Avondale is a member of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States. Presbyterian pioneers helped settle Mecklenburg County. Presbyterian means "governed by elders." And you get a hint there of how our church operates: Our members work hand-in-hand with our staff to make our ministries happen. The congregation elects elders to guide the church. But the elders and staff can't make ministries work without the help of the entire congregation. One of the characteristics that distinguishes Avondale is our emphasis on the "priesthood of all believers." That's a way of saying that we believe God gives all of us gifts and that we should use those gifts to further God's kingdom.

We emphasize the Reformed tradition. Our denomination was birthed from the Reformation movement of more than 500 years ago. A little booklet called "Meet the Presbyterians" describes the Reformed faith this way: "We keep trying to understand what the Bible is saying to us, so that our beliefs can be kept faithful to the scriptures. Some folks think we ought to call it the Reforming faith because it is always being reshaped, slowly growing as we mature in our understanding."

We Presbyterians like to write down what we believe in creeds or confessions. You don't have to subscribe to every item in every creed or confession to join the church. People join the church through one of three ways: affirmation of faith, reaffirmation of faith, or transfer from another church. All of those ways mean someone joins on the belief of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the same basic faith of all Christians.

New members join Avondale on three or four specific Sundays during the year. If you've visited our congregation several times and think you might be interested in joining, please let an elder or staff member know!