Sources: John Knox, History of the Reformation in Scotland (~1586); the Westminster Confession of Faith (1647); the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms (1647); the Form of Government.

Presbyterianism is the Calvinist tradition organized around governance by elders (presbyteroi) rather than bishops — the conviction that the New Testament church was governed by a plurality of elders, not episcopal hierarchy. John Knox (~1513–1572 AD) brought Reformed theology from Geneva to Scotland, and the Scottish Reformation (1560) produced the Kirk (Church of Scotland) on Presbyterian principles. Presbyterian polity: (1) The session — the ruling body of a local congregation, consisting of ordained ruling elders and the teaching elder (minister); (2) The presbytery — regional body of ministers and ruling elder representatives; (3) The synod and General Assembly — higher courts. The Westminster Assembly (1643–1653) produced the Westminster Confession, Larger Catechism, and Shorter Catechism — the most comprehensive Reformed confessional standards, adopted by Scottish and American Presbyterians. The Westminster Shorter Catechism’s opening answer (“Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever”) is one of the most famous sentences in Protestant theology. American Presbyterianism has repeatedly divided and reunited over slavery, theological liberalism, and cultural issues — the 1861 split over slavery into Northern and Southern churches was not reunited until 1983. Today the PCUSA (liberal) and PCA (conservative) represent the main streams.