What it means to be Presbyterian

Order of Service

• Sermon
• Prayer of Dismissal

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Sermon Title: What It Means to Be Presbyterian

Scripture: Acts 15:6-29

I. What Is Presbyterian Polity?

A. Being Presbyterian is distinct from being Christian or Reformed — one can be any combination without the others B. Presbyterianism refers specifically to church polity: how the church orders, governs, and expresses Christ's rule through his officers C. A Presbyterian church that has abandoned the faith is a warning that polity and faithfulness are not the same thing

II. The Biblical Basis for Church Courts

A. The principle of plurality of elders implies the need for those elders to gather and act together

1. Titus 1:5 — Paul instructs Titus to appoint elders in every town and put things in order
2. Acts 20:17 — Paul calls the elders of the Ephesian church to gather with him; a regional assembly of elders
3. Acts 21:18 — Paul meets with James and all the elders in Jerusalem; a missionary report given to a gathered body
4. 1 Timothy 4 — A council of elders lays hands on Timothy, establishing a principle of ordination by a gathered eldership

B. The Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 is the principal passage for Presbyterian polity

1. A doctrinal controversy arose — must Gentile believers be circumcised and keep the law of Moses?
2. Acts 15:6 — the apostles and elders gathered together to consider the matter
3. Acts 15:12 — deliberation occurred: multiple men rose to speak and make arguments
4. James rendered a judgment; a letter was sent to all the churches communicating the council's decision
5. This models a court of Christ's rulers gathering, deliberating, deciding, and issuing binding guidance to the wider church

III. The Three Courts of the PCA

A. The Session — the plurality of elders at the local congregation

1. North Point's session consists of five elders: three ruling elders and two teaching elders
2. Meets monthly

B. The Presbytery — a regional body of gathered elders

1. The PCA is divided into approximately 88 presbyteries
2. The local presbytery stretches from the Alabama border into Louisiana and meets quarterly

C. The General Assembly — a gathering of elders from all presbyteries across the denomination

1. Meets once per year
2. Overtures come from presbyteries, not individual congregations

D. Review and control: each level of court provides a checks-and-balances accountability over the level below

1. Members have the right to appeal decisions from session to presbytery to General Assembly
2. The BCO outlines the full appeals and complaints process
3. The PCA was intentionally structured as a bottom-up, grassroots denomination

IV. What Church Courts Do

A. Matters of doctrine and teaching — protecting and preserving the church's doctrine (illustrated in Acts 15)

B. Matters of order for worship and church life — ordering worship properly (see 1 Corinthians 11–14)

C. Matters of discipline — church discipline is good and necessary and has three ends:

1. The glory of Christ
2. The purity of Christ's church
3. The recovery of the sinner