Presbyterian Polity
The Reformed Presbyterian Church (Hanover Presbytery) is a Constitutional Presbyterian denomination tracing its roots to the first presbytery organized for the South. The Hanover churches continue the Constitutional traditions in the Associate Presbyterians, Associate Reformed Presbyterians, Reformed Presbyterian Church (General Synod), and especially the United Synod of the South.
The original Form of Presbyterian Church-Government and of Ordination of Ministers approved by the General Assembly in 1645 remains in force without modification. The usages and customs to implement the document follow the patterns of early English Presbyterians.
Dr. Richard Bacon has produced the single most important book on Constitutional Presbyterian polity in modern times. Here is the standard presentation of the form of government advocated by the ministers of Hanover Presbytery. A copy may be obtained in PDF format from the following address:
http://www.fpcr.org/pdf/Pattern2.pdf
Presbyterians have historically held to a view of Church government that limits the authority of the Church to that which is set forth either explicitly or implicitly in Scripture. Rather than attempting a modern "improved" exegesis of central passages, the Dr. Bacon demonstrates that there is a history concerning the exegesis of those passages that Presbyterians have shared since at least the 17th Century.
Constitutional Presbyterianism is nothing other than the Reformation doctrine of Sola Scriptura applied to Church polity. Some in this generation have characterized the Reformed understanding of worship as "The Regulative Principle of Worship." Constitutional Presbyterianism proposes that a "Regulative Principle of Polity" would look very much the same as the worship principle long espoused by Reformed and Presbyterian Churches. This is borne out by the Westminster Confession of Faith at I.6, where circumstances of both worship and Church government fall under the same rubric. While some of the circumstances of Church government belong to the areas of human wisdom and Christian prudence, the actual elements of Church polity, such as officers and jurisdiction, the Church must leave to Scripture alone to define
The following Documents help to further clarify our position:
Simplicity, Scripture, And A Three-Legged Stool
Christian Freedom Bounded by Law
The Customs and Usages of the Constitutional Presbyteries – Exchange of Transaction and Disciplinary Records
Exchange of Records Among Jurisdictions