Presbyterianism

Presbyterians are distinctive in two major ways: they adhere to a pattern of religious thought known as Reformed theology and a form of government that stresses the active, representational leadership of both ministers and church members."
-- Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)


Presbyterian and Reformed churches share a common origin in the 16th-century Swiss Reformation and the teachings of John Calvin, and today make up one of the largest branches of Protestant Christianity. There are about 75 million Reformed/Presbyterian Christians worldwide; about 2.5 million belong to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

The name "Presbyterian" comes from the representational form of church government called presbyterian. In presbyterian churches, governing authority is given to elected lay leaders known as "elders" (or "presbyters"), who work with the congregation's ordained minister. Presbyterian belief and practice center on the Bible and the sovereignty of God.