| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
How to speak Presbyterian
What is all this Presbyterian lingo?
By P. J. Southam |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
It has been estimated
that 58 percent of the members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
did not grow up in the denomination. For readers in that category,
here is a short rundown of the lingo you are likely to hear in a Presbyterian
church that you may not have heard in another church. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Communion table or Lord's
Table |
|
| |
This is the table at the front
of the sanctuary that holds the bread and the wine for Communion. Sometimes
other items are placed on this table, such as the Bible, a cross, or candles. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
The reason this is called a
Lord's Table rather than an altar is that on the night in which he was
betrayed, when Jesus was eating the Passover meal with his disciples, they
were sitting at a table (Luke 22:14). |
|
| |
|
|
| |
An altar is a place for making
sacrifices. In the Reformed tradition we believe that Jesus' sacrifice
on the cross was sufficient once for all. This sacrifice does not have
to be repeated with a Mass or other Communion on an altar. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Lord's Supper |
|
| |
This is the meal we share from
the Lord's Table. Some churches call this meal Communion, or the Eucharist. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Eucharist is from the Greek
word for "thanksgiving," which is what Jesus did before he gave
the bread and wine to his disciples. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Manse |
|
| |
This is a house owned by a
congregation that they let the minister live in. In some denominations
this is called the "parsonage." The word manse comes from
the Latin word mansio which means "dwelling." |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Session |
|
| |
This is the group of people,
elected by the congregation, who make the decisions for the running of
the local church. In some churches this group is called the "church
council." |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Elders |
|
| |
The session is composed of
elders. This doesn't have to do with age so much as those who are considered
competent and wise enough to make good decisions. There are two kinds of
elders, "ruling elders" and "teaching elders." The
ruling elders come from the congregation and are elected to serve in three-year
cycles. The teaching elder is the pastor. This person is called a teaching
elder because they have to go to a lot of school to get the education to
preach and teach proper doctrine. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
The pastor is often also called
the minister, or a "minister of the Word and Sacrament." |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Presbytery |
|
|
|
| |
The presbytery is made up
of a group of churches usually in a certain geographical area.
The presbytery meeting includes "presbyters," both
ruling and teaching elders, who gather to make decisions affecting
the presbytery. By having their representatives gather together as
a group congregations both support each other and are held accountable
to each other. |
|
 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Moderator |
|
| |
This is the person who runs
a meeting of elders or deacons, or a presbytery or committee meeting. In
a club or other gathering he or she would be called the "chairperson" or
perhaps "president." |
|
| |
|
|
| |
While the moderator of a board
of deacons is usually a deacon, the moderator of a session is a teaching
elder. The moderator of a presbytery may be either a teaching elder or
a ruling elder. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Book of Order |
|
| |
This is the rule book for the
Presbyterian Church. It contains the guidelines for church life, including
structure, worship and collective action. It not only tells us how to do
things but also explains why. It was developed and can be modified by the
General Assembly, with the ratification of a majority of the presbyteries. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
General Assembly |
|
| |
Every two years all the presbyteries
in the country elect commissioners or representatives to a meeting of the
General Assembly. The General Assembly makes decisions for the church as
a whole. This is where Presbyterians become a national rather than a local
church. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Commissioners |
|
| |
These are the folks, a proportionate
number of ministers and elders, elected by the presbyteries to go to General
Assembly. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Rather than being instructed
in how to vote at the Assembly by their presbytery, the commissioners as
a body seek to discern the will of the Holy Spirit. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Election |
|
| |
No, this doesn't refer to how
commissioners are selected to go to the General Assembly. It is a theological
term that means God makes the first move in acting to redeem sinners. People
within the covenant of faith are called "the elect." Reformed
(or Presbyterian) theology teaches that we are incapable of saving ourselves
from our sins, and that God "elects" or "chooses" to
save us. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Predestination |
|
| |
This word, similar to election,
often raises questions for people of other denominations. Basically predestination
means that our election by God occurred not only before we were born, but
so far back in time that it happened "before the creation of the world" (see
Ephesians 1:4). |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Debts and debtors |
|
| |
When we pray the Lord's Prayer
we use the words debts ("forgive us our debts") and debtors.
Some Christians say "trespasses" or "sins." This is
because the Lord's Prayer is found in both Matthew's and Luke's Gospels,
and in the original Greek they used two different words that mean "to
sin." In Matthew's version the word used means "to owe a debt,"but
a debt of sin, not money. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Calvin and Knox |
|
| |
In the Presbyterian Church
you will hear "Calvin Church," "Calvin this-and-that," as
well as "Knox Church," etc. John Calvin was a French Reformer
who followed in the footsteps of Martin Luther in the 1500s. He gave us
the theological foundations for our church, so we have named a lot of things
after him. John Knox was a Scottish preacher who brought the teachings
of John Calvin to Scotland and got the Presbyterian Church going in that
country, so we have named a lot of things after him too. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
This is just a start to understanding
Presbyterian lingo. If you hear a word that is new to you and want to know
what it means, ask your teaching elder (pastor or minister) to explain
it to you. And don't let him or her off the hook until you have an answer! |
|
| |
|
|
| |
 |
|
| |
P. J. Southam, formerly
pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Wolf Point, Mont, after an interim
pastorate at Hysham, Mont., in early 2002 moved to
Spencer Memorial Presbyterian Church in Lemmon, South Dakota. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
REPRINT PERMISSION
Mr. Southam gives permission for this article to be reproduced for local
use—with two stipulations:
- No payment be charged for the reprints.
- Copies of the reproduction be sent him at the following address:
Rev. P.J. Southam
Big Creek Presbyterian Church
49515 Big Creek Lane
Rensselaer, MO 63401
|
|
| |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
