Saturday, April 9, 2016

Information About NJ Presbyterian Churches

By Stephanie Sullivan


The Presbyterian Church, often abbreviated as PC is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination worldwide. In the United States, the PC was established in 1983 following the merger of the PC in the US (PCUS) and the United PC in the USA (UPCUSA). The PC in the US had most of its churches located within the border and southern states while the UPCUSA had congregations in all the states. Today, NJ Presbyterian Churches and other churches are located within the whole of the United States.

The PC as a denomination was estimated to have 20, 383 ordained ministers, 9, 829 congregations, and 1, 667, 767 members at the end of 2014. Even with that population, the church has experienced some sharp decline in its membership within the past few years. PC (USA) has about three million adherents and its denominational officers are situated in Louisville in the state of Kentucky. PC is a member of World Council of Churches, Christian Churches Together, and World Communion of Reformed Churches.

The Protestant Reformation that occurred during the 16th century is the origin of Presbyterians. John Calvin, a Swiss/French lawyer and theologian began the heritage and theology. The reformed thinking that happened prior to emergence of Calvin was highly solidified by his writing.

The Reformed movement spread from Geneva, Switzerland, where the capital of Calvin was located to the rest of Europe. In Scotland, the Reformation was started by John Knox who studied with Calvin in Geneva. Knox brought the reformed thinking to scots who accepted it eagerly. From Europe, the movement spread to the America and the whole world and it is still spreading.

Over the years, many separations from the mother church by independent denominations have occurred. Orthodox PC was one among the earliest breakaways in 1936. Today, splitting has become a major issue in this church. Congregations that break away cite dissatisfaction with the direction taken by the church as the cause for splitting. The reformed tradition is usually maintained in congregations that split.

The PC in America (PCA) broke from PCUS in 1973 and has become the second largest Presbyterian in the United States. PCA broke away because the main church was allowing ordained female clergies. The Evangelical PC (EPC) also broke away and became incorporated in 1981. EPC, unlike PC within the US and PCA, gives local presbyteries the power to decide if they want ordained female clergies.

PC works with a constitution which governs its everyday operations. The constitution is made of two parts. The first part is the Book of Confessions (BoC) while the second part is the Book of Order (BoO). The beliefs of PC are outlined in BoC through a declaration of creeds by which leaders are led and instructed.

The Book of Confessions is complemented by Book of Order. The rationale and a description of functions and organization of this church at all levels is given in Book of Order. This description covers all levels in the denomination.




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