One of the benefits at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church is that we are connected to a much greater body of faith. We are a member of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Being part of a denomination provides many benefits, such as access to greater resources, expanded fellowship, and the ability to partner with other churches or agencies to accomplish ministries that would likely be impossible for a single church to handle. In other words, there is strength in numbers. A great example of this can be found in the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.
Our governing bodies are comprised of both teaching elders (pastors) and ruling elders (laity). This means that each hierarchical structure is based on a group of people, rather than individuals who hold a church office. This provides a wonderful system of checks and balances.
To give you a basic idea of how this works, we are a congregation found within the bounds of Grace Presbytery. Grace’s region covers churches from northern Texas to southern Oklahoma (it’s one of the largest in the nation). More information about our presbytery can be found here:
After the Presbytery comes the synod. We are members of the Synod of the Sun. The synod is a network of Presbyterian churches that seeks to glorify God as a missional body and supports the congregations within its jurisdiction. The Sun’s region consists of four states: Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. More information about our synod can be found here:
Finally, there is General Assembly. This is a massive, week-long convention that takes place every other summer and is made up of equal parts ruling and teaching elders, known as commissioners. To quote the GA website: It reviews the work of synods, resolves controversies in the church, is responsible for matters of common concern for the whole church, and serves as a symbol of unity for the church. In other words, it oversees our denomination and paves the way for our future. For more information about GA and the PC(USA):
