The Presbyterian Church in America ( PCA ) is the second largest Presbyterian church body (second to Presbyterian Church (USA)) and the largest conservative Reform denomination in the United States. PCA is reformed in theology, Presbyterian in government, and active in missions. This is characterized by a mixture of Reformed practices and widespread evangelicalism.
Video Presbyterian Church in America
History
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The PCA is rooted in the theological controversy over liberalism in Christianity and neo-orthodoxy that has become a point of contention in the Presbyterian Church in the US (formerly Presbyterian Church at Confederate States) that has broken away from the main Presbyterian Church. in the United States along regional lines at the beginning of the Civil War. While the Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy led to a split in PC-USA in the mid-1930s, leading to the formation of Orthodox Presbyterian Church and Bible Presbyterian Church, PCUS remained intact. However, it began in 1942, when the PCUS began experimenting with revision recognition, and then, when neo-orthodoxy and liberalism began to become influential in PCUS seminaries, and attempts were made to join the more liberal PC-US and successor, the United Presbyterian Church in the United States, reform groups began to be formed, including Presbyterian Churchmen United, which had been formed by more than 500 ministers and contained 3/4 pages of their faith statement in 30 newspapers, Presbyterian Evangelistic Fellowship, doing revival in PCUS churches, Presbyterian Peduli, and Presbyterian Churchmen United (PCU), a conservative pastor organization in the Southern Presbyterian Church. They sought to reaffirm Westminster's Confession of Faith as the fullest and most obvious expression of the biblical faith which many conservatives felt that the presbyter had broken by accepting servants who refused to affirm the virgin birth and bodily resurrection, and expected all pastors and leaders to affirm the inerrancy of scripture. Opponents of mergers take on specific issues with the obedience of the Presbyterian Church of America to the Auburn Affirmation and the 1967 Confession; the South Presbyterian denomination denies the adoption of this recognition as an official standard, notes the invalid biblical doctrine, weak sexual ethics, and conversations with other church bodies that reject the Reformed faith, as explored by the Consultation on the Unity of the Church.
It is still controversial as to whether racial tensions can contribute to the formation of PCA. Many in the PCA persistently maintain that race plays a small role in the origins of the new denominations, but many outside the PCA have a historical memory of animated racism that indisputably contributes to the desire for an exodus from the Presbyterian South denomination, PCUS. However, on June 23, 2016, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States voted to approve a statement of racial reconciliation that specifically recognizes "the company's sins and history, including those carried out during the Civil Rights era, and continued our own racial sins and we fathers like the separation of the worshipers by race, the exclusion of people from Church membership on the basis of race, exclusion from churches, or elders, from membership in Presbyter based on race, teaching the Bible sanctions racial segregation and discouraging racial marriage , participation in and the defense of white supremacist organizations, and the failure to live the command of the gospel that 'love does not wrong the neighbor' (Romans 13:10). "This confession of" historical sin "during the Civil Rights era has helped to restore some conflicts a black member of the PCA may have felt about the failure of the denomination to be fully mine l and protect the rights of African Americans both inside and outside the church during the PCA years of establishment.
Conservatives also feel the church must deny female ordination. They also criticized the literature published by the PCUS Board of Christian Education and believe that the denominational World Mission Council no longer places major emphasis on the execution of the Great Commission. In 1966, conservatives in the PCUS, concerned about the denominational seminaries established the Reformed Theological Seminary.
Finally, when it came to the news that the planned Unity Plan between UPCUSA and PCUS did not have a "breakout clause" that would allow for PCUS congregations that did not want union sections planned to go without property confiscation, the steering committee of some of the reform groups called for the congregation PCUS is conservative to leave.
In December 1973, the delegation, representing about 260 congregations with a combined communion membership of over 41,000 who had left PCUS, gathered at Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama, and organized the Presbyterian National Church, which later became Presbyterian Church in America.
After protests from UPCUSA congregation of the same name in Washington, D.C., the denomination in the Second General Assembly (1974) changed its name to National Presbyterian Reformed Church, then adopted its name now the next day. At its founding, PCA consists of 16 presbyters.
Within a few years, the church grew to include more than 500 congregations and 80,000 members.
Growth
Kenyon Case - PCA Growth in Mid-Atlantic (1975)
During the 1970s, denominations added a large number of congregations outside the South when several UPCUSA churches in Ohio and Pennsylvania joined. This move was precipitated by a case concerning the ordination candidate, Wynn Kenyon, rejected by Pittsburgh Presbytery because he refused to support female ordination (a decision upheld by the UPCUSA General Assembly). The churches of sekeder formed the Presbittery Ascension, officially held on July 29, 1975. That year, a minister of the presbyter described his history as follows:
The constituents of Presbytery of Ascension are almost exclusively members, in one way or another, from United Presbyterian Church in the United States (UPCUSA)....
Walter Kenyon is an honorary graduate of the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.... Mr. Kenyon... states that he can not in good conscience participate in the ordination of a woman. He says that it is his understanding of the Scriptures that prevents such involvement, but goes on to say that he will not stand in the way of ordination like that, if such is the desire of a church he will serve. Soon there was much disagreement, and the disagreement grew until the vast majority of the church supported a court ruling banning Kenyon and all the Kenyons of the future from the UPCUSA rostrum. Furthermore, there is an explicit and implicit action taken against those who have ordained it.
Reverend Arthur C. Broadwick (and Union United Presbyterian Church USA of Pittsburgh) and Rev. Carl W. Bogue, Jr. (and Allenside UPCUSA from Akron, OH) are already involved in litigation involving this issue.... When the Permanent Judicial Commission of UPCUSA decides that Mr. Kenyon can not be ordained, effectively raising this doctrine of social relation to place becomes the central doctrine of the church....
Such actions by the Permanent Judicial Commission caused a crisis for all pastors and elders who adhered to the traditional view of this question and which is now considered heresy. Therefore, to uphold the peace, unity and purity of the church, most of the people who were members of the charter's presbyter peacefully withdrew from UPCUSA....
A fitting conclusion for the description of the origins of Presbytery of Ascension is the mention of the new affiliation of Presbytery, Presbyterian Church in America. In Autumn 1974, people affected by Kenyon Case's deviation sent four representatives, from informal committees considering alternatives to UPCUSA (that is, if the agency had to make a decision against Mr. Kenyon that would affect the church as a whole), to The Second General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America (which became the Presbyterian Church in America). These four pastors are the Reverend A.C. Broadwick, Rev. TO. Perrin, Rev. R.E. Knodel, Jr., and Rev. W.L. Thompson, on behalf of a more caring group, looked for a Reformed historical body that was also evangelical and mission-minded. When this small group went to Macon, Georgia with a lot of suspicions and questions, they came back with joy because there was an option like Presbyterian Church in America. Adopted from Reformationanglicanism.blogspot July 29, 1975 A.D. Presbytery Presentation (PCA) Officially Formed
For example, the allies of Union UPCUSA formed the Presbyterian Church of Providence in Pittsburgh under the leadership of Rev. Broadwick.
PCA extends in the Midwest
Dozens of churches from the Midwest became part of the Presbyterian Church in America leaving the Synod of Western PC (USA) then the United Presbyterian Church in the United States. It became a Siouxlands Presbytery consisting only of South Dakota, but in 1982, Joining and Receiving took place with the Presbyterian Reformed Church, the Evangelical Synod, the boundaries expanded to include Minnesota, North Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa.
In the state of Michigan who disagreed with members of the Christian Reform Church and the RCA, about 75 families formed the Presbyterian Presbyterian Church in the Netherlands, MI in 1996 under the leadership of Pdt. Tom Vanden Heuvel, former pastor of the First Christian Reform Church (Grand Rapids, Michigan), quotes that the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) has renounced its original commitment to Bible clarity, the authority of Scripture. At that time, another CRC church joined the PCA in Texas, as well as in New York, the Monsey Christian Church.
Departure from PCUS (1973-1990)
Dissenting Southern Presbyterian Churches joined the PCA until the early 1990s. Early PCA growth was largely through the separation of the Southern Presbyterian Church (PCUS), which from 1983 to 1990 enabled the church to go with their property. Around 110 to 120 churches came during that time period to PCA with their properties, permitted by various PCs (USA) Presbyteries. Since then, PCA growth has been largely through the planting of churches and the reach of local congregations rather than with the transfer of churches from other denominations. The PC minister (US) is now required to agree with the ordination of women, who oppose the PCA. However, since 1996 about 23 PC (USA) congregations have joined the PCA. In the 2014 PC General Assembly, most churches withdrawing from PCs (US) joined the newly formed Evangelical Presbyterian or ECO Church because of their acceptance of women ministers, although since then many conservative PC groups (US) and even the entire congregation has been affiliated with the PCA.
Merging with Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod (1982)
In 1982, PCA joined the Presbyterian Reformed Church, the Evangelical Synod (RPCES), with 25,673 members of the communicant and 482 ministers in 189 trials in the United States as well as in some Canadian provinces. The discussion began in 1979 with the Reformed Presbyterian Church, the Evangelical Synod, which has occurred because of a merger between the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (formerly the Presbyterian Church of the Bible - Columbus Synod and not the current denomination of the same name) and the Presbyterian Church Reform, the General Synod (a group "New Light" Covenanters). RPCES brings the PCA to a wider national membership base with denominational colleges, the Covenant College, and the seminary, Theoven Theological Seminary. Previously, PCA relied on independent evangelical institutions such as Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi and Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The PCA originally invited three denominations for the merger, including the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) and the North American Presbyterian Presbyterian Church (RPCNA). The OPC chooses to accept an invitation to join the PCA, but the PCA chooses to refuse to accept them. PCA Presbiters do not approve apps by the required three-quarters majority, and hence the proposed invitation process is terminated without OPC presbyteries that vote on this issue. RPCES is the only church to merge. The merger is called "Join and Receive." When an adequate number of RPCES and PCA presbyters voted in favor of the plan, the last vote occurred at their respective annual meetings, both held in Grand Rapids, Michigan: RPCES Synod chose to join the PCA on 12 June 1982 and the PCA of the General Assembly voted to accept RPCES on June 14th. The Presbyterian Church of the Reformed, the institutions and committees of the Evangelical Synod united with their PCA counterparts. The history and historical documents of RPCES are incorporated into the PCA. Graduates from Covenant College and Seminary are also officially recognized. This move reflects a rare phenomenon in American Protestantism from two conservative denominational combinations, a much more common occurrence among mainstream, middle-to-liberal bodies in the 20th century (such as UPCUSA/PCUS reunions). In 1982, the RPCES had 25,782 members of the communicant in 187 sessions served by 400 pastors. PCA has 519 churches, 91,060 members of the communicant, and 480 priests. After the merging of PCA membership were 706 churches, 116,788 communicant members, and 1,276 teaching educators.
In 1986, the PCA again invited the Orthodox Presbyterian Church to join them, but to no avail. Not everyone agrees with the decision. In the four years after 1986, there was a voluntary rearrangement when the congregation left the OPC for PCA mainly from California, Montana and Pennsylvania, but as far as Alaska, OPC churches joined the PCA. In the 1970s, OPC has developed a new wing of 'pietis/revivalis' under the influence of Jack Miller. According to Tim Keller, New Life Churches and their Sonship course represent classical revivalism, and that does not fit with more doctrinalist OPC writers. The New Life churches were made to feel unacceptable and almost everything left in the early 90's swelled up the PCA pietist.
National Growth
In 1983 several PCUS churches had joined the PCA, instead of joining UPCUSA into the current PC (USA); others joined the newly formed Evangelical Presbyterian Church, unrelated to the bodies of the 1950s and 1960s of the name. A clause in the Plan of Union between the two mainline bodies allows disagreements with PCUS congregations not to join mergers and join their chosen denominations.
On the 20th anniversary of the PCA in 1993 there were 1,086 congregations and 242,560 members.
PCA Historical Center, archives and manuscript archives, located in St. Petersburg. Louis, Missouri.
PCA is one of the denominations in the United States, with about 1,700 churches and missions across the US and Canada. There were about 335,000 communicant and non-communist members in December 2000.
In 2004 former PC member First Presbyterian Church in Charleston, MS chose to join the PCA rather than the EPC, allowing women as church officers. Hospers Presbyterian Church in Hospers, Iowa also PC (USA), joined the PCA in November 2006. Park Cities Presbyterian Church was formed when about 1,500-2,000 former members of Highland Park Presbyterian Church (Dallas, Texas) were separated from PCs (US) and joined PCA. In 2013 and 2014 some disappointing conservative PC (USA) congregations from New York state and from Presbytery of Sheppards & amp; Lapsley (Unity Presbyterian in Weogufka, AL, and Presbyterian Southwood in Talladega, AL) in Alabama State and Presbyterian Church of Korea Smyrna in Enterprise, AL joined the Presbyterian Church in America instead of ECO or EPC, which has female ministers. Some PCs (AS) breakaway groups such as the New Testament Presbyterian Church in McComb, MS that broke away from J.J. The White Memorial Presbyterian Church in 2007, and First Presbyterian Church, PCA in Beaufort, South Carolina (formerly First Scots Independent Presbyterian Church) voted to affiliate with the PCA. As well as some independent Anglo and up to now unaffiliated Korean Presbyterian churches such as the Greater Springfield Korean Church in Agawam, Massachusetts. According to PC (USA) statistics the 7 PC (US) congregation with 550 members joined the PCA, excluding seceder groups since 2005.
The doctrinal debates in the Reformed Church in America lead several RCA congregations such as the Grace Reform Church in Lansing, Illinois (Pastor Andy Nearpass), Peace Community Church from Frankfort, IL (Rev. Dr. Kurt Kruger), Reformed Cretan Church in Crete, IL David Smith), First Reformed Church in Lansing, IL (Pastor Ben Kappers), Mission Dei Church in New Lenox, Illinois (Pastor Paul Vroom) and University Reformation Church in East Lansing, Michigan (Rev. Kevin DeYoung) to join the PCA as an alternative the conservative.
The three main problems are the position of RCA in homosexuality, the adoption of Belhar recognition and complementaryism. Beyond the three reasons Reformed Church University mentioned: "We have a deep desire to become a member of the church family where we as a congregation fit in with what our denominations and beliefs do." "We want to raise a priest who is not afraid that the ordination process is against them." "We want to work side by side with the churches that share our beliefs." "We want to be in a denomination that sees us as the center of occupation, there is no extreme right side". "Denominations (RCA) have moved away from churches like our church." "We want to work side by side with the churches that share our beliefs." "In practice, RCA is already on the right track [supporting homosexual activity] and that gives the way our classical structure works those who stand for biblical orthodoxy can do little to stop it.We believe working in such a mixed denomination undermines the true nature of the unity of the Bible , impedes our testimony to Christ, and does not represent the most effective way of serving for the URC in the coming years and decades. "" The URC will be able to serve with greater integrity and disciple our people (especially the ministerial candidates) more effectively if we are in a denomination that shares our complementary beliefs, rather than in one that moves at full speed in the other direction. " "We (URC) are distracted by the weak form of recognition subscriptions in the RCA, the process of examining ministerial candidates, and our formal ecumenical relations with liberal denominations such as UCC, ELCA and PCUSA." "We often hear from visitors that even though they have lived in Lansing for years, they never thought of visiting URC because it was an RCA church or because of the things they heard about liberal trends in the RCA. our denominational affiliations give them the wrong idea of ​​who we are and what we believe? "We do not recommend our RCA seminary. "We want to be in a denomination that sees us as the center of occupation, not some extreme right wing." "RCA connections impede the interest of planting churches, the vision to train pastors, and the placement of new pastors." "We also feel the distance between us and most churches in denominations".
Each church is allowed to retreat with property and assets respectively. But if a church has to resign from the PCA within five years of the agreement, the property will be returned to Classis of Illiana-Florida. The University Reformed Church was also granted dismissal by the RCA Classis on March 21, 2015.
Kevin DeYoung, pastor of Reformed Church University, summarized the reasons for withdrawing from the Reformed Church in America and affiliated with the PCA:
"Let me say at this point that our reason for seeking to leave the RCA is not one thing, but many things: from the adoption of the Belhar Confession, to the abolition of the conscience clauses associated with female ordination, to the increasing acceptance of homosexual practices in denominations, we believe RCA has changed significantly in recent years.The denominations have moved from churches like us, our request is that we may be able to move as well. "
Maps Presbyterian Church in America
Doctrine and practices
The PCA includes representations from all branches of the historic Presbyterian Reformation. The PCA founding churches emerge from the Southern Presbyterian church, which includes revivalists, Old Siders, classic 'Princeton' Old Schoolers, Conservative New Schoolers, and others. In 1982 the PCA joined the Presbyterian Presbyterian Church, the Evangelical Synod, which was the result of the union between the Presbyterian Church of the New Light (New Side), the General Synod, and parts of the Newborn Presbyterian Church. In addition, many evangelical congregations residing in the main Presbyterian churches, both in the north and south, go as individual churches and join the PCA. In short, the PCA has been established with churches and leaders from many different branches - Old School, Old Side, New School.
Synopsis of the Presbyterian Church Confidence in America
- The Bible is an inspired and indecent Word of God, the only rule of faith and absolute practice.
- There is one God, immortal and independent in the three personal (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) who are equally loved, respected, and adored.
- All human beings participate in the fall of Adam from the original sinless state and are thus lost in sin and in no way helpless.
- The Sovereign Lord, there is no reason other than his incomparable love and compassion, has chosen the lost sinners of every nation to be redeemed by the power of the Holy Spirit which is quicker and through the redeeming death and the resurrection of his son , Jesus Christ.
- Sinners sinned by the Spirit, to believe in Christ as Savior by the Word of God, born again, become God's children, and will endure to the end.
- Justification is through faith and through it the ineligible sinner is wearing the truth of Christ.
- The purpose of God's salvation in the life of Christians is holiness, good deeds, and service for the glory of God.
- When the death of the Christian soul goes directly to the presence of God and the soul of the unbeliever is permanently separated from God into curse.
- Baptism is a sign of God's covenant and given true to the children of believers in their childhood as well as those who come as adults to believe in Christ.
- Jesus Christ will return to earth, visibly and physically, at a time when He did not expect, to perfect the eternal history and plan of God.
- The gospel of God's salvation in Jesus Christ should be published to the world as a witness before Jesus Christ returns.
Confessions
The Motto Presbyterian Church in America is "True to the Scriptures, True to the Reformed faith, Obedient to the Great Commission of Jesus Christ." The PCA recognizes adherence to historical confessional standards of Presbyterianism: the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Short Westminster Catechism, and the Greater Westminster Catechism. This secondary document is seen as a subordinate of the Bible, which itself is seen as the inspired Word of God.
Education and ministry
As might be expected given the history of high Presbyterianism over education, the PCA generally values ​​more academic exploration than the revivalist tradition of evangelicalism. Apologetics in general and presuppositional apologetics have become hallmarks of many higher level theologians and clerics, and many also practice "cultural apologetics" by engaging and participating in secular cultural activities such as film, music, literature and art in order to win them for Christ.
In addition, the PCA emphasizes compassionate ministries such as outreach to the poor, elderly, orphans, American Indians, people with physical and mental disabilities, refugees, etc. As a result, the denomination has held several national conferences to help equip members to participate in this type of work, and some PCA affiliates such as Desire Street Ministries, New City Fellowship, and New Song Fellowship have received national attention for their services to the wider community.
Life issues
PCA is a pro-life abortion, because it believes that it consists of killing the unborn child and violating the commands and authority of God. "Therefore we are condemned because the scriptures forbid abortion Abortion is wrong, it is a sin The Bible regards such a child as a person and thus is covered by divine protection even as a person after birth Any medical support or historical precedent can only be done. secondly when we have a clear Word from God on moral questions. "Their Sixth General Assembly, in 1978, adopted the following attitude:" God as a righteous and holy Judge will not allow sin to be justified by the 'situation' of man. practical in each of these cases in the consistent application of the absolute God, the prohibition and subsequent amusement of the knowledge that the greatest good depends on our obedience to God. "
The PCA opposes euthanasia, according to an official statement adopted at the 16th General Assembly in 1988: "Euthanasia, or" murder of mercy "of a patient by a physician or by another person, including the patient himself (suicide) is murder, arrest or attracting medical care, as it is being discussed here, is not euthanasia and should not be included in the same category. "
The PCA opposes divorce, except in the case of adultery or neglect (desertion).
The PCA takes the following position on homosexuality: "The practice of homosexuality is sin, the Bible teaches that all certain sins flow from rebellious hearts, like other sins, the PCA deals with people by way of shepherding, seeking to change their lifestyle through the power of the gospel as applied by the Holy Spirit.Therefore, in condemning homosexual practice we claim there is no self-truth, but acknowledging that any and all sin is equally cruel in the eyes of a holy God. "The PCA opposes same-sex marriage. L. Roy Taylor, PCA Plenipotentiary, said that the PCA "believes that, out of creation, God sets a marriage covenant to become a bond between one man and a woman" and that "the divinely approved standard for sexual activity is marital allegiance between a man and a woman or purity outside of such marriages. During history, there is often a conflict between the unchanging biblical standards of biblical ethics that the Church wants to sustain and the changing social practices of culture. "
Wedding
In 2014, in response to media confusion between PCA and PCUSA, the clerk's offices mentioned issued the following:
There are several Presbyterian denominations in America. Sometimes people mistakenly associate the views or actions of one Presbyterian denomination with another. The "Presbyterian Church in America" ​​(PCA) is an evangelical denomination in the tradition of Reformed theology. The PCA, like other Evangelicals, Conservatives, Orthodoxes and Traditional Christians of many denominations, believes that, out of creation, God establishes a marriage covenant to become a bond between a man and a woman, and that understanding is what the Church always believes. , taught, and acknowledged. Therefore, we believe that the divinely permitted standard for sexual activity is loyalty in marriage between a man and a woman or purity outside of such marriage. Throughout history, there has often been a conflict between the unchanging standards of biblical ethics that the Church wants to defend and the change of socio-cultural practices. The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) has not redefined marriage nor does it intend to do so.
Social and theological differences with Presbyterian Church USA
Comparison with other Presbyterian denominations
PCA is more socially and conservatively theologically than PC (USA). The PCA requires ordained priests and elders to subscribe to the theological doctrines detailed in the Westminster Standard, with only minor exceptions allowed, while the PC's Secret Book (USA) allows more leeway. The PCA only ordains men who recognize traditional marriages or celibacy, while PC (USA) allows the ordination of both women and (in certain Presbiter) gay and lesbian non-celibate as priests. Like PC (USA), however, the PCA accommodates different creation views. The PCA strives for racial reconciliation. PCA unilaterally Pro-life, believing life begins at conception. Unlike PCs, the PCA has no ecumenical relationship with organizations that accept denominations that they feel have been lost from orthodoxy, such as the World Council of Churches or the World Communion of Reformed Churches. Due to problems related to church property when splitting from PCs (US), at PCA all church buildings belong to the local church, which gives the PCA a slightly more congregational church structure than most other Presbyterian structures.
The PCA is generally less theologically conservative than the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC, founded in 1936), but more conservative than the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC, founded in 1981) and the Evangelical Presbyterian Covenant Order (ECO, founded in 2012), although the differences may vary from presbyters to presbyters and even congregations to the congregation. The PCA, as mentioned above, will not ordain women as teachers of elders, ruling elders, or deacons, while the EPC considers these issues as "unimportant" issues assigned to individual ordination bodies, and the ECO fully embraces female ordination.. However, there is an increasingly strong movement in the PCA to allow the ordination of women as a deacon including an offer in the General Assembly. A number of PCA churches are known to have an ordained deacon and deaconess of women. EPCs are also more tolerant of charismatic movements than PCA. However, there is a strong New Calvinist movement in PCA that practices contemporary music, embraces a continuous position of the gift of the Holy Ghost, and engages in civil dialogue with different theological views. This is not surprising because the PCA has issued, from the beginning, a pastoral letter to all PCA churches to charismatically tolerate within its ranks.
The PCA has a bit of a doctrinal quarrel with the OPC. Both denominations have similar views about the Federal Vision, creation and justification. While most OPC congregations allow women only to teach children and other women at Sunday school, some moderate PCA hearings allow women to do whatever the uneducated men can do. Although OPC and PCA comply with the Westminster Standard, the OPC is generally more stringent in requiring its officers to subscribe to such standards without exception. It is difficult to find the doctrinal differences between these two denominations. In recent years, the OPC and PCA publish substantial similar reports on Creative Days, the debate on Justification and the issue of the Federal Vision. They have identical positions in social issues such as women in combat, Freemasonry and abortion. The only difference from any significance is the matter of charismatic gifts. The OPC maintains a tight position, while PCA allows presbyters to ordain non-lintahion if they do not believe that the ongoing prize is relevant and they promise not to teach their different views, but most PCA presbiters will refuse to ordain such men. Many PCA churches have moved towards contemporary worship, while the OPC is dominated by traditional Reformed worship. The Southern roots of the Presbyterian Church in America are somewhat sparked by the merging with the Presbyterian Reformed Church, the Evangelical Synod and the northern roots of the OPC also forged by the influence of Van Til and Kuyper. Nevertheless, the two denominations enjoy fraternal relationships and cooperate in a number of ways, such as sharing control over the publishing company, the Great Commission Publications, which produces the Sunday School curriculum for both denominations.
Church Administration
The PCA maintains the Presbyterian church government embodied in the Book of the Church. Local church officials include teaching elders, elders and deacons in power. The BCO was based on the PCUS Order of the Churches which declared it valid on May 19, 1879. The PCA embraces the tradition of parity of the elderly in the South where the ruling elders and teaching educators (pastors) are regarded as temporary equivalents about teaching elders to be first among the equivalent. This practice naturally includes the ruling elders who ordain the teaching elders. This is in contrast to the Presbyterian North practice of the two elder offices. The church government is implemented at three levels: the Session, which governs the local church; Presbittery, the regional governing body, and the General Assembly, the highest court of denominations. PCA is committed to the principle of voluntary associations and all PCA congregations have their own properties. In addition, all gifts to PCA's permanent administration and committee are voluntary. The PCA does not have a Synod, which some other groups have as supreme courts or as intermediate courts between presbyters and general assemblies. The Presbyterian Church in America gradually centralized power and was originally intended to be a "grassroots" denomination and power still held largely in Presbyter at PCA.
Statistics
Membership Trend
PCA is one of the fastest growing denominations in the United States, having experienced steady growth since its inception in 1973.
As of December 31, 2011, the Presbyterian Church in America has 1,771 churches (including established churches and new church plants) representing all 50 US states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 5 Canadian provinces. There are 351,406 members of communicant and non-communicant. The PCA has 83 presbyters or regional regulatory bodies. Formed the latest in January 2014.
In 2012 PCA has 1,777 congregations - 1,474 special mission churches and 303 - that means a net increase of 6, a membership developed by 12,613 total of 364,019. The number of PCA ministers ordained is 4,321.
The PCA has 374,161 members in 1,892 trials served by 4,761 ministers in 2017.
Less than 50% of the PCA churches send statistical reports, and inventories claim to believe that PCA membership is moderate growth.
More than 250 denominational churches are Korean ethnic churches with 9 non-geographic Korean language presbyters, about 15% of the total.
PCA has increased tenfold in thirty years. This is partly the result of union with the Presbyterian Reformed Church, the Evangelical Synod and the voluntary seriousness of some Orthodox Presbyterian Churches. For example, in Georgia PCA had 14 trials and 2,784 members in 1973, but in 2006 there were 93 trials and 22,000 members. By 2015 there are about 150 congregations. This is more than ten times the growth of denominations in the Peach State.
PCA is one of the top 5 most aggressive denominations in church planting in North America.
Population adherents and penetration
The largest concentration is in the state of Deep South, with more power spread in the Upper South, Upper Ohio Valley, and the Southwest. Two thirds of churches and PCA members are found in the Southeast, and 25 churches are in the Metro area of ​​Atlanta.
The state of Florida has the largest PCA church with more than 160 congregations, but Alabama, South Carolina and North Carolina, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas in the South and Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia on the East Coast remain a bulwark for denominations. In five southeastern United States (Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia) the PCA has 742 trials, making up more than a third of the total 1,771 churches. Mississippi has the highest percentage of adherents per 1,000 people, followed by Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, Delaware, and Georgia. Many large churches can be found in South and East America as well as in Illinois, but the largest and largest churches in denominations are Korean churches. The Korean Community, Sarang Community Church of Southern California in Anaheim, CA, is the largest congregation of denominations with 11,000 members.
In Canada
When the Presbyterian Church of Reformed, the Evangelical Synod joined the PCA, Canadian sessions entered unity. Since the incorporation of other congregations has been added through evangelism. Canadian churches report that "secularism and distrust give opportunity to evangelism ". There are more than 22 hearings in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Outside of North America
PCA has a presbyter in Chile with more than five trials and missions.
The Potomac presbytery proposes to select a provisional presbyter in the Latin American region of Paraguay with 4-5 congregations and churches in Asunción and nearby towns. Presbittery worked in the country for 15-20 years. The goal is to establish the National Presbyterian Church in Paraguay.
Demographics
Korean churches
The membership of PCA is predominantly Caucasian, but the denominations include more than 260 Korean-American Churches in 9 Korean Presbyters. The first Korean presbytery was formed in 1982; since then the number of presbyters has grown to 9, the Presbytery of the Korean Capital, the Middle Presbyter of Korea, the Eastern Presbyter of Korea, North Korea's North Korea Presbyter, North Korea's North Korean Presbyter, South Southeast Presbyter, South Korean Presbyter and South Korean Presbytery, and Presbytery Korea The newly formed Southwest Orange County. Korea comprises about 15% of the denomination, and the majority of them are in the West and Northeast coastal areas. In recent years, several independent Korean congregations have joined the PCA to become part of conservative Presbyterian denominations. The largest PCA church is the Korean church located in Anaheim, CA called the Sarang Community Church. All Korean churches at PCA designate an ordained deacon and an encouraging woman (Kwonsa) chosen and installed so that women can care for other women in the church. Such is the practice of all Korean Presbyterian churches from the beginning practiced across denominational borders.
Hispanic church
There are about 40 Hispanic American PCA churches in Alabama, Florida, California, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and also in Virginia.
Brazil Assembly
About 15 Brazilian or Portuguese-speaking sessions were affiliated with denominations in 2011, mainly in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Georgia, New Jersey and Florida.
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Several multi-ethnic African Americans, Haitians, Japanese, Nepali, Albanian, Indian, Sudanese, Russian ethnic churches belong to the Presbyterian Church in America and denominations begin to establish relationships with First Nations/Native American groups in the United States and Canada.
The PCA has a congregation outside North America. This International Assembly can be found on Grand Cayman Island, in Okinawa, Japan, South Korea, Prague, and various cities (Berlin, Cologne, Stuttgart, and Munich) in Germany.
Affiliates and Agents
Missions
In addition, the denomination has its own agency to send missionaries to the world (MTW). Through Mission to the World, more than 600 foreign missionaries work in about 60 countries. The mission to North America serves PCA churches and presbyters through the development of evangelism and church planting in Canada and the United States. On average 3 new churches are planted in a month in 2 countries and currently have more than 300 mission churches in the United States alone. Over 40% of all congregations are less than 25 years old, due to church planting. PCA put in the field as the power of the world's largest Presbyterian mission.
PCA congregation pioneers should increase their own support and denominations move on to using church planting networks from like-minded churches to find church planters. The PCA often uses the evangelist model to start a new church where evangelists under the supervision of the Presbyi house mission committee have the power of a session within themselves. The PCA supports one foreign missionary for every three trials.
Furthermore, there are more than 100 pastors in the military, hospitals, prisons and 45 campuses and university campus ministers. The Church strongly emphasizes education.
Educational and Theological institutions
PCA has its own services for students on campuses, Reformed Fellowship University, its own camp and conference center, Ridge Haven Conference and Retreat Center (Ridge Haven in Brevard, North Carolina), and own liberal arts college (Covenant College in Lookout Mountain , Georgia, near Chattanooga, Tennessee) and the seminary (Covenant Theological Seminary in Saint Louis, Missouri). Covenant Theological Seminary is a fully accredited institution of theology that offers several academic degrees: Master of Divinity, Master of Arts, Master of Theology and Doctor of Ministry. The seminary is home to the Francis Schaeffer Institute. PCA also publishes its own denomination magazine, byFaith .
Headquarters
The church has its headquarters in Lawrenceville, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. This site used to be the headquarters of PCUS, but all offices of the unified PC (US) were moved to Louisville, Kentucky in 1988.
The PCA Ministry Buildings in Lawrenceville is the location from which the ministry of denominations is coordinated. These are missions to the world, missions to North America, Christian Education and Publications, the Reformed University Administration and Fellowship Committee (RUF).
Relationships with other Reformed Churches
In 1975, the PCA joined the OPC, RPCNA, RPCES, and Christian Reform Churches in North America to become members of the Northern Presbyterian and Reformed Council (NAPARC) constitutions, which remain part of it; and the PCA is also part of the World Reformed Alliance, a worldwide Church organization in which some 70 Reformed, Presbyterian and Reformed Baptists, Anglican denominations, and congregations and individuals can also participate. It is a member of the National Association of Evangelicals.
The Presbyterian Church in America enjoys a fraternal relationship with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. In 2008, the Presbyterian Church of Brazil and the Presbyterian Church in America entered into full brotherly relationships with one another. The National Presbyterian Church in Mexico and the PCA are also working together on missions and evangelism. In 2012 at the PCA General Assembly 41, Presbyterian Church in America and the National Presbyterian Church in Mexico enter into ecclesiastical relations at the assembly level. In 1994 the Fellowship of Reformed Churches was formed and a product of dialogue between PCA, Presbyterian Church in Brazil and National Presbyterian Church in Mexico. They decided to invite other Latin American Reformed Churches to join the Fellowship.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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