What We Believe
Being Presbyterian
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The word Presbyterian describes a particular type of church government, and not our theological beliefs; our theological beliefs are reformed. The word Presbyterian derives from the Greek word presbuteros – which means elder. Presbyterians elect members of the church as officers who represent the congregation in church affairs and polity, thus we have a representative form of government. In fact, America’s representative democracy was based on this model.
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Our Governance
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Our Church is guided, first and foremost, by Scripture, through Christ who is the Head of the Church, and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Through the ages, the Church has been led by the Holy Spirit to order its life in certain ways. In the Presbyterian Church, this is our Constitution. It is in two parts. The first is the Book of Confessions. The second part is the Book of Order 2019-2020.
First Presbyterian Church of Pauls Valley is governed under this constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA). The Book of Order provides for two groups to oversee the work of the church:
• The Session, made up of elders, is responsible for overseeing the ministry work and business of the church.
• The Diaconate, made up of deacons, is responsible for the care and nurture of the congregation.
Both of these groups have subcommittees and other groups working to govern and tend to the Lord’s work in our family of faith. Information on these groups can be found under that section of the website.