Church words explained: mass, liturgy, consistory, session and more

Church websites assume you know the words. Here are the ones that come up most often in Wellington County, from every tradition, in plain language. Where a word means different things in different churches, both meanings are given.

A to C

Altar. In Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican churches, the table at the front where the Eucharist is celebrated; the name reflects the understanding of the Mass as a sacrifice. Reformed churches speak of the Lord’s Supper table and do not use the word.

Anabaptist. The sixteenth-century movement, and its descendants today (Mennonites, Amish, Hutterites and others), that baptizes only believers, practises non-resistance and keeps the church separate from the state. The name means “re-baptizer” and was given by opponents.

Baptism. The washing with water in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit by which a person is received into the church. Infant baptism is practised by Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, Reformed, Presbyterian and Methodist churches. Believer’s baptism, given only to those who profess faith and usually by immersion, is practised by Baptist, Pentecostal, Anabaptist and most non-denominational churches.

Catechism. A summary of Christian teaching in questions and answers, used to instruct children and new members. Catholics have the Catechism of the Catholic Church; Reformed churches use the Heidelberg Catechism; Presbyterians use the Westminster Shorter Catechism. To catechize is to teach the faith this way.

Charismatic. A Christian, or a church, that emphasizes the gifts of the Holy Spirit such as tongues, prophecy and healing, but within an existing denomination rather than a Pentecostal one.

Classis. In Reformed churches, the regional gathering of congregations; the Presbyterian equivalent is a presbytery.

Communion, Lord’s Supper, Eucharist, Mass. Four names for the meal of bread and wine that Jesus instituted the night before he died. Mass is the Catholic name for the whole service in which it is celebrated. Eucharist, from the Greek for thanksgiving, is used by Catholics, Orthodox and Anglicans. Lord’s Supper and communion are the usual Protestant terms. Churches differ over what happens to the bread and wine and over who may receive.

Confession. Two meanings. In Catholic and Orthodox use, the sacrament in which a person confesses sins to a priest and receives absolution. In Reformed and Lutheran use, a public written statement of what a church believes, such as the Belgic Confession; a church that holds one is called confessional.

Consistory. In Reformed churches, the governing body of a local congregation, made up of the minister and the elders. When the deacons are included it is often called the council. Presbyterians call the same body the session.

Covenant. God’s binding promise to be the God of his people and of their children. Reformed churches make it central to their understanding of baptism and of the family.

Creed. A short, ancient statement of faith shared across denominations: the Apostles’, Nicene and Athanasian creeds. See the separate article on this site.

D to L

Deacon. In Reformed and Presbyterian churches, an officer who leads the congregation’s care for the poor and sick. In Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican churches, an ordained minister ranking below a priest, who assists in worship.

Denomination. A family of churches that share a name, a confession and a form of government, such as the Presbyterian Church in Canada or the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada.

Elder / presbyter. A person chosen to oversee the spiritual life of a congregation together with the minister. Presbyter is the Greek word for elder, and it is where Presbyterian and, by a longer road, priest both come from.

Evangelical. Broadly, a Protestant who stresses personal conversion, the authority of the Bible, the cross of Christ and the duty to share the faith. Baptist, Pentecostal, Alliance and non-denominational churches usually describe themselves this way.

Federation. The Reformed word for a group of congregations bound together by a common confession and church order, used instead of denomination to stress that each congregation is a complete church in its own right.

Liturgy. The set order of a worship service. Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Lutheran churches follow detailed fixed liturgies; Reformed churches follow a simpler fixed order; many evangelical churches have no set liturgy at all.

M to P

Mainline. The historic Protestant denominations of Canada, such as the United Church of Canada, the Anglican Church of Canada, the Presbyterian Church in Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. The term describes their history and size, not their theology.

Non-denominational. An independent church that belongs to no denomination, usually evangelical in belief and contemporary in worship. See the separate article on this site.

Ordinance / sacrament. Two words for baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Churches that call them sacraments (Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, Reformed) hold that God acts through them to give grace or confirm his promise. Churches that call them ordinances (Baptist, most Pentecostal and non-denominational) hold that they are commands to be obeyed and pictures of what God has done, but not means of grace in themselves.

Parish. In Catholic and Anglican use, a local congregation and the district it serves.

Pentecostal. A Christian, or a church, that teaches baptism in the Holy Spirit as an experience following conversion, usually with speaking in tongues, and that expects the gifts of the Spirit today. The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada is the largest Pentecostal body in the country.

Profession of faith. In Reformed churches, the public declaration before the congregation by which a baptized young person or an adult convert becomes a communicant member, admitted to the Lord’s Supper. Roughly equivalent to confirmation elsewhere.

Psalter. A songbook containing the 150 Psalms of the Bible set to music for congregational singing. Reformed churches sing the Psalms as their main body of song; the Canadian Reformed Book of Praise is a Psalter with hymns added.

R to Z

Reformed. The branch of Protestantism that traces its theology to the Swiss and Dutch Reformation, especially John Calvin, and holds to confessions such as the Three Forms of Unity or the Westminster Standards. Presbyterians are Reformed in theology with Scottish rather than Dutch roots.

Sacrament. A visible sign, instituted by Christ, through which God gives or confirms his grace. Catholics and Orthodox count seven; Protestants count two.

Session. The Presbyterian name for the governing body of a congregation, the minister and elders. Equivalent to a Reformed consistory.

Synod. A broad assembly of a church. In Reformed churches, the general assembly of the whole federation, meeting every few years; in Anglican churches, the governing body of a diocese; in the Catholic Church, a gathering of bishops called by the pope.

Vestry. In Anglican churches, the annual meeting of a parish’s members, or the committee that manages its affairs.

Votum. The opening words of a Reformed service, taken from Psalm 124: “Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.”

If a word on a church’s website is not here, the church itself is the best place to ask; most are glad to explain. And if some of the Reformed terms above have made you curious, the local Reformed church listed on this site uses all of them on a Sunday.