Interview of a Presbyterian Church Member Essay Example for Free

Interview of a Presbyterian Church Member Essay The Presbyterian Church was founded during the 16th century during the Protest Reformation. Much of the teachings and philosophies began with John Calvin (1509-1564). Currently, the Presbyterian Church (USA), is based in Louisville, Kentucky and has about 2. 4 million members belonging to 11,100 congregations. The church also has about 14,000 ordained and active ministers. The Presbyterian Church belongs to the Presbyterian family of Churches which also includes the Reformed churches synonymous with the Calvinist tradition. In the U. S. A. , the first church was organized in 1706 and the first general assembly in 1789. The church as it stands today was the result of the reunification of the two main branches of the Presbyterian Church separated since the Civil War. The church has membership in all fifty states and Puerto Rico. 1) What sacraments do you celebrate? What rituals do you perform? Our church primarily believes in two sacraments – the sacrament of baptism and the sacrament of communion. These are the only sacraments mentioned in the Bible. The only rituals performed are baptism for newborns and for those who newly converted to the Presbyterian Church’ faith. We have no rituals, other than attending a Sunday service performed by a minister in the church structure by congregation. We celebrate our faith through singing oftentimes accompanied by the choir and a sermon delivered by the minister. 2) What are some of your most common traditions? The Presbyterian Church still practices what was started and rooted in the Bible’s teachings. We do have a general assembly that outlines our mission and goals for specific activities that the church members will undertake for a specified period of time. We abide by the decisions passed during the general assembly. We do missions inside and outside the country, more specifically in East Asia, Africa and other continents – wherever our mandates take us. We basically do preaching, teaching and healing – following Christ when he advocated for the poor, the hungry and the oppressed. 3) What beliefs distinguish your denomination from others? The Presbyterian Church (U. S. A. ) is distinctly a confessional and a connectional church, distinguished by the representation of elders-laymen and laywomen-in its government. Our church is also distinct in adhering to a separate religious thought known as Reformed Theology and a more â€Å"democratic† and representational church leadership that is now known as the General Assembly. 4) How was your church founded? Approximately twenty years after martin Luther King posted his list of 95 grievances on a Roman Catholic Church door in Wittenberg, Germany in 1517, a French/Swiss theologian name John Calvin refined the reformers’ manner and way of thinking about God and humankind’s relationship with God. This refined way of thinking became the basis for the foundation of the Presbyterian Church. 5) Who is the head of your church? The General Assembly meets and outlines the specific activities and guidelines for all its congregations to follow. The General Assembly consists of elders chosen by the people. The word Presbyterian means â€Å"elder† in Greek. The chosen elders exercise leadership, government, discipline and have responsibilities for the duration of the congregation. The body of elders elected to govern a particular congregation is called a session. According to the Book of Order G-6. 0302: â€Å"When elected commissioners to higher governing bodies, elders participate and vote with the same authority as ministers of the Word and Sacrament, and they are eligible for any office†¦The session is the smallest, most local governing body. The other governing bodies are presbyteries, which are composed of several churches; synods, which are composed of several presbyteries; and the General Assembly, which represents the entire denomination. Elders and ministers who serve on these governing bodies are also called presbyters. † 6) What is the role of women in your church? The Presbyterian Church adheres to the equal sharing of servitude as well as leadership to women. Women can serve as elders, deacons and head of committees. The first ordination women elders occurred in 1962 and the first ordained women ministers began as early as 1965. 7) Have you been a life-long member of your church? If you converted, can you tell me why? I was born to conservative Catholic parents. I was baptized as a Catholic but while in College, I joined a social service organization that provides services to the marginalized people in the rural areas. That was when I met a friend who introduced me to the Presbyterian way of â€Å"reformed thinking†. From then on, I closely read the Bible and everything that was taught to me since I was born, like John Calvin, I began to question. More discussions with my friend made me a convert. 8) What happens during a typical worship service? There are similarities and differences between a Catholic service and the Presbyterian worship service. The Catholic Church has prescribed a set of ceremony that begins when a priest would enter the church with his assistants or what we call altar boys. There is a set book of sermon that the priest goes over. There is also a time for communion. But in the Presbyterian Church worship service; there is more open discussion of the scriptures. The minister can provide insights and there is a more joyful environment to worship God and his teachings. The ambience is so much different. Presbyterian Church members sing their praise to God. There is no â€Å"nagging† ceremony and no confessional to attend to before partaking of the â€Å"Body of Christ†. A Sunday worship is determined by the pastor, and the session, the church’s governing body. It usually includes a combination of prayer, music, Bible reading and a sermon based upon scripture. There is also a personal response and offering and community concerns are shared as part of the worship process. 9) Do you believe those from other faiths can have salvation, or go to heaven? Yes, it is possible. John Calvin believed in predestination. We chose God because he chose us first. Hence, we cannot judge who among us will be saved or who will go to heaven because that is a judgment reserved for God only. He alone knows who will be saved. 10) What are your views of the afterlife? I believe that there is life after death but only by the grace of God and through faith. 11) How does your faith interpret the Bible? For Presbyterians, the Bible is the means by which we, as Christians can come to understand the presence of God since the beginning of time. By understanding and learning the scriptures, we can then know of God’s love, eternal goodness and constant forgiveness of our sins. 12) How often does the church call upon you to pray? How often do you pray each day? The church exhorts church members and believers to pray as much as we can – either by praying aloud, in community with others or as much as we need to. It basically depends how much an individual’s needs. 13) What does the Presbyterian seal mean or symbolize? The church seal is the symbol of the church heritage, identity and its mission. The symbols embedded in the seal are the cross, Scripture, dove and the flames. The more prominent symbol in the seal is the cross. It represents the love of God through Jesus Christ, through his sacrifice and resurrection. 14) What are your views on abortion, alcohol, and capital punishment? The 217th General Assembly of the church clarified the position on problem pregnancies and abortion. The position paper basically states that the matter of abortion is ultimately the woman’s decision. The church though appeals to all members of the church to surround problematic women contemplating decision on a problematic pregnancy with love and support. The church clarified further that on matters of health concerns that is complicated by pregnancy; they encourage the safe delivery of both the mother and the child (during late term pregnancies). With regards alcohol consumption, the general assembly of the church â€Å"does not advocate the prohibition of alcohol, a policy which would appear to attribute the entire problem to alcohol itself. Responsible and non-problematic uses of alcohol have been part of human experience and the Judeo-Christian heritage since the beginning of recorded history†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ; however, the church advocates voluntary abstinence from alcohol consumption. With regards the issue of capital punishment, the most recent statement in 1985 reaffirmed the church’s position on its continuing opposition to capital punishment. 15) What are your views on sin and do you believe that God punishes humans for sins they commit? Humans are born to err and sin. But the God that I know is not vengeful. God is a forgiving God that bestows forgiveness even to those who err in their ways. The repercussions of our actions or sins on earth are enough punishment for us humans. As a conclusion give a paragraph reflection of the denomination as well as a contrast/ comparison between this denomination and Catholicism. In conclusion, the Presbyterian Church as â€Å"refined† by the studies of John Calvin deviated and differed from the Catholic Church in a lot of ways. These are as follows: 1. Presbyterians do not have a single head of Church. We do not have a pope. We have a congregation or assembly of elders whom our communities of members have chosen. 2. We do confessions by ourselves and believe that through the grace of God, and through submission of our confessions to God, we are forgiven. The Catholic Church requires confession of an individual to a priest. 3. Women are treated as equals and can be equally ordained as ministers and chosen as an elder. 4. The interpretation of the Bible is not â€Å"mystically† interpreted but through careful analysis and through scholarly studies. 5. Prayer and worship is done either individually or in community with other Presbyterian Church members – in joyful celebration of the grace and love of God. Works Cited: [1] Presbyterian Church website (USA) http://www.pcusa.org/