Church Government

Pilgrim church is a Presbyterian church. Presbyter is Greek for "elder." We believe that the Lord Jesus rules his Church by his Word and Spirit through the oversight of pastors and mature, godly men ("elders") who are selected by the congregation and join with the pastor in this oversight. Presbyterians believe that local churches are connected to one another and not autonomous. Thus, pastors and elders from local churches join together to give oversight to the local churches in their region. This regional assembly is called a "presbytery." Presbyteries gather to give oversight to the national church. This gathering is called "general assembly." (These bodies are somewhat analogous to our local, state and national governments, except that the same men make up each assembly.)