The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), of which we are a part, is a representative democracy much like our federal government. The word Presbyterian comes from the Greek word presbyteros which means elder. Our church is governed by elders. The pastors, or "teaching elders," together with twelve active elders (four elected each year by the congregation for three-year terms) form the Session. This body has the responsibility of providing leadership for the entire life of the church. The Session meets on the fourth Monday of the month.

We also have a 12-member Board of Deacons, elected by the congregation. Like the elders, the deacons serve three-year terms; their major responsibility is the care and nurture of the church members. The Deacons meet on the third Monday of the month.

St. Luke's is a connectional church. We work together with other churches within our denomination to support programs which we would not be able to carry on by ourselves. We are part of the Presbytery of the Pacific, which includes 51 churches in our region. The Presbytery is composed of both pastors and elders sent as delegates from their respective churches, and is responsible for the health and ministry of all local churches.

Presbyteries in turn elect representatives to the Synod. There are fifteen synods in the United States. We are one of the eight Presbyteries that compose the Synod of Southern California and Hawaii. The Synod can provide ministries on a larger scale than would be possible for individual Presbyteries.

Presbyteries also elect representatives to the General Assembly, where matters of national importance are studied and voted upon. The General Assembly meets annually and recommends actions or programs to the Presbyteries.

The final authority in the Presbyterian Church is the Bible. Subordinate to Scripture is the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) which consists of two parts: The Book of Confessions, which contains the creeds and confessions to which we have historically subscribed, and the Book of Order, a set guidelines of how we as Presbyterians organize our life as a community of faith. Copies of these two vital books may be ordered through the church office or borrowed from the church library.