The session is the governing body of our church. At Orange Park Presbyterian Church our session consists of 15 ruling elders who are elected by the congregation. The elders serve for 3 year terms, and 1/3 of them are elected each year. Session member’s terms of office are referred to as their “class”, with the class year indicating the end of that elder’s term. For example, an elder elected in 2012 to serve starting January 1, 2013, would be in the class of 2015. 

The session is responsible for the administration of the church, having authority over all aspects of the church with the important exception of spiritual and ministerial matters. Those, of course, are the purview of the Pastor, who is properly referred to as a Teaching Elder.