What We Believe

Presbuteros, the Greek word meaning elder, is used 72 times in the New Testament. It provides the name for the Presbyterian family of churches, which includes the Reformed Churches of the world. Both Presbyterian and Reformed are synonymous with churches of the Calvinist tradition. The Presbyterian Church USA, formed by the reunion of the southern and northern streams of Presbyterians in 1983, is one of 218 member churches in the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, which links 75 million Christians in over 100 countries worldwide.

Core Beliefs

• God in Jesus Christ is the sovereign Creator and Redeemer of humankind
• The Bible is the unique and authoritative witness to God’s revelation in Christ
• The Holy Spirit calls and empowers disciples to both worship and serve God through the church and in their daily walk of life
• The Apostles’ Creed is a summary of what God calls us to believe
• The Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount are summaries of what God calls us to do

History and Numbers

The first Presbytery in America was organized in 1706.

The first General Assembly was held in 1789.

Government Street Presbyterian was established in 1831. The sanctuary was completed in 1836 and is a National Landmark building.

The PCUSA was created by a reunion of the Presbyterian Church U.S. and the United Presbyterian Church USA in 1983.

The national membership of the PCUSA is 2.5 million and is organized in 11,300

   congregations with 14,000 active ordained ministers.

Two-thirds of PCUSA congregations have 200 or fewer members.

GSPC’s membership is 550.

Presbyterian churches are located in all 50 states with the highest concentrations

   in Pennsylvania, California, and North Carolina.

Racial/ethnic groups comprise 7% of members.

Mission in the US and 63 countries includes more than 643 workers.

National and International work of the PCUSA is made possible by gifts in excess

   of $124 million annually.

Presbyterian Church Foundation assets were $1.1 billion in 2003 and generated $69 million to benefit the church and its mission.

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This site was last updated 01/31/07