Presbyterian in Government

Our church government.

The government of the Presbyterian Church is a representative government in which the entire congregation elects elders, for the administration of spiritual affairs, and deacons for the administration of temporal ones. This, however, does not mean that the congregation has no further voice in her affairs, for regular and called meetings of the congregation are held throughout the year.

The Session, Diaconate, and Presbytery.

These administrative Boards are known as the Session and the Diaconate. From the Session a representative is chosen each year to represent the congregation, along with the pastor, in the Presbytery. The Presbytery is composed of all representatives of the separate Associate Reformed Presbyterian churches in the area.

The General Synod.

The Highest Court of the Church is the General Synod of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, which is composed of representatives from all the Presbyteries. The Synod holds its annual stated meeting in June at Bonclarken, our assembly grounds in western North Carolina.

To God alone be the glory.

The Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church makes no claim to a monopoly in matters of truth and faith; neither does she claim any exclusive position with regard to the Savior and His love. We accept all believers in Christ as being in full communion with us and we believe that they too are members of the body or Christ, the Church Universal. Through it all, we reaffirm the Catchword of Calvin and the Reformed Movement: “To God alone be the glory.”

Reformed in Doctrine

The Protestant Reformation.

At the time of the Reformation, two major branches of thought and practice emerged: the Lutheran branch under the leadership of Martin Luther, Melancthon and others; and the Reformed branch under John Calvin, Theodore Beza, John Knox and others. The Reformation under the Reformed movement took the positive position that the Word of God alone was infallible and authoritative in matters of faith and practice. As such, only those things commanded and directed in scripture were permissible in worship.

Basic Evangelical truths.

  • The divine inspiration and infallibility of the Holy Scriptures as the Word of God contained in the Old and New Testaments.
  • One living and true God – God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. These three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and in glory.
  • The deity of Jesus, the Christ. Though Jesus of Nazareth was in His human nature born of a virgin, He in His person was the Divine Son of God. He is therefore God and Man in two distinct natures in one divine person forever.
  • The sinful nature and estate of man. Man is a sinner transgressing God’s law, and in rebellion of God’s authority. He is under the wrath and curse of God, condemned by his just judgment. He is therefore in a lost condition unable to save himself.
  • Salvation and forgiveness of man only in Christ, who by His death on the cross paid the penalty of our sin in full and who by His resurrection is victorious over death and the grave.
  • Salvation by grace, only through the merit and righteousness of Christ, which is put to our account and received by faith alone.
  • The Church as the Body of Christ of which all true believers in Christ are a part, dwelling together in unity of the spirit and in the bond of Christian love.
  • Christ as the King and Head of all the church abiding in Him; we are in the true apostolic succession of the Christian Faith. Christ Himself will provide His church with necessary gifts and fullness needed for this day.

Our confession.

The Associate Reformed Church has sought faithfully to hold to the Westminster Confession of Faith and the catechisms as her standards.