Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry,
and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:35

"What did you say 
Presbyterian Means?"

We are Grace Church of Pleasanton. We are a member of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) denomination. 

'What on earth is that word "presbyterian"'? you may be asking yourself. Good question.

The word "presbyterian" comes from the Greek word presbuteros which means elder. Presbyterian, then, is the transliteration (or, "Englishization") of the Greek word for elder. So, calling ourselves a Presbyterian Church is simply referring to the fact that we are led by elders.

Earlier in this manual we talked about church leadership with special reference to the elders. We mentioned briefly that the church is ruled by elders (plural), never an elder or a bishop (another word to describe elders). We don't believe the New Testament makes provision for authority to rest in the hands of individuals.

The human responsibility for leading or governing the Presbyterian Church is committed into the hands of groups or councils of elders. These councils have two standards or authorities by which they operate: the Bible - the "supreme standard; the Westminster Confession of Faith - the "subordinate standard" - which is a historical document summarizing the teaching of the Bible.

1. The "Session".

This is the group of elders who lead/govern the local church. Normally, the session meets about once a month to discuss and pray about the pastoral oversight of the congregation (that is, watching over the flock as shepherds - not neglecting it, as the word sometimes suggests).

The session holds it meetings in private, unlike the presbytery and Assembly. The reason for this is not to be secretive, but so that the elders can speak freely and discreetly about the needs of the people under their care.

2. The "Presbytery".

This is the group of elders who lead/govern the church at a district level. The presbytery have pastoral oversight of the churches (plural) within the various districts of it's charge. Presbytery meetings are public. Anyone can come along.

There are issues, problems, and tasks that often involve more than just the one church in an area. This is where the presbytery comes into play. The first presbytery meeting was held in Jerusalem in Acts 15. Present at this meeting were both apostles and elders. The interesting thing about the decision-making process in Acts 15 is that the apostles didn't make an authoritative pronouncement and settle the matter. It was settled by the court.

"Yet, even the apostles submit to the calling of this church court, as if to demonstrate the transition between the apostolic era and the normative government of the church."

The members of the presbytery are the pastor/s and an elder (or more than one depending how many pastors) of a local congregation in the district.

The following list is what we call the "powers" or responsibilities of the presbytery:

• public worship, the administration of the Sacraments, preaching;
• the maintenance of church discipline within its bounds;
• the Congregations and Sunday Schools within its bounds, the formation of Mission Churches and new Churches, and care for vacant congregations;
• the management of finances and the care and use of congregational property;
• the acceptance, supervision and examination of candidates for the ministry;
• the calling, ordination, induction, appointment, translation, demission or removal of ministers within its various congregations;
• the status, teaching, conduct and character of all ministers, licentiates (graduated theological students), preachers, and office-bearers within its bounds;
• all matters brought to it by the sessions and congregations under its care.

3. The "General Assembly".

This is the group of elders who lead/govern the state level. This meets once a year and deals with the various matters that concern the church within the state at large. The assembly holds its meetings in public. The members of the presbytery are the pastor/s and an elder (or more than one depending how many pastors) of all the local congregations in the state.