Governance and
Leadership Structure

The Church of the Covenant is part of the Presbyterian Church (USA). PC(USA) churches are within three layers of governance: The national church meets biannually as the General Assembly, typically voting on various revisions to our constitution. It has sixteen geographically organized “synods” and 170 “presbyteries.” Our synod is (coincidentally) Synod of the Covenant, which covers eleven presbyteries in Ohio, Michigan, and small parts of neighboring states. We belong to the 30-some-congregation Presbytery of the Western Reserve (PWR), which covers mainly northeast Ohio. Elders and ministers of the PWR, including our pastor and elders commissioned by our Session, meet bimonthly at various churches and via Zoom.

The Church of the Covenant’s leadership’s work is framed by our denomination’s two-part constitution, consisting of the Book of Confessions and Book of Order, and our specific congregation’s by-laws and regulations.

Reflecting the guidelines in these documents, Covenant members elect fellow members to three boards with distinct responsibilities rooted in scriptural traditions: Session, the congregation’s ruling body, has 12–18 ordained elders serving three-year terms; the Board of Deacons has 18–21 ordained deacons serving three-year terms; and Trustees include several trustees serving three-year terms and officers holding one-year terms as president, vice president, treasurer, assistant treasurer, secretary, and assistant secretary. The Nominating Committee is an elected committee of the congregation that identifies the members to serve on these boards.