Presbyterian Church (USA)

The Presbyterian Church (USA) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. It is part of the Reformed family of Protestantism, descending from the branch of the Protestant Reformation begun by John Calvin. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the USA and was established by the 1983 merger of the former Presbyterian Church in the United States, a southern branch of American Presbyterianism, and the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, a northern branch. The unified body currently has approximately 2.4 million members, 11,100 congregations, and 14,000 ordained ministers. It is a member of the National Council of Churches.

Structure

Main article: Presbyterian church governance

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Constitution

The Constitution of PC(USA) is composed of two portions: Part I, the Book of Confessions and Part II, the Book of Order. The Book of Confessions outlines the beliefs of the PC(USA) by giving the creeds to which the Church adheres. Complementing that is the Book of Order which describes the organization and functioning of the Church at all levels. The Book of Order is divided into three sections - Form of Government, The Directory For Worship, and The Rules of Discipline

Related Topics:
Book of Confessions

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Governing Bodies

The Presbyterian Church (USA) has a representative form of government with four levels of government and administration, as outlined in the Book of Order. The governing bodies (as they are referred to) are as follows:

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• Session (Congregation)
• Presbytery
• Synod
• General Assembly

At the congregational level, the governing body is called the session. The session is made up of the pastors of the church and all elders in active service (selected by a nominating committee and elected by the members of the church). Session meetings are moderated by the senior pastor, who is aided by an elected clerk. This body takes care of the basic administration of the local church. The session also oversees the work of the deacons, a congregational-level group whose duty is to "to minister to those who

Related Topics:
Session - Elders - Deacons

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are in need, to the sick, to the friendless, and to any who may be in distress both within and beyond the community of faith." In some churches, the responsibilities of the deacons are taken care of by the session, so there is no board of deacons in the church. In some states, churches are legally incorporated and members or elders of the church serve as trustees of the corporation. However, “the power and duties of such trustees shall not infringe upon the powers and duties of the Session or of the board of deacons.”

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The next level is the presbytery formed by all the ministers in a geographic area together with elders selected (proportional to congregation size) from each of the congregations. The PCUSA also has one non-geographic presbytery in each Synod (see below) for Korean Presbyterian Churches. The presbytery has responsibility for ordaining and installing ministers in congregations and also acts as a court of appeal from sessions in individual congregations. While the members of the congregation generally choose their own pastor, the presbytery must approve the choice and officially install the pastor in the position. Additionally, the presbytery must consent if the congregation wants to remove their pastor from office. The presbytery has authority over many affairs of its local congregations. The moderator of the presbytery, as well as a stated clerk, is elected annually. All pastors of congregations in a presbytery are members of the presbytery, not of their own congregation. Additionally, an executive presbyter is often appointed as an administrative staff member to care for the day-to-day duties of the presbytery. Presbyteries meet at least twice a year, but they have the discretion to meet more often.

Related Topics:
Presbytery - Presbyter

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Several presbyteries join together to form a synod. Each synod contains at least three presbyteries, and its membership includes both Ministers of the Word and Sacrament (that is, pastors) and elders. The synod is an intermediate level of government between the presbytery and General Assembly levels. Although the synod has many duties, they are primarily responsible for: developing and implementing the mission of the church throughout the region, facilitating communication between presbyteries and the General Assembly, and mediating conflicts between the churches and presbyteries. Synods are required to meet at least biennially, and meetings are moderated with the help of an elected Moderator and Stated Clerk.

Related Topics:
Synod - Pastors

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The General Assembly is the highest governing body of the PC(USA). It consists of commissioners elected by presbyteries and is evenly divided between pastors and elders. There are many important responsibilities of the General Assembly. Among them, the Book of Order lists these four:

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• to set priorities for the work of the church in keeping with the church’'s mission under Christ,
• to develop overall objectives for mission and a comprehensive strategy to guide the church at every level of its life,
• to provide the essential program functions that are appropriate for overall balance and diversity within the mission of the church, and
• to establish and administer national and worldwide ministries of witness, service, growth, and development.

Meeting every two years, the General Assembly appoints a moderator at each assembly who chairs the rest of the sessions. A stated clerk is appointed to serve for a longer term and is responsible for the Office of the General Assembly which conducts the ecclesiastical work of the church. The Office of the General Assembly carries out most of the ecumenical functions and all of the constitutional functions at the Assembly. The General Assembly also elects a General Assembly Council (GAC) consisting of 72 ministers and elders responsible for advising the General Assembly on priorities, programs and strategies and implementing its decisions. The GAC meets three times a year.

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PCUSA-affiliated Seminaries

The denomination maintains affiliations with 10 seminaries in the United States. These are:

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• Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Austin, TX,
• Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA,
• Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary in Atlanta, GA,
• Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY,
• McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, IL,
• Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh, PA,
• Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, NJ,
• San Francisco Theological Seminary in San Francisco, CA,
• Union Theological Seminary Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond, VA and Charlotte, NC, and
• University of Dubuque Theological Seminary in Dubuque, IA.

Two other seminaries are related to the PCUSA by covenant agreement: Auburn Theological Seminary in New York, NY, and Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico in San Juan, PR.

Related Topics:
Auburn Theological Seminary - Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico

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For more information, see the article PC(USA) seminaries.

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Links

• Constitution The Book of Confessions, as well as the Book of Order
• Governing Bodies
• Churches
• Presbyteries and Synods
• General Assembly
• Seminaries and also a list of all PCUSA-affiliated colleges and universities