Presbyterianism

    The roots of Presbyterianism can be traced to the theology of John Calvin (1490-1564), the leader of the Protestant Reformation in Geneva. He wanted to develop a model church and society shaped by his biblical teachings, especially the New Testament. His teachings led to the establishment of the Presbyterian and Reformed churches around the world.

    John Knox (1513-1572), a student of Calvin in Geneva, returned to his native Scotland and became the leader of the reformation there. In 1560, the church of Scotland was reformed to Presbyterianism. It included a Confession of Faith, A Book of Discilipine and a book of Common Order.

   Presbyterian is Greek for elder. The church is governed by elders which can be clergy or lay people, either male or female. The church government is built around two types of elders, teaching elders and ruling elders. The teaching elders are ministers, teachers, and pastors of congregations, and are ordained to preach the Gospel and administer the sacraments. Ruling elders are members of congregations, elected by yet people to take counsel for the life of the church. both ministers and ruling elders are ordained for life. Both officers are open to woman as well as to men. Along with the ministers of the congregation, the elders today from the session, which is responsible for administrating the affairs of the local church. Above the minister and the session is a body known as the presbytery, which is a regional group composed of ministers, inducts them into particular pastorate, and, in certain cases, removes them from their positions in congregations. Session and presbyteries are known as Courts of the regional body. The highest court is the General Assembly. It is the supreme court of appeal, make the laws of the church, and provides for the various arrangements of the national church. The members of the General Assembly are ministers and elders in equal numbers, elected by the presbyteries. The Moderator of the General Assembly is the senior officer of the church. He is not head of the the church but rather the presiding officer who represents the church until the next meeting of the annual General Assembly.

    The standard of worship laid down by the Reformers was rather severe. In those days, Presbyterians would not celebrate Christmas and they banned organs from the sanctuary, This has changed. Presbyterian services are rich in music and a small number of festivals are observed as aids in praise and thanksgiving. Presbyterian worship has always allowed for considerable flexibility in forms and practices, and there was and emphasis on the sermon as the center of worship liturgy was practically absent, and the Lord's Supper was celebrated only occasionally. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a renewal of worship brought greater richness to Presbyterian worship. The sermon is still important, but services are also characterized by a greater use of the liturgy and a more regular celebration of the Lord's Supper.

    In Newfoundland, the Dissenting Church of Christ at St. John's was founded in 1775 by John Jones, at that time a sergeant in the Royal Artillery. He returned to Newfoundland as a minister and served until his death in 1800, St. David's Presbyterian Church in St. John's is the successor congregation to the John Jones' Congregational foundation. The Scots built their first church, named St. Andrew's, in 1842, on the site where the present church still stands. Their minister was Donald Allan Framer. In 1925, two thirds of the Presbyterian Church became part of the United Church of Canada, along with the Methodist Church and most of the Congregational Church, The Presbyterian Church in Canada of today represents those people who did not enter the union. In Newfoundland, the churches did not unite, but the Presbyterian and the United Church schools were combined, to form the beginnings of our present integrated educational system.