Here's a historical fact you might not know: The U.S. federal government was created to function like a Presbyterian church. (Many of our founding parents were staunch Presbyterians.) At NPC, we choose up to fifteen representatives to serve on a governing board called the Session. Working with the pastors, these men and women prayerfully make decisions about our vision and activities. They meet every second Tuesday of the month at 7:30 pm.

Once you're an elder, you keep the title for life, even though you only serve on Session for three-year terms. Each year, we elect up to five new elders to replace five others who "retire" from active service. Session also delegates work to committees, and elders chair those committees. All of this may sound like an "un-spiritual" bureaucracy—but it's not. It's a system set up prayerfully by human beings to serve God in humility, and amazingly, it works!