A special offering for the presbytery of the Midwest is scheduled for May 29. Here is some information on what a presbytery is and what contribution supports:
Word Study
The word “presbytery” comes from the Greek word presbuteros and is rendered as “elder” in most translations of the Holy Bible. According to scripture, elders are responsible for the leadership of local congregations (1 Tim. 4:14, 5:17; Titus 1:5-16).
Because the work of the kingdom is larger than any local church, broader church meetings are sometimes necessary (Acts 15:1-31). When all the elders in a particular geographical region come together, it is naturally called a meeting of “presbytery.”
Your Presbytery
Your presbytery consists of congregations within Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin.Its current membership is 58 ministers and 195 ruling elders.The presbytery comes together at least twice a year and its typical agenda includes:
– overseeing churches
– reviewing ministries
– examining candidates
– establishing new churches
– supporting missions
– ordaining ministers
– praying for the church
While most people within our regional church will never attend a meeting of presbytery, it is their support which enables its work. The presbytery therefore requests annual support from the communicant members of each local church for the following needs:
General Fund – $8 per member covers the overhead costs of presbytery and bi-annual travel expenses incurred by the elders as they attend mandatory meetings.
Diaconal Committee – $4 per member enables the presbytery to support its ministerial members (and sometimes others) who are experiencing financial hardship.
Church Extension – $25 per member ensures that the presbytery and our Regional Home Missionary are able to continue planting new churches throughout our region.
Thank you for taking the time to learn more about your presbytery and how you can help us in our continued work.The total requested amount from each communicant member this year is $37 and we encourage you to ask your elders how this will be funded in your local congregation.
Bi-fold Printable Version