What is a PRESBYTERIAN church?

"Presbyterian" is a strange word, in a sense. It comes from the Greek word presbuteros, which is the New Testament word for elder. Presbyterians believe that the use of the word elder in the New Testament is synonymous with the use of the word for overseer or bishop (Titus 1:5-9; Acts 20:17-38), and that the Biblical model for spiritual leadership in the church is to have multiple elders that shepherd and oversee the flock of God (1 Timothy 3).

We trace our roots back to the Protestant Reformation of the 16th and 17th centuries, which we believe 1.) restored the Scriptures as the authoritative and inspired Word of God (Hebrews 4:12-13, 2 Peter 1:19-21), and 2.) recovered the Gospel, the Bible's teaching that people are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8).

This understanding of what the Bible teaches about itself, the church, and faith is summarized in the Westminster Confession of Faith (first adopted by the church of Scotland in the 1640s) and is found all throughout the world.

We are a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America, which seeks to be "Faithful to the Scriptures, True to the Reformed Faith, and Obedient to the Great Commission.”