OK, so you want to understand a bit about how we're organised as a church? We'll try to sketch a picture for you. If you need more details, feel free to contact the office.
Broadly speaking, the Presbyterian Church is based on a parliamentary model, like our local, state and federal governments. This has the advantage of checks and balances.
So at the local level, GPC operates independantly under the guidance of a team of Elders, which includes ministers and non-ministers. Also at the local level, their is a Committee of Management that oversees all property matters, including GPC finances.
At the next level, is the Presbytery. This is the geographical clustering of other Presbyterian churches on the Central Coast. The Presbytery gives pastoral oversight of ministers. When necessary, it can act as an appeal court for issues that arise in the local church.
The next levels are the State Assembly, that meets annually, and Federal Assembly that meets every few years. These assemblies generally deal with the 'business end' of the demonination, but also give overall direction, as well as providing opportunies for good and fair theological debate. One of the features of a Presbyterian church is this open form of church government.
All of these bodies are guided by a Code of rules and regulations, which is a formal framework established by the the Presbyterian Church of Australia, to help maintain appropriate order.
