Check.Church

Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (1789 line)

Reformed and Presbyterian · 1706–1789 · United States

American Presbyterianism's main line: colonial presbyteries, national organization in 1789, and a history of paired schisms and reunions (Old Side/New Side, Old School/New School, Cumberland) — the trunk from which the OPC departed in 1936 and into which the UPCNA merged in 1958.

Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (1789 line) was formed between 1706 and 1789, as a process rather than a single event. It ended as a separate body in 1983, entering Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (1789 line)'s institutional line runs back through 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 the U.S.A. (1789 line) stand 2 divisions along the institutional line, counting separations and disputed forks, not mergers, renewals or national organizations.

At a glance

Formed
Between 1706 and 1789, as a process rather than a single event
Family
Reformed and Presbyterian
Region
United States
Ended
It ended as a separate body in 1983, entering Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Key figures
Francis Makemie, Charles Hodge
Cause tags
Geography
Also known as
PCUSA; UPCUSA (from 1958); Northern Presbyterian Church (post-1861 designation)

What it was organized out of

Bodies organized out of it or separated from it: The Christians (Stone movement), Presbyterian Church in the United States, Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), United Church of Canada, Uniting Church in Australia.

On the tree

Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (1789 line) and its institutional line back to the post-apostolic churchAD 33The church at Pentecost: On divine groundThe church at Pentecost: on divine groundtoday1004244314511054151915601706180318611925193619771983The 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 PresbyterianThe Christians (Stone movement) (Stone-Campbell)The Christians (Stonemovement)Stone-CampbellPresbyterian Church in the United States (Reformed and Presbyterian)Presbyterian Church inthe United StatesReformed and PresbyterianUnited Church of Canada (United and uniting churches)United Church of CanadaUnited and uniting churchesOrthodox Presbyterian Church (Reformed and Presbyterian)Orthodox PresbyterianChurchReformed and PresbyterianUniting Church in Australia (United and uniting churches)Uniting Church inAustraliaUnited and uniting churchesPresbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (Reformed and Presbyterian)Presbyterian Church(U.S.A.)Reformed 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.

Sources

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