After reading “How to Speak Presbyterian” by P.J. Southam I was inspired to write my own handy-handy word and phrase dictionary but based on the dialect of Young Adult Presbyterian. So I sent out the call on Facebook and Twitter for what people would want defined. This list is incomplete, and I welcome your feedback as to what else could be included.
Speaking Young Adult Presbyterian
Any word or phrase surrounded by *stars* after it means the word or phrase is also defined in the list.
Baptism: a ritual act of initiation into a *Christian* community, usually done as part of a *liturgy*, involves most commonly the sprinkling or pouring of water by a *teaching elder* onto the head of an infant or adult along with the promise of the community to support the one being baptized, older youth and adults declare their personal faith, parent/s or caretakers of infants affirm their faith and promise to raise their child within the Christian community, one of the *sacraments*
Clergy: a group term for *ordained* *teaching elders*
Christian: a person intentionally trying to follow the ways of and find meaning in the life of *Jesus* of Nazareth, many Christians (though not all) express God through the *Trinity*
Contemporary: a term to describe a worship service that uses *contemporary-style music*, incorporates lots of communal singing, keeps *liturgical elements* to a minimum, often has a band and music leader who functions as a lead singer, and is usually informal
Contemporary-Style Music: popular styles of music including rock, pop, and country with *Christian*-themed lyrics
Creator: an expression of the first partner of the *Trinity,* other names include Father, Mother, Nurturer, and Life-Giver
Deacon: the title given to an *ordained* church leader whose main job is to help take care of church members and other members of the community spiritually and emotionally
Decently and in Order: a phrase used to describe when *Presbyterians* like things to go in a certain sequence and following proper etiquette
Discernment: the act of seeking God’s desire for a personal life or community through prayer and *Spirit*-led conversation
Emergent: a loose grouping of communities centered on following Jesus within *post-modern* cultures, known for holistic worship practices that involve the 5 senses and using *Christian* prayers and spiritual practices from multiple *Christian* traditions
Gospel, the: translated also as “Good News,” can refer to the 4 books in the New Testament which describe *Jesus’* life or to message Jesus preached and *Christians* try to *live into*
Hope-filled: the state of being filled (mind, body, and soul) with hope believing that with the *Spirit’s* help the future will be better
Jesus: a Palestinian Jew who lived during the first half of the first century CE, many *Christians* worship Jesus as the Second Person of the *Trinity* and was God incarnated on earth, often referred to as Christ, *Presbyterians* also look to his life as recorded and discussed in the New Testament for inspiration about how we live our lives
Joy-filled: the state of being filled (mind, body, and soul) with the knowledge that God loves us
Liminal Space: A place in-between two solid states of identity (such as teenager and adult) but also in-between two situations (such as leaving one job but not having another to start)
Liturgical Elements: individual parts of a *liturgy* (such as the Call to Worship and Assurance of Confession) that often involve a part for a worship leader and a part for the community
Liturgy: the outline of a worship service including spoken words, readings, and actions such as lighting candles; often printed in a folded pamphlet called a bulletin
Live Into: a phrase used to describe something a person desires to be or do but is still working on (Example: I’m trying to live into my *baptism*)
Lord’s Supper: also called communion; is a ritual act based on the final meal *Jesus* had with his disciples where he instructed them to eat bread and drink wine together in remembrance of him; the many meanings of the Lord’s Supper include being sustained for the life of faith, being sealed in God’s covenant of grace, being empowered by the memory of *Jesus’* life and death and resurrection; always done in a worship service where *preaching* takes place
Modern: the era of history beginning at the Enlightenment and ending after World War II with emphasis of facts, observations, logic and scientific methods, absolute and objective truths, individualistic thinking
Ordained: the term used for church leaders (*ruling elders*, *teaching elders*, and *deacons*) who have recognized by the larger church for their gifts, the ordination ceremony takes place as part of a *liturgy*
Peace: used in Presbyterian e-mails instead of “sincerely”
Preaching: the act of speaking and proclamation during a worship service; often done by a *teaching elder* or church leader; usually based on one or two passages from the Bible; done in multiple ways including exegetical (explaining a story from the Bible), topical (centered on one topic), narrative (from a first-person point of view), and dialogue (a conversation or question-and-answer between the leader and the gathered community)
Post-Modern: the era of history from about the end of WWII and forward with emphasis on questioning the absolute-ness of modern ideas, multiple ways of knowing, and a distrust of power structures
PC(USA): the largest *Presbyterian* *Christian* denomination in the United States, formed in 1983 from the merging of two other Presbyterian denominations
Presbycostal: either a *Presbyterian* who really loves the Holy *Spirit* or a Pentecostal who is *decently and in order*
Presbymergent: a group of self-proclaimed “loyal radicals” who combine the best of being *Emergent* and the best of being *Presbyterian*
Presbyterian: a person or church nested in the *Reformed tradition* as evolved through John Knox and the Scottish Reformation
Reformed Tradition, The: any church or denomination with an emphasis in their theological understandings based in John Calvin’s writings
Reformed and Always Reforming: translation of ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda; used to remind us that that no denomination, individual church, or person has the entire answer and that we always need to be *discerning* God’s will for us and changing accordingly
Ruling Elder: an *ordained* church leader who is responsible for exercising church government and help *discern* what and who the congregation needs to be
Sacraments: the two *Presbyterian* sacraments are the *Lord’s Supper* and *baptism* both of which *Jesus* told his followers to do and have been practiced for all of *Christian* history, also signs of the real presence of *Jesus* and symbols of God’s actions in the world
Social Justice: a catch-all phrase for the multiple ways churches and individuals are involved in changing the world (particularly in the public sphere) as led by the *Spirit* and often based on *Jesus’* words and actions
Spirit, Holy: the third expression of the *Trinity*; the expression of God actively within, around, and with us today; inspires and empowers people to live and act as God would have us live and act; also called Dove, Holy Fire, Comforter, Advocate
Teaching Elder: also called minister of Word and Sacrament; an *ordained* church leader whose main job is to empower other church members to live and do God’s work in the world; in the congregation the teaching elders preach, preside over *sacraments*, care for people spiritually, moderate the session, help govern the church, and is the supervisor for the other church employees; can also work as hospital chaplains, college ministers, military chaplains, and counselors
Traditional: a type of worship service that includes a stable *liturgy* and music from a wide variety of sources (occasionally including *contemporary-style music*) but focused on communal singing through hymns
Trinity, the: the traditional understanding of the mystery of the one eternal God expressed in three united yet distinct partners described traditionally as the Father (see *Creator*), Son (see *Jesus*), and Holy *Spirit*–other descriptions include Lover, Beloved, and the Love between Them; Begetter, Begotten, and Breathed Forth; Mother, Child, and Womb; Cloud, Rain, and Rainbow
YAV: the shorthand for people who served communities in the United States and in throughout the world through *PC(USA)’s* Young Adult Volunteer Program, usually YAVs serve for a year or two
Young Adult: human beings from about the age of 18 until about 30 who are establishing life patterns with an emphasis on identity formation