Principles of Presbyterian Polity, Updated Edition

Newly updated for the revised Directory for Worship.

Pastors, church leaders, and students of Presbyterian polity will find this a useful guide to Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) governance based on foundational principles. Recent changes in the PC(USA) Constitution have meant fewer rules and more flexibility in governance, making it imperative that leaders understand the historical principles that guide the church. Wilton explains the Book of Order's historic principles of church order in accessible language, providing readers with a lively appreciation of the revolutionary principles that guided the Presbyterian experiment in the New World and are still the beating heart of church life today. Principles of Presbyterian Polity, updated for the revised Directory for Worship, is written from the conviction that it is not enough merely to know the "what" of polity; a deep, intuitive understanding of the "why" is just as vital. Church leaders will come away with a greater understanding of the Book of Order and have confidence using it in practical situations

Carlos E. Wilton is the former Pastor of the Point Pleasant Presbyterian Church in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey. He has taught polity classes at Princeton Theological Seminary and New Brunswick Theological Seminary and served as Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of Monmouth. He is the editor of Hear My Voice: Preaching the Lectionary Psalms and the author of the Lectionary Preaching Workbook, Series VIII (Cycles A, B, and C). He is senior illustrations writer for Homiletics magazine.