Editing Presbyterian Church (USA) (section)

====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>