What We Believe

What is a Presbyterian Church?*
Presbyterian Churches have certain beliefs in common and a Presbyterian form of church government. We are a branch of the Christian church; and, as such, we are Evangelical, Catholic, and Reformed.

We are Evangelical
Sometimes the word "evangelical" is equated with emotional displays and a narrow theology. We are not using the word in that way. The word "evangel" is a solid New Testament word; therefore, all who believe the good news of Jesus and are trying to follow in his way can called evangelical.

We are Catholic
The word catholic means universal, or worldwide. To belong to the catholic church is to say we belong to the church as it is found around the world, and through the ages. The Christian Faith did not spring into being at the time of the Reformation. It started in the first century with Christ. The Church has had rousing successes and colossal failures; its times of glory and its hours of despair; nevertheless, we acknowledge it all ... and embrace that wherever Jesus Christ is honoured as Lord, there we rejoice.

We are Reformed
Presbyterian roots go back to the 16th century in the sense that Presbyterians became a separate branch of the Christian church at that time. Our leaders in the Reformation were John Calvin (a Frenchman) and John Knox (a Scot). The Reformed Church spread to France, Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Scotland, Hungary, and to a lesser extent to other European countries.

It is wrong to regard Presbyterians as being only Scottish in origin, though it is true the roots of The Presbyterian Church in Canada are Scottish and that our mother church is the Church of Scotland (which is Presbyterian).

*We acknowledge the 1978 booklet Being a Presbyterian in Canada Today, authored by the Rev. Dr. Stephen Hayes, as the source for the above information.

What does a Presbyterian Church Believe?
Presbyterians believe in the triune God. In other words, God is one God, yet revealed in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.We believe the Bible is the written revelation of who God is. We believe it is important to gather weekly for worship and to also regularly experience the Sacraments of Communion.We believe the Sacrament of Baptism is seen as a visible sign of God’s promise to God’s people.

​

For more information on the Presbyterian faith in Canada please visit the Presbyterian Church in Canada's website.