Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is “Presbyterian”
“Presbyterian” comes from the biblical word “Presbyter”, and refers to the way the church is organized. Each Presbyterian Church has a minister and several members who have been recognized as Elders. In some congregations, Elders serve for life. In other congregations, Elders hold active office for a specific span of years. The Elders are known collectively as the ” Session” and along with the minister are responsible for the worship and spiritual life of the congregation.
In a given geographical area, such as Durham Region, the active ministers and a representative elder from each local congregation, form what is called the “Presbytery”. Ministers, who are retired, serving in theological colleges or employed in a non-ministerial capacity, are non-voting members of the Presbytery. Often called a “church court”, the Presbytery (in our case the Presbytery of Oak Ridges) has overall authority and responsibility for all local churches in the area.
Presbyteries designate ministers and elders to be Commissioners to an annual General Assembly held in June. Prior to the actual Assembly, a consensus is usually reached on the election of an individual to act as Moderator. The General assembly, sometimes referred to as “the highest church court”, has authority on some matters, including the operation of the national church offices. Some other matters require approval from both the Assembly and the Presbyteries. Most church rules and procedures are set out in a document referred to as “the Book of Forms”. After the Assembly, the Moderator acts as national representative for the church until the next Assembly.
2. What do Presbyterians believe?
Like other Christians, Presbyterians beliefs are expressed in the Apostle’s Creed. There are some differences in beliefs among Christians and even among Presbyterians. None the less, Christians share a core of beliefs in God and the good news of Jesus.
As do most other Protestant Christians, Presbyterians believe that your eternal salvation does not depend on what you say or do, or upon your works. Your sins, shortcomings, and failures, have already been forgiven, and paid for, by Jesus and his sacrifice on the Cross, and God has accepted that. Your salvation is thanks to God’s grace and love freely given to you. You are invited and challenged to accept that gift and to have faith.
How should we live out our lives? Like other Christians, Presbyterians believe that in the Bible we find uniquely authoritative teachings and inspiration for how we ought to live our lives.
3. How do I become a member of St Andrews?
We are happy that you would consider St Andrews as your church home
There are several ways in which you might become a member:
a) If you are a member of another church, upon your request we simply write your previous church home and request that your certificate of membership be transferred to us. You will be welcomed to church membership as a “member by transfer”. We ask that “members by transfer” be formally welcomed in a church service, so that the congregation might have an opportunity to get to see and know you.
b) If you have no recent church background or membership, but are baptized, we ask that you be welcomed by “confession of faith”. This means that following a period of instruction, new members would confess their faith through a series of "I do" statements at a special service of welcome. The standard form of instruction would be 6 sessions with the minister along with other participants. In these sessions would be discussed the history and beliefs of the church as well as our form of church government and the opportunities that exist for worship, stewardship and service in our congregation. These membership sessions are held at various times of the year, as interest demands.
c) If you have not been baptized or are not sure whether you have been, you have the opportunity to be received into the church through the sacrament of baptism. Baptism is not just for babies! It is the sign of welcome into the covenant community, the family of faith. Candidates for baptism (catechists) would attend the membership sessions {as in b) above} and would also receive additional instruction regarding the meaning of baptism.
4. Ever wonder about the meaning or significance of various Presbyterian words or expressions?
It has been estimated that over 50 percent of the members of the Presbyterian Church 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 St Andrew's 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 Communion on an altar.
Chancel
This is name of the raised platform at the west end of the sanctuary reserved for use by the clergy and the choir. It contains the pulpit, electronic organ, piano and several pews to seat the choir
Lord's Supper
This is the meal we share from the Lord's Table. Some churches call this meal "Communion". This commemorates the meal Jesus shared with His disciples just before He went to the cross in which He gave the bread and wine to his disciples.
The "Apostle's Creed" and "The Lord's Prayer"
Click here if you would like to download a copy for yourself.
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."
Book of Forms
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.
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.
Narthex
This is the term to describe the foyer area just inside the front doors of the church. The Narthex is a greeting and assembling area just outside the main church sanctuary. It also serves as a convenient area for people to pickup materials (envelopes, handouts etc.) or sign up for church events and activities.
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.
If you are interested in membership, or wish to talk further with the minister, please don’t hesitate to call the church office (905-668-4022) |