Church Government

Being Presbyterian

Mifflin is a congregation within the Presbyterian Church (USA). We have a presbyterian system of government, which means that:

• Local decisions are made at the congregational level to include the election of officers for the Session, Deacons, and Trustees, setting budgets, establishing programs for Christian education and fellowship. Decisions about the selection and retention of the pastoral staff are made by the congregation, under the guidance of the presbytery.
• Individual congregations belong to a regional governing body called a presbytery. This group meets regularly to work together on joint mission and resourcing of local churches. There are 113 churches in our presbytery - the Presbytery of Scioto Valley; it is composed of equal numbers of ministers and elders.
• The 173 presbyteries in the United States meet together annually in a General Assembly of 8 days and decide matters of concern to the whole church, including the sending of missionaries abroad. The denomination is governed by a constitution consisting of two parts: a Book of Confessions, with statements of essential beliefs of the Reformed Christian faith, and a Book of Order, which has the rules of government.

Being Mifflin Church

Session is the governing board at Mifflin which has responsibility for guiding the life and ministry of the congregation. The Session has 12 members elected by the congregation and ordained to serve a 3-year term. The pastor is the moderator of the board, having a voice at meetings, but not a vote except in case of a tie. The Session makes decisions about programs, policies, staff, and budgets.

Deacons are members ordained to minister to those in need within the congregation and the community. Mifflin has 18 deacons.

Trustees take care of the physical property of the church and its legal concerns as a corporation under the laws of Ohio. Twelve members serve on the board.