Editing Presbyterian Church (USA) (section)

==History==
{{Main|Presbyterianism in the United States}}

===Origins===
[[Presbyterians]] trace their history to the [[Protestant Reformation]] in the 16th century. The Presbyterian heritage, and much of its theology, began with the French theologian and lawyer [[John Calvin]] (1509–1564), whose writings solidified much of the [[Reformed tradition]] that came before him in the form of the sermons and writings of [[Huldrych Zwingli]]. From Calvin's headquarters in [[Geneva]], the Reformed movement spread to other parts of Europe.<ref name=HistoftheChurch>{{cite web | title = History of the Church | work = Presbyterian Historical Society | url = http://www.history.pcusa.org/history-online/presbyterian-history/history-church | access-date = January 6, 2015 | archive-date = January 8, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150108034232/http://www.history.pcusa.org/history-online/presbyterian-history/history-church | url-status = live }}</ref> [[John Knox]], a former Roman Catholic priest from Scotland who studied with Calvin in Geneva, took Calvin's teachings back to Scotland and led the [[Scottish Reformation]] of 1560. Because of this reform movement, the [[Church of Scotland]] embraced Reformed theology and [[presbyterian polity]].<ref name=JohnKnox>{{cite web | title = John Knox: Scottish Reformer | date = October 2, 2014 | publisher = Presbyterian Historical Society | url = http://www.history.pcusa.org/history-online/exhibits/john-knox-scottish-reformer-page-8 | access-date = January 6, 2015 | archive-date = January 6, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150106104500/http://www.history.pcusa.org/history-online/exhibits/john-knox-scottish-reformer-page-8 | url-status = live }}</ref> The [[Ulster Scots people|Ulster Scots]] brought their Presbyterian faith with them to Ireland, where they laid the foundation of what would become the [[Presbyterian Church in Ireland]].<ref name=IrishPresby>{{cite web | title = About Us | publisher = Presbyterian Church of Ireland | url = https://www.presbyterianireland.org/About-Us | access-date = January 6, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130228113758/http://www.presbyterianireland.org/About-Us | url-status = dead | archive-date = February 28, 2013 | df = mdy-all }}</ref>

Immigrants from [[Scottish Americans|Scotland]] and [[Irish Americans|Ireland]] brought Presbyterianism to [[British colonization of the Americas|North America]] as early as 1640, and immigration would remain a large source of growth throughout the [[Colonial history of the United States|colonial era]].{{Sfn | Hall | 1982 |pp=101 }} Another source of growth were a number of New England [[Puritans]] who left the [[Congregationalism in the United States|Congregational churches]] because they preferred presbyterian polity. In 1706, seven ministers led by [[Francis Makemie]] established the first American [[Presbytery (church polity)|presbytery]] at [[Philadelphia]] in the [[Province of Pennsylvania]], which was followed by the creation of the [[Synod of Philadelphia]] in 1717.{{Sfn | Longfield | 2013 |pp=2–3 }}

The [[First Great Awakening]] and the [[Christian revival|revivalism]] it generated had a major impact on American Presbyterians. Ministers such as [[William Tennent|William]] and [[Gilbert Tennent]], a friend of [[George Whitefield]], emphasized the necessity of a conscious [[Born again (Christianity)|conversion experience]] and pushed for higher moral standards among the clergy.{{Sfn | Longfield | 2013 |pp=7–8 }} Disagreements over revivalism, [[Itinerant minister|itinerant preaching]], and educational requirements for clergy led to a division known as the [[Old Side–New Side Controversy]] that lasted from 1741 to 1758.{{Sfn | Longfield | 2013 |pp=15 }}

[[File:John Witherspoon3.jpg|thumb|upright|[[John Witherspoon]], a [[Founding Fathers of the United States|Founding Father]] of the United States and first moderator of the [[Presbyterian Church in the United States of America]]]]

In the South, the Presbyterians were evangelical [[dissenter]]s, mostly [[Scotch-Irish Americans|Scotch-Irish]], who expanded into Virginia between 1740 and 1758. Spangler in ''Virginians Reborn: Anglican Monopoly, Evangelical Dissent, and the Rise of the Baptists in the Late Eighteenth Century'' (2008)<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R0RVN0vx50gC |title=Virginians Reborn: Anglican Monopoly, Evangelical Dissent, and the Rise of the Baptists in the Late Eighteenth Century |author=Gerald W. McDermott |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-8139-2679-7 |access-date=4 January 2025}}</ref> argues they were more energetic and held frequent services better attuned to the frontier conditions of the colony. Presbyterianism grew in frontier areas where the [[Anglican]]s had made little impression. Uneducated whites and blacks were attracted to the emotional worship of the denomination, its emphasis on biblical simplicity, and its psalm singing.

Some local Presbyterian churches, such as [[Briery Presbyterian Church|Briery]] in Prince Edward County, owned slaves. The Briery church purchased five slaves in 1766 and raised money for church expenses by hiring them out to local planters.{{Sfn | Oast | 2010 |pp=867 }}

[[File:1st Presby Baltimore 01.JPG|thumb|upright|[[First Presbyterian Church and Manse (Baltimore, Maryland)|First Presbyterian Church and Manse]] in [[Baltimore, Maryland]]]]

After the [[United States Declaration of Independence|United States achieved independence from Great Britain]], Presbyterian leaders felt that a national Presbyterian denomination was needed, and the [[Presbyterian Church in the United States of America]] (PCUSA) was organized. The first [[Presbyterian general assembly|general assembly]] was held in Philadelphia in 1789.{{Sfn | Longfield | 2013 |pp=48–50 }} [[John Witherspoon]], president of [[Princeton University]] and the only minister to sign the [[Declaration of Independence (United States)|Declaration of Independence]], was the first [[Moderator of the General Assembly|moderator]].

Not all American Presbyterians participated in the creation of the PCUSA General Assembly because the divisions then occurring in the Church of Scotland were replicated in America. In 1751, Scottish [[Covenanter]]s began sending ministers to America, and the [[Seceders]] were doing the same by 1753. In 1858, the majority of Covenanters and Seceders merged to create the [[United Presbyterian Church of North America]] (UPCNA).{{Sfn | Hall | 1982 |pp=106 }}

===19th century===
In the decades after independence many [[American Protestants]], including Calvinists (Presbyterians and Congregationalists), [[Methodists]], and [[Baptists]],<ref>{{cite web |title=22c. Religious Transformation and the Second Great Awakening |url=http://www.ushistory.org/us/22c.asp |website=USHistory.org |access-date=May 31, 2016 |archive-date=June 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160605094518/http://www.ushistory.org/us/22c.asp |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Hammond |first=Paul |title=From Calvinism to Arminianism: Baptists and the Second Great Awakening (1800–1835) |url=http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/98384.pdf |website=Baylor.edu |publisher=Oklahoma Baptist University |access-date=May 31, 2016 |quote="Baptists were actively involved in the initial phases of both the rural and urban revival practices, even though the Presbyterians, Congregationalists, and Methodists were the leaders. |archive-date=September 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906113949/http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/98384.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> were swept up in Christian revivals that would later become known as the [[Second Great Awakening]]. Presbyterians also helped to shape voluntary societies that encouraged educational, missionary, evangelical, and reforming work. As its influence grew, many non-Presbyterians feared that the PCUSA's informal influence over American life might effectively make it an [[established church]].{{Sfn | Longfield | 2013 |p=54 }}

The Second Great Awakening divided the PCUSA over revivalism and fear that revivalism was leading to an embrace of [[Arminianism|Arminian theology]]. In 1810, frontier revivalists split from the PCUSA and organized the [[Cumberland Presbyterian Church]].{{Sfn | Longfield | 2013 |pp=57,139 }} Throughout the 1820s, support and opposition to revivalism hardened into well-defined factions, the New School and Old School respectively. By the 1838, the [[Old School–New School Controversy]] had divided the PCUSA. There were now two general assemblies each claiming to represent the PCUSA.{{Sfn | Longfield | 2013 |p=92 }}

In 1858, the New School split along sectional lines when its Southern synods and presbyteries established the pro-slavery United Synod of the Presbyterian Church.{{Sfn | Hall | 1982 |pp=111 }} Old School Presbyterians followed in 1861 after the start of hostilities in the [[American Civil War]] with the formation of the Presbyterian Church in the [[Confederate States of America]].{{Sfn | Longfield | 2013 |pp=108 }} The Presbyterian Church in the CSA absorbed the smaller United Synod in 1864. After the war, this body was renamed the [[Presbyterian Church in the United States]] (PCUS) and was commonly nicknamed the "Southern Presbyterian Church" throughout its history.{{Sfn | Hall | 1982 |pp=111 }} In 1869, the northern PCUSA's Old School and New School factions reunited as well and was known as the "Northern Presbyterian Church".{{Sfn | Longfield | 2013 |pp=114–115 }}

===20th century to the present===
{{Main|Fundamentalist–Modernist Controversy}}
[[File:Church of the Pilgrims - Blizzard of 2010.JPG|thumb|[[Church of the Pilgrims (Washington, D.C.)|Church of the Pilgrims]] (built 1929) in [[Washington, D.C.]]]]
[[File:First Presbyterian Church from south.jpg|thumb|upright|The First Presbyterian Church in [[Manhattan]], [[New York City]], seen from the south down [[Fifth Avenue]]]]

The early part of the 20th century saw continued growth in both major sections of the church. It also saw the growth of [[Fundamentalist Christianity]] (a movement of those who believed in the literal interpretation of the Bible as the fundamental source of the religion) as distinguished from [[Modernist Christianity]] (a movement holding the belief that Christianity needed to be re-interpreted in light of modern scientific theories such as [[evolution]] or the rise of degraded social conditions brought on by [[industrialization]] and [[urbanization]]).

Open controversy was sparked in 1922, when [[Harry Emerson Fosdick]], a modernist and a [[Baptist]] pastoring a PCUSA congregation in New York City, preached a sermon entitled "Shall the Fundamentalists Win?" The crisis reached a head the following year when, in response to the New York Presbytery's decision to ordain a couple of men who could not affirm the virgin birth, the PCUSA's General Assembly reaffirmed the "five fundamentals": the deity of Christ, the Virgin Birth, the vicarious atonement, the inerrancy of Scripture, and Christ's miracles and resurrection.<ref>D.G. Hart & John Muether ''Seeking a Better Country: 300 Years of American Presbyterianism ''(P&R Publishing, 2007) pg. 192</ref> This move against modernism caused a backlash in the form of the ''[[Auburn Affirmation]]''&nbsp;— a document embracing liberalism and modernism. The liberals began a series of ecclesiastical trials of their opponents, expelled them from the church and seized their church buildings. Under the leadership of [[J. Gresham Machen]], a former [[Princeton Theological Seminary]] New Testament professor who had founded [[Westminster Theological Seminary]] in 1929, and who was a PCUSA minister, many of these conservatives would establish what became known as the [[Orthodox Presbyterian Church]] in 1936. Although the 1930s and 1940s and the ensuing [[neo-orthodox]] theological consensus mitigated much of the polemics during the mid-20th century, disputes erupted again beginning in the mid-1960s over the extent of involvement in the [[civil rights movement]] and the issue of [[ordination of women]], and, especially since the 1990s, over the issue of ordination of homosexuals.

====Mergers====
[[File:Presbyterian Family Connections.jpg|thumb|upright=1.7|Evolution of Presbyterianism in the United States]]
The Presbyterian Church in the United States of America was joined by the majority of the [[Cumberland Presbyterian Church]], mostly congregations in the border and Southern states, in 1906. In 1920, it absorbed the Welsh Calvinist Methodist Church. The United Presbyterian Church of North America merged with the PCUSA in 1958 to form the [[United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America]] (UPCUSA).

Under [[Eugene Carson Blake]], the UPCUSA's stated clerk, the denomination entered into a period of social activism and ecumenical endeavors, which culminated in the development of the [[Confession of 1967]] which was the church's first new confession of faith in three centuries. The 170th General Assembly in 1958 authorized a committee to develop a brief contemporary statement of faith. The 177th General Assembly in 1965 considered and amended the draft confession and sent a revised version for general discussion within the church. The 178th General Assembly in 1966 accepted a revised draft and sent it to presbyteries throughout the church for final ratification. As the confession was ratified by more than 90% of all presbyteries, the 178th General Assembly adopted it in 1967. The UPCUSA also adopted a ''Book of Confessions'' in 1967, which would include the Confession of 1967, the [[Westminster Confession]] and [[Westminster Shorter Catechism]], the [[Heidelberg Catechism]], the [[Second Helvetic Confession|Second Helvetic]] and [[Scots Confession]]s and the [[Barmen Declaration]].<ref>Hart & Meuther, p. 217</ref>

An attempt to reunite the United Presbyterian Church in the USA with the [[Presbyterian Church in the United States]] in the late 1950s failed when the latter church was unwilling to accept ecclesiastical [[centralization]]. In the meantime, a conservative group broke away from the [[Presbyterian Church in the United States]] in 1973, mainly over the issues of women's ordination and a perceived drift toward theological liberalism. This group formed the [[Presbyterian Church in America]] (PCA).

Attempts at union between the churches (UPCUSA and PCUS) were renewed in the 1970s, culminating in the merger of the two churches to form the Presbyterian Church (USA) on June 10, 1983. At the time of the merger, the churches had a combined membership of 3,121,238.<ref name="membership loss">Kibler, Craig M. [http://www.layman.org/News.aspx?article=23664 PCUSA projects largest membership loss ever in 2007] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613184208/http://www.layman.org/News.aspx?article=23664 |date=June 13, 2011 }}. ''Presbyterian Layman'', February 19, 2008.</ref> Many of the efforts were spearheaded by the financial and outspoken activism of retired businessman [[Thomas Clinton]] who died two years before the merger.{{Citation needed|date=July 2009}} A new national headquarters was established in [[Louisville, Kentucky]] in 1988 replacing the headquarters of the UPCUSA in [[New York City]] and the PCUS located in [[Atlanta, Georgia]].

The merger essentially consolidated moderate-to-liberal American Presbyterians into one body. Other US Presbyterian bodies (the Cumberland Presbyterians being a partial exception) place greater emphasis on doctrinal Calvinism, literalist hermeneutics, and conservative politics.

For the most part, PC(USA) Presbyterians, not unlike similar mainline traditions such as the [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal Church]] and the [[United Church of Christ]], are fairly progressive on matters such as doctrine, environmental issues, sexual morality, and economic issues, though the denomination remains divided and conflicted on these issues. Like other mainline denominations, the PC(USA) has also seen a great deal of demographic aging, with fewer new members and declining membership since 1967.

====Social justice initiatives and renewal movements====

In the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s, the General Assembly of PC(USA) adopted several social justice initiatives, which covered a range of topics including: stewardship of God's creation, world hunger, homelessness, and LGBT issues. As of 2011 the PC(USA) no longer excludes Partnered Gay and Lesbian ministers from the ministry. Previously, the PC(USA) required its ministers to remain "''chastely in singleness or with fidelity in marriage''." Currently, the PC(USA) permits teaching elders to perform same-gender marriages. On a congregational basis, individual sessions (congregational governing bodies) may choose to permit same-gender marriages.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pcusa.org/site_media/media/uploads/oga/pdf/ga221-civil-union-marriage-faq.pdf |title=Frequently Asked Questions: Civil Union and Marriage |website=Pcusa.org |access-date=October 21, 2016 |archive-date=March 12, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312213219/http://www.pcusa.org/site_media/media/uploads/oga/pdf/ga221-civil-union-marriage-faq.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

These changes have led to several renewal movements and denominational splinters. Some conservative-minded groups in the PC(USA), such as the [[Confessing Movement]] and the Presbyterian Lay Committee (formed in the mid-1960s)<ref>{{cite web|title=The history of the Presbyterian Lay Committee|url=http://www.layman.org/about-us/the-history-of-the-presbyterian-lay-committee/|website=layman.org|access-date=July 25, 2016|archive-date=August 8, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160808201023/http://www.layman.org/about-us/the-history-of-the-presbyterian-lay-committee|url-status=live}}</ref> have remained in the main body, rather than leaving to form new, break-away groups.

====Breakaway Presbyterian denominations====
Several Presbyterian denominations have split from PC(USA) or its predecessors over the years. For example, the [[Orthodox Presbyterian Church]] broke away from the Presbyterian Church in the USA in 1936.

More recently formed Presbyterian denominations have attracted PC(USA) congregations disenchanted with the direction of the denomination, but wishing to continue in a Reformed, Presbyterian denomination. The [[Presbyterian Church in America]] (PCA), which does not allow ordained female clergy, separated from Presbyterian Church in the United States in 1973 and has subsequently become the second largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States. The [[Evangelical Presbyterian Church (United States)|Evangelical Presbyterian Church]] (EPC), which gives local presbyteries the option of allowing ordained female pastors, broke away from the United Presbyterian Church and incorporated in 1981. A PC(USA) renewal movement, [[Fellowship of Presbyterians]] (FOP) (now [[The Fellowship Community]]), held several national conferences serving disaffecting Presbyterians. FOP's organizing efforts culminated with the founding of [[ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians]] (ECO), a new Presbyterian denomination that allows ordination of women but is more conservative theologically than PC(USA).

In 2013 the presbyteries ratified the General Assembly's 2012 vote to allow the ordination of openly gay persons to the ministry and in 2014 the General Assembly voted to amend the church's constitution to define marriage as the union of two persons instead of the union of a man and woman, which was ratified (by the presbyteries) in 2015. This has led to the departure of several hundred congregations. The majority of churches leaving the Presbyterian Church (USA) have chosen to join other denominations such as the [[Evangelical Presbyterian Church (United States)|Evangelical Presbyterian Church]] or [[ECO (denomination)|ECO]]. Few have chosen to join the larger more conservative [[Presbyterian Church in America]], which does not permit female clergy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.thearda.com/trend/featured/more-than-sex-why-hundreds-of-congregations-made-final-break-with-mainline-denominations/|title=Not just gay issues: Why hundreds of congregations made final break with mainline denominations – Ahead of the Trend|website=Blogs.thearda.com|date=November 24, 2014|access-date=June 14, 2015|archive-date=April 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150426105042/http://blogs.thearda.com/trend/featured/more-than-sex-why-hundreds-of-congregations-made-final-break-with-mainline-denominations/|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Youth====
Since 1983 the Presbyterian Youth Triennium has been held every three years at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, US, and is open to Presbyterian high school students throughout the world. The very first Youth Triennium was held in 1980 at Indiana University and the conference for teens is an effort of the Presbyterian Church (USA), the largest Presbyterian denomination in the nation; [[Cumberland Presbyterian Church]]; and [[Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America]], the first African-American denomination to embrace Presbyterianism in the reformed tradition.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://presbyterianyouthtriennium.org/|title=Presbyterian (USA) Youth Triennium 2013|website=Presbyterianyouthtriennium.org|access-date=June 14, 2015|archive-date=June 13, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613224201/http://presbyterianyouthtriennium.org/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Since 1907, Montreat, North Carolina has hosted a youth conference every year. In 1983, [[Montreat Conference Center]] became a National Conference Center of the PC(USA) when the northern and southern denominational churches reunited.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://montreat.org/about/history |website=Montreat Conference Center |access-date=October 25, 2020 |title=History |date=January 31, 2018 |archive-date=October 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029234052/https://montreat.org/about/history |url-status=live }}</ref>