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What One Should Know About NJ Presbyterian Churches

By Stephanie Sullivan


The Presbyterian Church refers to a global mainline Protestant Christian denomination. The abbreviation PC is often used to stand for Presbyterian Church. The establishment of the church within the United States occurred in 1983 when the United PC in the USA (UPCUSA) and the PC in the USA (PCUS) merged. The border and southern states housed most of the PC in US churches while congregations of the United PCUS were located all over the country. Today, NJ Presbyterian Churches are among PC churches that can be found anywhere within the United States of America.

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 origin of Presbyterians can be traced back to the Protestant Reformation that took during the sixteenth century. The theology and heritage of the church was started by Swiss/French theologian and lawyer named John Calvin. The writing of Calvin played a big role in solidifying much of Reformed thinking that appeared before him.

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.

A lot of separations by independent denominations from the main church have occurred over the years. One among the earliest separation occurred in 1936 when Orthodox PC broke away from PC in the US. Separations have continued until recently when they have become a threat to the faith itself. Denominations that split claim to be dissatisfied with the direction the church is taking. Separated churches continue with reformed tradition.

In 1973, the PC in America (PCA) split from PC in the US and has grown to become the second biggest PC in this country. The acceptance of ordained female clergies was the main reason PCA broke off. Afterwards, the Evangelical PC (EPC) split away and in 1981, it was incorporated. EPC does not allow or disallow ordained female priests. Instead, it lets local presbyteries choose on their own.

The everyday operations of PC are governed by a constitution. The constitution has two sections. The Book of Confessions (BoC) and Book of Order are the first and second sections respectively. The Book of Confessions outlines all beliefs of the PC through declaring creeds that lead and instruct leaders.

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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