Presbyterians embrace the great content of the Christian faith including:

• Jesus as the revealing Son of God, faith in whom leads to eternal life,
• The wonderful teaching and healing ministry of Jesus’ life,
• The atoning nature of Jesus death which points us toward God’s forgiveness,
• The powerful fact of Jesus’ resurrection,
• The gift of God’s Spirit as our Helper in the world today,
• The authority of scripture (the Bible) as God’s Word
• The wider church as the Body of Christ, followers of Jesus in the world today.

Presbyterians share with millions of other Christians the two thousand year history of the church’s journey, including the re-shaping of the church into the Protestant expression during the Reformation of the 1500's. We particularly belong to a part of the Protestant branch of the Christian family called “The Reformed Tradition,” which includes not only Presbyterians but Congregationalists and Reformed churches in many nations (such as the Church of Scotland, and The Uniting Churches of Canada). With them we share a common historical and spiritual ancestor named John Calvin, a Frenchman who carried out the great majority of his renewing ministry in the church in Geneva during the first half of the 1500’s.

Some of the principles articulated by John Calvin remain at the core of Presbyterian beliefs. Among these are the sovereignty of God, the authority of the scripture, justification by grace through faith and the priesthood of all believers. What they mean is that God is the supreme authority throughout the universe. Our knowledge of God and God's purpose for humanity comes from the Bible, particularly what is revealed in the New Testament through the life of Jesus Christ. Our salvation (justification) through Jesus is God's generous gift to us and not the result of our own accomplishments. It is everyone's job - ministers and lay people alike - to share this Good News with the whole world. That is also why the Presbyterian church is governed at all levels by a combination of clergy and laity, men and women alike.

Points of Interest: Presbyterians confess their beliefs through statements that have been adopted over the years and are contained in the Book of Confessions. These statements reflect our understanding of God and what God expects of us at different times in history, but all are faithful to the fundamental beliefs described above. Even though we share these common beliefs, Presbyterians understand that God alone is lord of the conscience, and it is up to each individual to understand what these principles mean in his or her life.

Presbyterians embrace two sacraments in the life of the worshipping community as being given and commended to the church by Jesus himself: The Lord’s Supper and Baptism.

One of the best known expressions of what Presbyterians believe is an ancient statement of faith called “The Apostles’ Creed.”

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. AMEN.  (Modern English Version)

Other of the creeds in the Presbyterian Book of Confessions can be found at http://www.creeds.net/reformed/creeds.htm

A modern statement of Presbyterian belief was written and approved by the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America in 1991. It is called “The Brief Statement of Belief.”

In life and death we belong to God. Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, The love of God, And the communion of the Holy Spirit, we trust in the one triune God, the Holy One of Israel, whom alone we worship and serve. We trust in Jesus Christ, Fully human, fully God. Jesus proclaimed the reign of God: preaching good news to the poor and release to the captives, teaching by word and deed and blessing the children, healing the sick and binding up the brokenhearted, eating with outcasts, forgiving sinners, and calling all to repent and believe the gospel. Unjustly condemned for blasphemy and sedition, Jesus was crucified, suffering the depths of human pain and giving his life for the sins of the world. God raised Jesus from the dead, vindicating his sinless life, breaking the power of sin and evil, delivering us from death to life eternal. We trust in God, whom Jesus called Abba, Father. In sovereign love God created the world good and makes everyone equally in God's image male and female, of every race and people, to live as one community. But we rebel against God; we hide from our Creator. Ignoring God's commandments, we violate the image of God in others and ourselves, accept lies as truth, exploit neighbor and nature, and threaten death to the planet entrusted to our care. We deserve God's condemnation. Yet God acts with justice and mercy to redeem creation. In everlasting love, the God of Abraham and Sarah chose a covenant people to bless all families of the earth. Hearing their cry, God delivered the children of israel from the house of bondage. Loving us still, God makes us heirs with Christ of the covenant. Like a mother who will not forsake her nursing child, like a father who runs to welcome the prodigal home, God is faithful still. We trust in God the Holy Spirit, everywhere the giver and renewer of life. The Spirit justifies us by grace through faith, sets us free to accept ourselves and to love God and neighbor, and binds us together with all believers in the one body of Christ, the church. The same Spirit who inspired the prophets and apostles rules our faith and life in Christ through Scripture, engages us through the Word proclaimed, claims us in the waters of baptism, feeds us with the bread of life and the cup of salvation, and calls women and men to all ministries of the church. In a broken and fearful world the Spirit gives us courage to pray without ceasing, to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior, to unmask idolatries in church and culture, to hear the voices of peoples long silenced, and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace. In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit, we strive to serve Christ in our daily tasks and to live holy and joyful lives, even as we watch for God's new heaven and new earth, praying, Come, Lord Jesus! With believers in every time and place, we rejoice that nothing in life or in death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.

You can find more information about what Presbyterians believe at http://www.pcusa.org/101/101-theology.htm