Wednesday, April 13, 2016

What One Should Know About NJ Presbyterian Churches

By Stephanie Sullivan


The Presbyterian Church is one of the mainline Protestant Christian denominations. The name Presbyterian Church is often abbreviated to PC. The foundation of the church happened as a result of the United PC in the USA (UPCUSA and PC in the USA (PCUS) merging in 1983. The southern and border states were home to most PC in the US churches whereas congregations of UPCUS were in all the states within the country. Currently, NJ Presbyterian Churches fall among the many PC churches that are located in various states in the US.

At the end of 2014, PC denomination was estimated to have 1, 667, 767 members, 9, 829 congregations, and 20, 383 ordained ministers. Despite the big membership, it is observed that the congregation has been dropping for a long time. Adherents of PC (USA) average 3 million. Louisville, Kentucky is the place where denominational officers of the church are located. PC has a membership in many religious association including World Communion of Reformed Churches, World Council of Churches, and Christian Churches Together.

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.

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.

There is a constitution for governing everyday operations of PC. There are two sections in the constitution, that is, the Book of Confessions (BoC) and the Book of Order (BoB). The BoC comes first followed by the Book of Order. The belief system of PC is outlined within the BoC. The Outlining is done in form of creeds that instruct and lead leaders.

The Book of Order is for complementing BoC. The rationale for the church and a description of its functions and organization are written in BoO. All levels from top to bottom of the church are covered in this book too. The implementation of constitution is the responsibility of local leaders who then keep regional and top leader informed.




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