What is a Presbyterian?
The Presbyterian Church has over 550 congregations in Ireland. We trace our origins to Christ and the apostles, although our existence as a Christian denomination in Ireland dates back to the 17th century with the arrival of Scottish migrants. We are a branch or denomination of the historical and world-wide Christian Church and as such are orthodox in our beliefs and practices. Our denomination originally evolved from the Christian Reformation of the 16th century so that all our beliefs and practices are based on what the bible teaches.
The word Presbyterian comes from ‘Presbyter’, a New Testament Greek word for an ‘elder’ (a caring leader). These leaders are chosen democratically by members of the congregation. The Presbyterian Church is therefore a church that is led and cared for by a body of elders or presbyters. Our leadership is a democracy in which each leader (including the minister) has equal say in decisions that affect the congregation. The minister (like a priest or pastor) is an elder with particular responsibilities of teaching the bible, conducting marriages, funerals, baptisms and Communion, helping members to discover and use their talents and providing pastoral assistance.
Presbyterian churches also believe that local churches need to be accountable to one another. So our church family is part of what we call the Dublin & Munster Presbytery. This Presbytery is composed of all the ministers and designated leaders from a large group of churches spread across Munster, Leinster and Connacht. In total there are 21 such Presbyteries throughout Ireland. Each individual Presbytery meets regularly throughout the year to discuss and make decisions on vital matters affecting each congregation within their geographical region. In addition all of the Presbyteries meet together once a year at our denominational General Assembly to discuss and vote on important decisions affecting the life and work of all our congregations in Ireland. So our church family is accountable to two higher bodies (Presbytery and the General Assembly) for what we believe and the way we do things.
For more information, you might like to check out www.presbyterianireland.org or click on the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) icon on our home page.