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Who are Cumberland Presbyterians?
History
St. Timothy belongs to the Cumberland Presbyterian
denomination, which was founded in 1810 in Dickson County, Tennessee. It was born
out of the Second Great
Awakening revival movement.
The Cumberland Presbyterian denomination is headquarted in Memphis, Tennessee. There
are about 800 Cumberland Presbyterian congregations in the United States, Japan,
China, South Korea, Colombia, Brazil, and Liberia.
Government
The Presbyterian form of church government goes back to the earliest biblical churches
in the Book of Acts. The local church is led by elected elders (elder is the English
meaning of the Greek word presbyter, from which we get Presbyterian). Churches are
represented by elders at presbyteries. Presbyteries, in turn, send delegates to
synods. Finally, the entire structure is governed by the General Assembly. The Assembly
charges various boards and agencies with the day-to-day operation of the denomination.
Doctrine
Cumberland Presbyterians share many similarities to other Protestant bodies. We
accept the Bible as our basis of authority in faith and conduct. We believe in Christ
as the supreme revelation of God and the divine Savior of men. We believe in salvation
by grace through faith in Christ alone. And we regard Christ as the only head of
the church. You can read more on the Our Beliefs
page.
The Cumberland Presbyterian Confession of Faith is based on the
Westminster Confession of Faith, which is the predominant Presbyterian doctrine.
The first Cumberland Presbyterian Confession of Faith, in 1814, adopted the Westminster
Confession with the following points of dissension:
- That there are no eternal reprobates.
- That Christ died not for a part only, but for all mankind.
- That all infants dying in infancy are saved through Christ and the sanctification
of the Spirit.
- That the Spirit of God operates on the world, or as co-extensively as Christ has
made atonement, in such a manner as to leave all men inexcusable.
Resources
Cumberland Presbyterian Denominational Headquarters
Confession of Faith
Cumberland Presbyterian
Church - Wikipedia
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