The word "Presbyterians" comes from the Greek word "presbyteros" that means "elder". It refers to mature members of the congregation or community who are respected for their wisdom, experience, and faithfulness to the church. It also denotes a particular office of leadership. Presbyterian churches are governed by elders and the minister or pastor of the church is the teaching elder.

Presbyterian history began in the 16th century during the Protestant Reformation. Our heritage, and a vast amount of our beliefs, are due to a French lawyer, John Calvin (1509-1564), whose writings formed much of the Reformed thinking that preceded him.

 

While living in Geneva, Switzerland, Calvin focused on much of his writing. It was from there that the Reformed movement spread into other parts of Europe and to the British Isles. At that particular point in history, the Christian Church divided into two main sections: the Eastern Church (Greek and Russian Orthodox) and the Western Church (Roman Catholic). Church leaders protested the corruption of the Christian Church and sought its reform. They were titled "Protestants" because they bore witness (from the Latin phrase: "pro plus testare" that means "to bear witness") to what they believed to be New Testament Christianity. These early Reformers believed that all people should have access to God through the Bible and through prayer. They believed that one could develop a personal relationship with God, without intervention from a priest. The Reformers stressed the sovereignty of God the Father, while proclaiming that Jesus Christ dwells within each of us.

Many of the early Presbyterians came to America from England, Scotland and Ireland. During 1706, the first American Presbytery was organized in Philadelphia and the first General Assembly was held in 1789 in the same location. Reverend John Witherspoon, the only minister to sign the Declaration of Independence, sat as the head of the first Assembly.