Introduction

Presbyterian means something about what we believe.  There is plenty of room within our church for individual differences, but as a church we are committed to what is called the Reformed faith.  That means we keep trying to understand what the Bible is saying to us, so that our beliefs can be kept faithful to the Scripture.  The motto of our church is Ecclesia reformata, simper reformandawhich means, “the church reformed, always being reformed” or “the church reformed, always to be reformed.”  Some think we ought to call it the reforming faith, because it is always being reshaped as we mature in our understanding of God’s Word. 

History of the Reformed Faith

Throughout the years, because some Christians have thought that certain matters of faith or practice were more important than others, we have become divided into many denominations, each with its own special emphasis.  In the United States today, about twenty branches of the church call themselves Presbyterian or Reformed.  Despite our differences, Presbyterians strongly believe in the oneness of the whole church and try to work cooperatively with all other Christian bodies.

Most of the divisions in the Christian church had their beginning four or five hundred years ago, in what is called the Reformation.  This movement was begun by Martin Luther in Germany and by many other Reformers throughout Europe.  They did not intend to break away from the medieval church, but to reform it.  However, the church as it was could not tolerate so much change, so it began to split, and it has gone on dividing until today.

There was great disagreement among the first Reformers over how the new church should be shaped.  In Geneva, Switzerland, John Calvin fought hard for a church with a representative government, with responsibilities shared by everyone, not merely the ministers.  Schools were set up to make sure that both ministers and members would be educated to make the church’s decision.  Most Presbyterian and Reformed churches trace their origin to Calvin, the prime theologian of the Reformation.

Another important figure for Presbyterians is John Knox, who studied under Calvin in Geneva and returned to his native Scotland to help shape the church there after the Geneva model.  Because so many Scottish Presbyterians immigrated to the United States and helped found the U.S. Presbyterian Church, John Knox is a well-known figure here.

The first Presbyterian missionary to the colonies was a Scot, Francis Makemie, and the first presbytery was established in 1807 in Philadelphia.  Presbyterians took active leadership in the government of the new nation.  Fourteen of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, including John Witherspoon, a minister, were Presbyterians.  It is commonly agreed that the shape of our American government, with its courts and representative legislative bodies, was influenced by the view of church government held by these founders.