Grace Presbyterian Church is a member of the Presbytery of Northeast New Jersey, of the Synod of the Northeast, and of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

Our form of government is a representative democracy on all levels: local area, regional, and national.

The Session

At Grace, the governing body is called the Session—a group of ordained Elders elected by the congregation. The pastor of the church is the moderator of the Session. Session is responsible for overseeing church affairs. In fulfilling this responsibility, Session works with and through ministry teams. These teams lead the church in youth and children’s ministries, discipleship ministries, worship ministries, missions and service ministries, stewardship and finance, and more. They are broken down into five broad ministry areas, one for each letter in the name of the church: GROW, REACH, ACT, CARE, and EXALT.

Each Elder on the Session serves as a shepherd leader for one of the ministry teams, but each ministry team also includes other members and regular attenders of Grace. These team members have an interest in and often a great passion for the area of ministry that the team serves. Are you a member or regular attender of Grace who has an interest in the life of the church in one of these areas? Reach out to the shepherd leader, to a member of the pastoral staff, or to the church administrator to express that interest.

In addition to the five ministry teams, Grace has a Nominating Committee, whose job it is to identify and recruit candidates for offices and committee seats. Finally, Grace has a Personnel Committee. Members of the Nominating and Personnel Committees are elected by the congregation and their moderators are chosen by the Session.

The Board of Deacons

The Deacons have many hands-on roles. Elected for a three-year term, Deacons are the friendly faces you see at Sunday worship as they greet congregants, distribute bulletins, and collect the offering.

Deacons also aid members of the church and community by assisting those with financial needs and coordinating responses to emergencies. The Deacons may also be able to assist members and regular attendees of Grace Church with transportation to and from Sunday services.