Presbyterian Church (USA)
The Presbyterian Church (USA), abbreviated PCUSA, is a mainline Protestant denomination in the United States. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the country, known for its liberal stance on doctrine and its ordaining of women and members of the LGBT community as elders and ministers. The Presbyterian Church (USA) was established with the 1983 merger of the Presbyterian Church in the United States, whose churches were located in the Southern and border states, with the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, whose congregations could be found in every state.
"PCUSA" redirects here. For the denomination that existed from 1789 to 1958, see Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. For other entities with similar names, see American Presbyterian Church.Presbyterian Church (USA)
PCUSA
Moderate to Progressive and Liberal
Ruth Santana-Grace and Shavon Starling-Louis
Bronwen Boswell (Acting)
United States
June 10, 1983
8,705 (as of 2022)[1]
1,140,665 active members (2022)[1]
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The church maintains a Book of Confessions, a collection of historic and contemporary creeds and catechisms, including its own Brief Statement of Faith.[2][3] It is a member the World Communion of Reformed Churches.[4] The similarly named Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) is a separate denomination whose congregations can also trace their history to the various schisms and mergers of Presbyterian churches in the United States. Unlike the more conservative Presbyterian Church in America, the Presbyterian Church (USA) supports the ordination of women and affirms same-sex marriages. It also welcomes practicing gay and lesbian persons to serve in leadership positions as ministers, deacons, elders, and trustees.[5]
The Presbyterian Church (USA) is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States,[6] having 1,140,665 active members and 18,173 ordained ministers (including retired ones)[7] in 8,705 congregations at the end of 2022.[1] This number does not include members who are baptized but not confirmed, or the inactive members also affiliated.[8][9] For example, in 2005, the Presbyterian Church (USA) claimed 318,291 baptized but not confirmed members and nearly 500,000 inactive members in addition to active members.[10] Its membership has been steadily declining over the past several decades; the trend has significantly accelerated in recent years, partly due to breakaway congregations.[11][12][13] Average denominational worship attendance dropped to 431,379 in 2022 from 748,774 in 2013.[14]
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Missions[edit]
The Presbyterian Church (USA) has, in the past, been a leading United States denomination in mission work, and many hospitals, clinics, colleges and universities worldwide trace their origins to the pioneering work of Presbyterian missionaries who founded them more than a century ago.
In 2008, the church supported about 215 (70 as of 2021) missionaries abroad annually.[101] Many churches sponsor missionaries abroad at the session level (the local church level), and these are not included in official statistics.
A vital part of the world mission emphasis of the denomination is building and maintaining relationships with Presbyterian, Reformed and other churches around the world, even if this is not usually considered missions.
The PC(USA) is a leader in disaster assistance relief and also participates in or relates to work in other countries through ecumenical relationships, in what is usually considered not missions, but deaconship.
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Official website
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