Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Totally Explained

Everything about Presbyterian Church U S A totally explained

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) or PC (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 U.S. and was established by the 1983 merger of the former Presbyterian Church in the United States, whose churches were located in the Southern and border states, and the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, whose congregations could be found in every state.
The reunited denomination is the most visible and influential Presbyterian denomination in North America and currently has approximately 2.3 million members, 10,900 congregations and 14,000 ordained ministers. Denominational offices are located in Louisville, Kentucky. It is a member of the National Council of Churches, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, the World Council of Churches, and Christian Churches Together. In 2006, the denomination became the first major religious denomination in the world to call on its members to become carbon neutral.

Structure

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 declaring the creeds by which the Church's leaders are instructed and led. Complementing that's the Book of Order which gives the rationale and description for the organization and function of the Church at all levels. The Book of Order is currently divided into three sections - 1) Form of Government, 2) The Directory For Worship, and 3) The Rules of Discipline. The denomination is currently considering a major revision of the Form of Government which will be presented for first consideration to the General Assembly meeting in June, 2008.

Governing bodies

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) has a representative form of government, known as presbyterian polity, with four levels of government and administration, as outlined in the Book of Order. The governing bodies (as they're referred to) are as follows:

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 elected and installed to active service. Following the pattern set in the first congregation of Christians in Jerusalem described in the Book of Acts in the New Testament, the church is governed by elders. The elders are nominated by a nominating committee of the congregation; in addition, nominations from the floor are permissible. Elders are then elected by the congregation. Session meetings are moderated by a called and installed pastor and minutes are recorded by the elected clerk. This body takes care of the guidance and direction of the ministry of the local church, including almost all responsibilities of spiritual and fiduciary leadership. The congregation basically has only the responsibility to vote on: 1) the call of the pastor (subject to presbytery approval); 2) the election of its own officers (elders & deacons); 3) buying, mortgaging, or selling real property. All other matters such as the budget, other personnel matters, programs for spiritual life and mission, are the responsibility of the session.
   The session also oversees the work of the deacons, a second body of leaders also tracing its origins to the Book of Acts. The deacons are a congregational-level group whose duty is "to minister to those who 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's 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 shan't infringe upon the powers and duties of the Session or of the board of deacons.” The deacons are a ministry board but not a governing body.
   The next level is the presbytery formed by all the congregations and the Ministers of Word & Sacrament in a geographic area together with elders selected (proportional to congregation size) from each of the congregations. Four PC(USA) synods (see below) have a non-geographical presbytery for Korean language Presbyterian congregations. One synod has a non-geographical presbytery for Native American congregations, the Dakota Presbytery. Only the presbytery (not a congregation, session, synod, or General Assembly) has the responsibility and authority to ordain church members to the Ministry of Word & Sacrament, to install Ministers of Word & Sacrament to (and/or remove them from) congregations, and to remove a Minister from the Ministry of Word & Sacrament. A Minister of Word & Sacrament is a Presbyterian Minister only by virtue of membership on a roll of a presbytery; the synods and general assembly don't maintain minister membership rolls. A pastor can't be a member of the congregation he or she serves as pastor because their membership is in the presbytery. The presbytery also acts as a court of appeal from sessions. Members of the congregation generally choose their own pastor with the assistance and support of the presbytery. The presbytery must approve the choice and officially install the pastor at the congregation. Additionally, the presbytery must approve if either the congregation or the pastor wishes to dissolve that pastoral relationship. The presbytery has authority over many affairs of its local congregations. Only the presbytery can approve the establishment, dissolution, or merger of congregations. The moderator of the presbytery is elected annually. Additionally, an Executive Presbyter (sometimes called General Presbyter) is often elected as a staff person to care for the administrative duties of the presbytery, often with the additional role of a pastor to the pastors. A presbytery is required to elect a Moderator and a Clerk, but the choice to hire an Executive Presbyter is optional. Presbyteries must meet at least twice a year, but they've the discretion to meet more often and most do. There are currently 173 presbyteries for the more than 11,000 congregations in the PC(USA).
   Presbyteries are organized within a geographical region to form synod. Each synod contains at least three presbyteries, and its elected voting membership is to include both elders and Ministers of Word and Sacrament in equal numbers. Synods have various duties depending on the needs of the presbyteries they serve. In general, their responsibilities (G-12.0102) might be summarized as: 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. Meetings are moderated by an elected synod Moderator with support of the synod's Stated Clerk. There are currently 16 synods in the PC(USA) and they vary widely in the scope and nature of their work. An ongoing current debate in the denomination is over the purpose, function, and need for synods.
   The General Assembly is the highest governing body of the PC(USA). Until 2004, the General Assembly met once a year; since the 216th assembly met in Richmond in 2004, the G.A. meets biennially in even-numbered years. It consists of commissioners elected by presbyteries (not synods) and its voting membership 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:

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. The General Assembly elects 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. The G.A. elects an Executive Director of the General Assembly Council who is the top administrator overseeing the mission work of the PC(USA).

Worship in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

The Session of the local congregation has a great deal of freedom in the style and ordering of worship, within the guidelines set forth in the "Directory For Worship" section of the Book of Order. Worship varies from congregation to congregation. The order may be very traditional and highly liturgical, or it may be very simple and informal. This variance isn't unlike that seen in the "High Church" and "Low Church" styles of the Anglican Church. The Book of Order suggests a worship service ordered around five themes: "gathering around the Word, proclaiming the Word, responding to the Word, the sealing of the Word, and bearing and following the Word into the world." Prayer is central to the service and may be silent, spoken, sung, or read in unison (including The Lord's Prayer). Music plays a large role in most PC(USA) worship services and ranges from chant to traditional Protestant hymns, to classical sacred music, to more modern music, depending on the preference of the individual church, and should be offered prayerfully and not "for entertainment or artistic display." Scripture is read and usually preached upon. An offering is usually taken.
"The pastor has certain responsibilities which are not subject to the authority of the session. In a particular service of worship the pastor is responsible for:
(1) the selection of Scripture lessons to be read, (2) the preparation and preaching of the sermon or exposition of the Bible, (3) the prayers offered on behalf of the people and those prepared for the use of the people in worship, (4) the music to be sung, (5) the use of drama, dance, and other art forms. The pastor may confer with a worship committee in planning particular services of worship." [W-1.4005]
The Directory of Worship in the Book of Order provides the directions for what must be, or may be included in worship. During the 20th Century, Presbyterians were offered optional use of liturgical books:

The Book of Common Worship of 1906

The Book of Common Worship of 1932

The Book of Common Worship of 1946

The Worshipbook of 1970 (spelling is correct)

The Book of Common Worship of 1993

Membership Demographics

The PC(USA) maintains extensive statistics on its members.
   Total "communicant" membership fell by 2% in 2005 to 2,313,662, the largest loss since 1975. This continues a three decade-long decline in membership for PC(USA). This is consistent with the trends of most mainline Protestant denominations in America since the late 1960s.
   The average Presbyterian Church has 212 members (the mean in 2005). About 25% of the total congregations report between 1 and 50 members. Another 23% report between 51 and 100 members. The average worship attendance as a percentage of membership is 51.7%. The largest congregation in the PC(USA) is Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, Georgia, with a reported membership of 8,413 (2005).
   Most PC(USA) members are white (92.9%). Other racial and ethnic members include African-Americans (3.1% of the total membership of the denomination), Asians (2.3%), Hispanics (1.2%), Native Americans (0.2%), and others (0.3%). Despite declines in the total membership of the PC(USA), the percentage of racial-ethnic minority members has stayed about the same since 1995. The ratio of female members (58%) to male members (42%) has also remained stable since the mid-1960s.

PC(USA)-affiliated seminaries, colleges and universities

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

Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Austin, TX

Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA

Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, GA

Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY

McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, IL

Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, the denomiation's oldest, in Pittsburgh, PA

Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, NJ

San Francisco Theological Seminary in San Anselmo, Marin County, CA

Union Theological Seminary & Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond, VA and Charlotte, NC

University of Dubuque Theological Seminary in Dubuque, IA Two other seminaries are related to the PC(USA) by covenant agreement: Auburn Theological Seminary

in New York, NY, and Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico in San Juan, PR.
For more information, see the article PC(USA) seminaries.
There are numerous colleges and universities throughout the United States affiliated with PC (USA). For a complete list, see the article Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities. ==

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