A Beginner's Guide to Presbyterian Vocabulary
Roughly 58 percent of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) members were not raised in the denomination, according to estimates. If you are among them, this brief guide introduces the terms you are likely to encounter in a Presbyterian congregation that may be unfamiliar from other churches.
Communion Table or Lord's Table
The table near the front of the sanctuary where the bread and wine for Communion are placed. It may also hold a Bible, a cross, or candles. It is called the Lord's Table rather than an altar because Jesus was seated at a table with his disciples during the Passover meal on the night he was betrayed (Luke 22:14). An altar is a place for sacrifices, but in the Reformed tradition we hold that Jesus' sacrifice on the cross was sufficient once for all and need not be repeated through a Mass or other Communion on an altar.
Lord's Supper
The meal we share from the Lord's Table. Some congregations call it Communion or the Eucharist. Eucharist comes from the Greek word for "thanksgiving," which is what Jesus did before giving the bread and wine to his disciples.
Manse
A house owned by a congregation and provided for the minister to live in. Some denominations call this a "parsonage." Manse derives from the Latin word mansio, meaning "dwelling."
Session
The group elected by the congregation to make decisions about running the local church. Some churches call this group the "church council."
Elders
The session is made up of elders, a term that refers less to age than to being considered competent and wise enough to make sound decisions. There are two kinds: "ruling elders," who come from the congregation and are elected to serve in three-year cycles, and "teaching elders," the pastor. The pastor is called a teaching elder because of the extensive education required to preach and teach proper doctrine. The pastor is also often called the minister or "minister of the Word and Sacrament."
Presbytery
A presbytery consists of a group of churches, usually within a certain geographic area. Its meetings bring together "presbyters," both ruling and teaching elders, to make decisions affecting the presbytery. By gathering representatives this way, congregations both support one another and hold one another accountable.
Moderator
The person who leads a meeting of elders, deacons, a presbytery, or a committee. In a club or other gathering this role might be called "chairperson" or "president." The moderator of a board of deacons is usually a deacon, while the moderator of a session is a teaching elder. A presbytery moderator may be either a teaching elder or a ruling elder.
Book of Order
The rule book of the Presbyterian Church, containing guidelines for church life including structure, worship, and collective action. It explains not only how things are done but why. It is developed and can be amended by the General Assembly, with ratification by a majority of the presbyteries.
General Assembly
Every two years, all the presbyteries in the country elect commissioners or representatives to a General Assembly meeting, which makes decisions for the church as a whole. This is where Presbyterians function as a national rather than merely local church.
Commissioners
The people, a proportionate number of ministers and elders, elected by the presbyteries to attend General Assembly. Rather than being instructed how to vote by their presbytery, the commissioners as a body seek to discern the will of the Holy Spirit.
Election
This does not refer to how commissioners are chosen for General Assembly. It is a theological term meaning that God takes the first step in acting to redeem sinners. Those within the covenant of faith are called "the elect." Reformed (or Presbyterian) theology teaches that we cannot save ourselves from our sins and that God "elects" or "chooses" to save us.
Predestination
Similar to election, this word often raises questions for people of other denominations. Basically, predestination means 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 appears in both Matthew's and Luke's Gospels, and the original Greek uses two different words meaning "to sin." In Matthew's version the word means "to owe a debt"—a debt of sin, not money.
Calvin and Knox
In the Presbyterian Church you will hear references to "Calvin Church," "Calvin this-and-that," and "Knox Church," among others. John Calvin was a French Reformer who followed in the footsteps of Martin Luther in the 1500s and gave us the theological foundations for our church, so many things are named after him. John Knox was a Scottish preacher who brought John Calvin's teachings to Scotland and established the Presbyterian Church there, so many things are named after him too.
Keep Learning
This is only a starting point for understanding Presbyterian vocabulary. 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—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, Montana, after an interim pastorate at Hysham, Montana, in early 2002 moved to Spencer Memorial Presbyterian Church in Lemmon, South Dakota.