As member of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church denomination, Bethel Reformed is a Presbyterian church. Presbyterian churches are governed on the local level by “sessions”, a group of men that have been set apart by the local and regional bodies of the church. Our session is made up of a retired pastor and several laymen from the congregation, called “ruling elders”. Bethel also has deacons who serve to facilitate mercy ministry.
Bethel’s first pastor, Stephen Doe, served as a Regional Home Missionary after serving at Bethel from 2002-2012. He retired in 2019. Bethel’s second pastor, Andrew Miller, interned with Pastor Doe and then took over in 2012, serving until 2023 when he became a Regional Home Missionary.
All of our church officers love God’s Word and have made themselves accountable to a regional association of churches called the presbytery. We are part of the Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic. All of our church officers believe that the Westminster Confession of Faith and its Larger and Shorter Catechisms faithfully summarize the teachings of Scripture.
The structure of the church offices is not set up as a hierarchy or a democracy. It is made up of servant-leaders who have been chosen and trained to be pastors (Ephesians 4:11), elders (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9), and deacons (1 Timothy 3:8-13). We believe these offices are equally important, but differ in their commissions.
Our PASTOR is tasked with the duty to preach (2 Timothy 4:2), teach (I Timothy 4:16), and care for the flock (John 10). Our ELDERS are charged to govern the church body in a loving and caring way, shepherd God’s people (1 Peter 5:1-3), teach and defend Christian doctrine (Titus 1:9), and to prepare the church for serving others (Ephesians 4:12). Our DEACONS are entrusted with stewarding the resources of the body and serving the church as needs arise (Acts 6:1-6; I Timothy 3:8-13). Together our officers oversee the church, creating a healthy environment for God’s people to grow.