Check.Church

Presbyterian Church in America

Reformed and Presbyterian · 1973 · United States

Conservative PCUS congregations, citing the denomination's theological liberalism and a union plan without an escape clause, organized separately in 1973; now the largest conservative Reformed body in North America, spread well beyond its southern origins. The EPC (1981, from the UPCUSA) and ECO (2012, from the PC(USA)) are companion departures listed in the fact bank.

Presbyterian Church in America was formed in 1973. Presbyterian Church in America continues today. Presbyterian Church in America's institutional line runs back through Presbyterian Church in the United States, Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (1789 line), Church of Scotland, Reformed, Roman Catholicism to the post-apostolic church. No body on this tree is the assembly of Acts 2; where a body claims that, the claim appears in the claimed-lineage layer.

Between the post-apostolic church and Presbyterian Church in America stand 4 divisions along the institutional line, counting separations and disputed forks, not mergers, renewals or national organizations.

At a glance

Formed
In 1973
Family
Reformed and Presbyterian
Region
United States
Key figures
L. Nelson Bell (renewal era)
Cause tags
Doctrine, Governance
Also known as
PCA; National Presbyterian Church (1973–74)

What it separated from

On the tree

Presbyterian Church in America and its institutional line back to the post-apostolic churchAD 33The church at Pentecost: On divine groundThe church at Pentecost: on divine groundtoday100424431451105415191560170618611973The post-apostolic church (The spine)The post-apostolicchurchDepartureChurch of the East (Church of the East)Church of the EastChurch of the EastThe conciliar church (The spine)The conciliar churchDepartureThe Chalcedonian church (The spine)The Chalcedonian churchDepartureOriental Orthodoxy (Oriental Orthodox)Oriental OrthodoxyOriental OrthodoxEastern Orthodoxy (Eastern Orthodox)Eastern OrthodoxyEastern OrthodoxRoman Catholicism (Catholic)Roman CatholicismNot gatheredReformed (Reformed and Presbyterian)ReformedReformed and PresbyterianChurch of Scotland (Reformed and Presbyterian)Church of ScotlandReformed and PresbyterianPresbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (1789 line) (Reformed and Presbyterian)Presbyterian Church inthe U.S.A. (1789 line)Reformed and PresbyterianPresbyterian Church in the United States (Reformed and Presbyterian)Presbyterian Church inthe United StatesReformed and PresbyterianPresbyterian Church in America (Reformed and Presbyterian)Presbyterian Church inAmericaReformed and Presbyterian

Solid lines are separations and unions; dashed lines are renewals that began inside a body; dotted gray lines are national organizations of one communion; a diamond marks a fork event where neither side is drawn as the one that left. Every line runs back to the post-apostolic church; no body descends from the assembly of Acts 2. Dashed gray boxes mark the institutional line after the apostles, shown as departure; no line of descent is drawn from Pentecost. A verdict appears on a box once its section is published.

Adherents

About 400,751 adherents (official census, as of 2024).

Source: PCA 2024 statistics; 1,667 churches; +1.84%

Sources

Research compiled July 2026. Page data built 2026-10-31.