THE CONSTITUTION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (U.S.A.)
The Bible is the basis of our life together. Beyond the Bible, the constitution of the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is composed of two documents: The Book of Confessions
and the Book of Order. Copies of both books are available upon request.
Our style of government is the basis of our name. Presbyterian comes from the Greek word
presbyteros, which means “elder.” The word occurs seventy-two times in the New
Testament and refers to persons charged with teaching the faith, ironing out troubles, and
helping God’s people continue their mission. Our decisions are made not by people in
hierarchical positions, nor by a congregation as a whole, but by elected elders called to
serve Christ. Our representative democracy was a model for the development of our
nation’s civil government.
The government of the Presbyterian Church is connectional in nature. Each congregation
is part of the presbytery, which is made up of all the congregations in a given geographic
area. Each presbytery, in turn, is part of a larger geographic area called the synod. And all
the congregations, presbyteries, and synods make up the General Assembly. The
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is made up of congregations, presbyteries, and synods.
