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 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. The church maintains a Book of Confessions , a collection of historic and contemporary creeds and catechisms, including its own Brief Statement of Faith.
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. The Presbyterian Church USA is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States, [ 7 ] reporting 1,, active members and 17, ordained ministers including retired ones [ 8 ] in 8, congregations at the end of This supposed increase in men was initially reported as a notable area of growth and a reason for hope, [ 18 ] but that claim has since been removed.
Presbyterians trace their history to the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. The Presbyterian heritage, and much of its theology, began with the French theologian and lawyer John Calvin — , whose writings solidified much of the Reformed tradition that came before him in the form of the sermons and writings of Huldrych Zwingli. From Calvin's headquarters in Geneva , the Reformed movement spread to other parts of Europe.
Because of this reform movement, the Church of Scotland embraced Reformed theology and presbyterian polity. Immigrants from Scotland and Ireland brought Presbyterianism to North America as early as , and immigration would remain a large source of growth throughout the colonial era. In , seven ministers led by Francis Makemie established the first American presbytery at Philadelphia in the Province of Pennsylvania , which was followed by the creation of the Synod of Philadelphia in The First Great Awakening and the revivalism it generated had a major impact on American Presbyterians.
