Copyright 2018. Brett Reed Presbyterian Church. All rights reserved.


Brett-Reed Memorial Presbyterian Church is a member of the PCUSA Presbytery of the James.


PRINCIPLES OF PRESBYTERIAN GOVERNMENT

 The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) reaffirms within the context of its commitment to the Church universal, a special commitment to basic principles of Presbyterian polity (see: Book of Order, F-3.02):

  • The particular congregations of the PCUSA wherever they are, taken collectively, constitute one church.

  • The church shall be governed by presbyters, that is, ruling elders and ministers of the Word and Sacrament.

  • These presbyters shall come together in councils: sessions; presbyteries, synods, and the General Assembly (which meets every two years).

  • Presbyters are to seek together to find and represent the will of Christ.

  • Decisions shall be reached in councils by vote, and a majority shall govern.

  • A higher council shall have the right of review over a lower one and shall have power to determine matters of controversy.

  • Presbyters are ordained only by the authority of a council.

  • Each church jurisdiction is a shared power, exercised jointly by presbyters gathered in councils.


 THE GREAT ENDS OF THE CHURCH (Book of Order, F-1.040)
 The great ends of the Church are:

  • the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind;

  • the shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God;

  • the maintenance of divine worship;

  • the preservation of the truth;

  • the promotion of social righteousness; and

  • the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world.


 This statement of the Great Ends of the Church, slightly edited here, came from the United Presbyterian Church of North America, which united with the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America in 1958.

THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH  (from Book of Order, F-1.101-2)


The good news of the Gospel is that the triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—creates, redeems, sustains, rules, and transforms all things and all people.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ announces the nearness of God’s kingdom, bringing good news to all who are impoverished, sight to all who are blind, freedom to all who are oppressed and proclaiming the Lord’s favor upon all creation.  The mission of God in Christ gives shape and substance to the life and work of the Church.

Jesus Christ, who calls the Church into being, and gives it all that is necessary for its mission in the world, is the head of the Church, which is his body.  Christ alone rules, calls, teaches, and uses the Church as he wills.  Christ gives the Church its life, is the Church’s hope, and is the foundation of the Church.

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)