Q. Why will ERPC ministers be members of the local church?

A. We believe that when ministers only hold membership in the presbytery as a "regional church" this isolates them governmentally from their congregations. Ministers (teaching elders) will be members of the local church, and will also be under the oversight of the presbytery. We believe that, under the authority of Christ, ministers and ruling elders need to be more mutually accountable than has been the case in some other denominations. But the ERPC Form of Government will also maintain the principle of ministers' accountability to their brethren in the presbytery.