HISTORY
The Presbyterian Church (USA)
First Presbyterian Church is a part of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta and the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Presbyterians trace their history to the 16th century and the Protestant Reformation. Many early Presbyterians in America came from England, Scotland and Ireland. The first American Presbytery was organized at Philadelphia in 1706. The first General Assembly was held in the same city in 1789.
On June 4, 1950, 31 members from the Pannell Presbyterian Church and the Monroe Presbyterian Church united to form the First Presbyterian Church of Monroe. For the next 22 years, we met in the former First Methodist Church building.
The congregation relocated to its current location on Breedlove Drive in 1972. We held our first service on Easter Sunday 1972.
Congregations are led by the Session, made up of male and female elders who are elected by the congregation. Ruling elders serve for a three-year terms. The pastor is called a teaching elder.
Elders are shepherds of the congregation. They exercise both leadership of the church and pastoral care to the members.
Elders also head committees which carry out specific ministries in the congregation. The committees are: Worship, Hospitality, Congregational Care, Administration and Finance, Missions and Outreach, and Building and Grounds,
The current elders are:
Rev. Dr. Bruce McRae, Pastor
Gwen Roberts, Clerk of Session
Clay Hudson, Outreach, '24
Neal Howard, Admin and Finance '24
Sarah Williams, Hospitality/Pastoral Care, '24
Tim Blalock, Building and Grounds, 25
Carole Queen, Missions/Outreach, '26
First Presbyterian Church is a connectional church. We are connected to other churches in how we are organized and what we believe..
Each local church is led by a team of elders who are called the session
Each church is part of a "presbytery," a group of Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. churches in a defined geographical area. First Presbyterian Church Monroe is part of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta, which covers the Atlanta metro area, and consists of about 90 churches. The presbytery includes all teaching and ruling elders.
Once every other year, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. meets. Chosen representatives from each presbytery attend, and deliberate on many matters of vital interest in the doctrine and life of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A.
The Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. is also committed to global missions. Jesus said to take the gospel to the nations of the world. We do this through word and deed -- by proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ, and by working to dismantle the effects of sin, such as poverty, injustice, and homelessness.
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