The Session consists of the senior pastor, associate pastors and ruling elders. Elders are servant leaders who oversee the life and ministry of PVPC. A ruling elder is a member who has been elected by the other PVPC members. Several passages of Scripture describe the characteristics of an elder:

(1Timothy 3:1-7 NIV) Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap.

(Titus 1:6-9 NIV) An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer is entrusted with God's work, he must be blameless--not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
and Titus 1:6-9

 The office of deacon as explained in the Scriptures (Acts 6:1-7) is to be one of service. The word 'deacon' in the Greek means servant. It is the duty of the deacons to minister to those who are in need, the sick and to any who may be in distress. It is their Duty to help develop the grace of liberality among the members. They shall have the care of the property of the church. The deacons carry out their duties under the oversight of the session. The deacons are organized as a board of which the pastor is an advisory member.

To be "evangelical" means to be devoted to spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to strive to live and act in accordance with the infallible Word. The term “evangelical” was derived from the Greek word for “good news” or “Gospel,” evangelion. PVPC demonstrates its dedication to evangelism through its outreaches and mission work. We seek to follow what Jesus Christ commanded of His disciples, “What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.” (Matthew 10:27, ESV).

To be part of the Reformed faith means to affirm the sovereignty of God in and over all things. Based on the Biblical truths reasserted by John Calvin and other leaders of the Protestant Reformation, the Reformed faith presents a world view centered wholly upon Christ.

We have much in common with other Protestant traditions. This includes the “five solas,” the beliefs that Christ alone (solus Christus) is the Mediator between God and man, that we are saved by God’s grace alone (sola gratia), through faith alone (sola fide), that infallible Scripture alone (sola Scriptura) should guide our lives and worship and that all glory belongs to God alone (soli Deo gloria).

But there are many important differences. The “five points of Calvinism,” as presented in the acronym “TULIP,” state some of the most distinctive beliefs of the Reformed faith held as official doctrine by the PCA and other dedicated Reformed denominations:

Total Depravity:
 The corruption of humankind is complete, and in our sin-wracked, spiritually dead state we are wholly unable to reach out to God without His grace (Genesis 6:5; Romans 8:7-8; Ephesians 2:1, ESV).

Unconditional Election: 
Before the foundation of the world, the Lord chose those whom He would save in Christ, not on the basis of any quality they possess or condition they meet, but by the secret counsel of His own mercy (Exodus 33:19; Romans 9:16; Ephesians 1:4, ESV).

Limited Atonement: 
Christ’s sacrifice paid the debt of sin for the elect, the limited, definite group whom God chose in eternity to save through His grace for His glory (Matthew 11:27; John 17:9; Hebrews 9:15, ESV).

Irresistible Grace:
 The Holy Spirit unstoppably draws those elected for salvation to Christ, beginning the relationship that people in their fallen state cannot (John 3:8; John 6:44-45; Romans 8:30, ESV)

Perseverance of the Saints:
 Even though they may stumble in their walk, all those called to live by the Holy Spirit will maintain their relationship with Christ until the end. For the Lord will not allow true believers to fall away, and people who do slip into apostasy prove that they never had real, God-given faith (John 10:28; Romans 8:38-39; 1 John 2:19, ESV).

To learn more about Reformed beliefs, read The Westminster Confession of Faith on the PCA Web site.

The word “Presbyterian” has its origin in the Greek word for “elder,” presbuteros. It refers to the system of church government by elders that arose out of the Reformation in the 16th century, particularly from the Scottish Reformation led by John Knox. Today, The Presbyterian Church in America reflects the Presbyterian tradition in its three levels of government:

The Session

 - The group of elected elders (including the pastor) that governs an individual church.

The Presbytery - 
The group of elders drawn from a region’s PCA churches that oversees and coordinates the ministry in its area. PVPC is a member of the Northeast Florida Presbytery.

The General Assembly
 - The group of elders from every Presbytery that meets annually to oversee the ongoing development of the Presbyterian Church in America and make decisions at the denominational level.

We believe that this form of church government accurately represents the teachings of the New Testament and that its representative-based structure keeps the denomination’s doctrine and practices pure.

The Presbyterian Church in America (and, by extension, PVPC) enjoys fraternal and cooperative relations with other faithful Presbyterian and Reformed denominations through participation in the North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council (NAPARC). Other NAPARC members include the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, the Korean-American Presbyterian Church, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, the Reformed Church in the U.S., The Reformed Church of Québec ("L'Église Réformée du Québec) and the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America.

The PCA and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church also partner to run Great Commission Publications, a ministry dedicated to publishing Reformed books and resources for education and worship.

As with all of the PCA and countless other Christian churches and denominations, PVPC regards mission work as an essential part of the Great Commission. And we act upon this belief. PVPC supports many ongoing missionary efforts—ranging from the nearby University of North Florida to Indonesia—and holds short-term mission trips annually for youth and adults.

 Yes! Discover PVPC’s exciting youth and women’s programs on the Ministries portion of our site.

As the Lord continues to bless Ponte Vedra Presbyterian Church, we look for new ways to grow in service to Him. This includes plans to expand our buildings, make our annual A Bethlehem Visit event better than ever and develop new programs for learning and fellowship ministries.

At Ponte Vedra Presbyterian Church, we offer a wide variety of ministries to help people of all ages grow closer to God. The programs at our church are designed to refocus our hearts on Christ, our minds on the Word and our souls on the joys of Heaven to come—all in a manner that applies the Lord’s eternal, unchanging truth to the complexities of modern life. And our efforts in the mission field strive to share the Good News with the world.