the Apostles' Creed, a people whose roots go back to John Calvin at the time of the Reformation. We are distinctive in our Reformed theology and our 400-year-old form of government, combining the equal values of authority and freedom, order and ardor. We Presbyterians worship and function in over 11,000 congregations nationwide, served by more than 17,000 active pastors (around a quarter of whom are women), and over 100,000 elders. Local congregations are connected to others in area-wide presbyteries (173 in the U.S.), and presbyteries unite in regional synods (16 in the U.S.). All join together at the national level through the yearly General Assembly. First Presbyterian Church of Lake Jackson, with approximately 500 members, has a Session (board of elders), consisting of 18 lay men and women elders, the Session Clerk, and the Pastor, who serves as moderator. The Session is responsible for the whole life of this church; only major matters such as the call of a pastor or the incurring of church indebtedness are voted on by the entire congregation. The elders are elected for three-year terms.
The Bible is the unique and authoritative
source of Presbyterian beliefs. To help us interpret the Bible, Presbyterians
have ascribed to a number of statements of belief, often called creeds or
confessions, including the Apostles' Creed and Nicene Creed from early
Christendom, the Westminster Confession of Faith from 1647, and a number of
others. These creeds elucidate such deeply held beliefs as:
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