On Being Presbyterian: Our Beliefs, Practices, And Stories

by Sean Michael Lucas

Lucas, a pastor and seminary professor, suggests that being Presbyterian means embracing distinctive beliefs, practices
and stories as one’s own. A nontechnical resource for equipping believers for Presbyterian church practice.

Genres: Theology, Christian, History, Nonfiction, Religion, Church, Christian Living

Kindle Edition

First published May 18, 2006

About the author

Sean Michael Lucas is the Senior Minister of First Presbyterian Church, Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Prior to this, he served as Chief Academic Officer and associate professor of church history at Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri. He received BA and MA degrees from Bob Jones University and his PhD degree from Westminster Theological Seminary.

Reviews

[Adam McKinney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brief look at the nuts and bolts of Presbyterianism. Fairly well-written, straightforward and useful book. The section on Presbyterian history was my favorite part- concise, engaging and detailed enough.

Broken into 3 sections: beliefs/doctrine, practice (the outworking of beliefs), and stories/Presbyterian history. The first two sections weren't anything groundbreaking to me, but would be a valuable rundown on reformed Presbyterian life and thought for anyone interested.

*As another reviewer said-
In some cases a different book focused on reformed theology more generally might be most appropriate for someone new to reformed thinking.
But for any person possessing some theological baseline and looking to grasp a distinctively Presbyterian perspective- this would be great.

[Annie Riggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do not judge this book by its cover! This is a wonderfully helpful book for anyone who finds themselves in a Presbyterian church after being part of other denominations, or who has been a Presbyterian forever and knows nothing different.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m reading this for PCA officer training, but might also recommend it for those who are new or considering membership in a Presbyterian denomination. Sure, it’s dry as a bone, but that’s a feature and not a bug— it’s written with a clarity that would work well in group discussions. The summaries of Presbyterian doctrine and practice are helpful for understanding what makes Presbyterianism distinct, and the church government section is especially good. The final third— a whirlwind tour of Presbyterian history— is useful, though I have a number of quibbles (fast and loose use of “progressive,” reformed faith vs. reformed tradition, etc). Niche PCA observation: I was pleasantly surprised by Lucas’ affirmation of good faith subscription. Most cringeworthy sentence: A claim that worship style is the most controversial issue in Presbyterianism. Ah, the good old days.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated the bird’s-eye view of Presbyterian history, particularly my denomination, the OPC, and the PCA.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the past I was put off by this book's silly cover art, which is a shame because I found the content excellent and helpful. It's particularly geared toward those who are coming into a Presbyterian church from a more baptistic/non-denominational setting, and it makes a positive, non-triumphalistic case for (primarily PCA) Presbyterian identity in an age that sees little use for denominations. It's divided into sections on doctrine (sovereignty, grace, covenant, ecclesiology, sacraments), practice (piety, worship, governance), and "stories" that frame and give shape to the previous two areas--in other words, history. Unsurprisingly coming from Sean Lucas, this last section is top-notch, particularly on the American stuff. It admittedly confirms my bias that historians often make some of the most clear-eyed pastors. :)

On the whole, it's a learned, pastoral, and wonderfully accessible book.

[Timothy Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book might have been my favorite out of the last few books I have read. Only because I feel like I got to learn more about the bride of Christ. The Bride of Christ as it pertains to her history, but more personally, the history of the one I get to attend. I have such a deep appreciation for the reformed worship practices, I believe them to be faithful in a number of ways mentioned in this book. But the amazing thing is when a church is under Lordship of the Word and Spirit, there is more continuity than you would think. The corporate preaching and hearing of God’s word, general thanksgiving to God, prayer, musical worship, and the sacraments (baptism and the Lord’s Supper). Our piety comes from knowing God and His commands, as emphasized by the reformed JI Packer. In sum as we embrace orthodoxy (healthy doctrine) can we demonstrate orthopraxy (healthy practice). The rule of doctrine can and should be the rule of faith, practice, and prayer. However as beings totally depraved there is the remnants of sin that linger until we are completely glorified as God sees us. “Therefore, the goal of our piety is not a perfect or even "moment by moment" sinlessness, but rather long-term growth in grace, progress in communion with God, and a "practice of true holiness" (WCF 13.1). Our great hope for our growth in grace is "the continual supply of strength from the sanctifying Spirit of Christ" (WCF 13.3). Any progress that we make in the Christian life is due solely to the sovereign work of God's Spirit, motivated by God's amazing grace and rooted in God's glorious gospel. And the practices of piety that we have considered take our focus away from ourselves and our striving for God and plant us firmly in the gospel itself.”

My last and most favorite take away was the structure and idea behind our reformed worship practices, the idea of our worship actually being covenantal. My favorite word of the year by the way. This meaning there is a response to be had to something that has been initiated, and there is to be deep communion involved. Taking this understanding and applying it to worship, we can see how our belief that worship is covenantal would mean that in worship there is a two-way movement between God and his people. There is a dialogue between God and his church. God is the one who makes the first move toward us by calling us to worship, and we respond by invoking his presence in our midst. And the rest of worship is a movement back and forth between God and his beloved people, a movement in which God meets us in Word and sacrament and we respond to his presence with prayers and praises.

This is the certain ebb and flow to many Presbyterian worship services:
• God calls us into his presence by his Word and Spirit.
• We enter God's holy presence, are convicted of sin, and confess our sins to him.
• God responds by his Word with an assurance of his pardon.
• In prayers and songs, we praise our God for calling us into his presence and forgiving our sins.
• God speaks to us by his Word in the reading and preaching of Scripture, as well as through his visible signs of baptism and the Lord's Supper.
• We respond to God in thanksgiving with praise and offerings.
• God sends us away with his blessing (or benediction).
• We move back into the world for loving service, assured that we are God's people.


The belief that worship is at the heart of our communion with God. Which is part of the reason we take the Lord’s Supper every week together. “We are such weak creatures that we not only require the hearing of God's Word with our ears, but also need to see it in pie-ture form and experience it tangibly.” What grace is there in that. Psalm 34:8… taste and see!

[David Goetz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid but mostly unremarkable introduction to Presbyterianism written by a pastor in the PCA.

The first section describes the distinctive elements of Reformed theology; the second addresses Presbyterian piety/spirituality, worship, and government; and the third provides a concise and helpful history of Presbyterianism, with special emphasis on its development in the United States.

Recommended if you're new to Presbyterianism (as I am) or otherwise want to know about it.

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book serves its purpose of breaking down Presbyterianism. I would highly recommend reading this as a Sunday school/small group rather than individually. I think a lot of Presbyterian Church goers would benefit from learning more about why and how their church operates the way it does, but personally I would’ve preferred to use my time reading a book on reformed theology as a whole.

[Allison Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cheesy cover, great book. Lucas outlines the beliefs, practices, and history of the Presbyterian church in a thorough, digestible, and ministerial manner. Especially strong in his description of how the Presbyterian church interacts and has interacted with the Westminster Standards, a concise history of the denomination, and his usage of hymns throughout, giving the book a more devotional feel.

[Grant Van Brimmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to be honest, this book struggled to keep my attention for the first two-thirds of the way. It wasn't bad. I agreed with most of it because I'm presbyterian. It was really quite vanilla. The last third, the history part, was much more interesting. I've always loved church history. So, reading about the history of the presbyterian church held me attention much better.

[Josiah Hasbrouck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Similar to the Sproul book in that it's decent for what it is: a non-academic overview. Dissimilar to the Sproul book in that it has heckin beefy "For Further Reading" sections.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great primer on Reformed and evangelical Presbyterianism. Used it to prep for classes I taught called, “What’s a Presbyterian?”

Sadly, really, really awful cover art.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given a copy of this book when I attended a morning book study with some guys from Redeemer Pres. in Waco, TX. SML strikes me as more of a squishy PCA guy, based on what I've seen on social media, but I didn't notice major red flags in this book. Videos and small group questions available here.

Tagged "theonomy" because of pp. 241-42, where Lucas offers an explanation of theonomy in the PCA. "[T]heonomy always has had the most allure for those Reformed believers for whom a stress on the continuity of the Old and New Testaments and on a 'world and life view' have great appeal."

See Frame's "Machen's Warrior Children" for more on Presbyterian infighting—I mean, brotherly conversations.

[Jeremy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this to learn more about being Presbyterian as I'm thinking of seeking ordination in the PCA. Decent book, very clear and orderly, not written with much flair. Not super scintillating. In other words, very Presbyterian.

The "Presbyterian Stories" part is fairly helpful, though I like John Frame's "Machen's Warrior Children" article for a shorter summary of the history of Presbyterian splits, debates, etc.

[Josh Crews]

bad cover! We recovered ours with poster paper.

Great first chapter on the sovereignty of God! My heart rejoices when a defense of the sovereignty of God is made well. Christians are consistently belittling God's power. I like seeing such silliness body-slammed.

I'm primarily interested in sorting out infant baptism and hope this book helps me.

[J. Alfred · Rating 3 out of 5]

A neat, well-organized book on the Beliefs, Practices, and history of Presbyterianism in general and the PCA in particular. Could probably be a little more apologetic, but maybe I'm too pugnacious: it is clear he wants to preach to the choir in this one. Anyway, it would be a good resource for a more extensive church membership or Sunday School program. Good stuff.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This should be required reading for every Presbyterian - it's important to understand what you're doing in worship and why. Clear and concise - well written - easy to understand (Reformed faith is for thinkers!).

The stories help develop a knowledge of the history of Presbyterianism - all good.

[Jason Leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exactly what I was hoping for from a PCA perspective. Doctrinal clarity, thorough history, and a well laid out explanation of practices and procedures.

[Tyler Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good introduction to Presbyterianism. I agreed with Lucas’ structure and emphases. He devotes his book to Presbyterian beliefs, practices, and stories. His summary is accurate and informative.

The shortcoming of this work is mainly that, while he wrote it for those in new member classes, it is often too technical to be helpful in those environments. On the flipside, it is too vague for those wishing to go deeper. This is most problematic in the beliefs section. Frequently appealing to the confession, skeptics will be left feeling cheated out of scriptural proof for Presbyterian distinctive, while those seeking to be educated on how to defend these beliefs won’t be helped either by the brevity.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sean Michael Lucas does a wonderful job of summarizing “Plain Ol’ Presbyterianism” (p. 248). Perfect book to give to inquirers or new members who are looking to learn more about this great church tradition.

Of course, writing this review sixteen years after its publishing, much more could be added to the final chapter on the history of the PCA — especially more recent events. That said, still a worthwhile resource for those who are curious about what it means to be a Presbyterian. Recommended.

[Vianny D'Souza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this for officer training in the PCA and boy, what a book! Explains all the intricacies of Presbyterian distinctive with conciseness as well as detailed when necessary. I loved the section of history of Presbyterianism in America which touched upon how various denominations came about and the reasons for their arising. Makes so much sense how different denominations operate in a different way.

[Gavin Brand · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great introduction to Presbyterian. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in the topic. The end of each chapter includes helpful discussion/reflection questions and some suggestions for fitter reading.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty helpful. I appreciated his brief history at the end the most. However, his sections on beliefs and practices are quite helpful for sharpening one's baseline understanding of reformed doctrine and piety.

[Josh Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good introduction to the topics of presbyterianism.

[Luke]

I grew up going to a PCA church, went to Covenant College (the official PCA college), and attend a PCA church now, so yeah, I'm pretty Presbyterian.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction to Presbyterianism

[Benjamin Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good summary of American Presbyterian beliefs, practices, and history.
Geared mostly towards the PCA but would probably work just about as well for OPC.

[Eric Swanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great overview

This book gives a great description of what it means to be Presbyterian. I enjoyed learning about the history of the PCA.

[David Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really helpful intro. The history of Presbyterianism, particularly in America, was very useful.

[Megan Branson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Proud to be a Presbyterian!