The Presbyterian Church (USA) - commonly abbreviated PC(USA) - is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States, with roots tracing to the Reformed theological tradition originating in the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. The denomination is governed by a system of representative assemblies (presbyteries, synods, and the General Assembly) rather than by bishops or individual congregational autonomy, a structure called presbyterian polity.

The PC(USA) was formed in 1983 through the reunion of the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (UPCUSA) and the Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS), the latter having split from northern Presbyterians over slavery prior to the Civil War. The denomination's full history spans several mergers, schisms, and doctrinal controversies.

The PC(USA) formally adheres to the Westminster Confession of Faith alongside a broader “Book of Confessions” that includes Reformed documents from across church history. The denomination ordains women to all offices, a practice adopted before the 1983 reunion. Since 2011, it has permitted the ordination of openly gay and lesbian clergy and elders, and since 2015 has authorized the performance of same-sex marriages by its ministers. These decisions have been a source of sustained internal conflict, coinciding with significant congregational departures, some of which have resulted in litigation over property.

Membership in the PC(USA) has declined substantially since the mid-20th century, falling from approximately 4 million members in the 1960s to under 1.2 million as of the early 2020s. Scholars and commentators attribute this decline variously to demographic shifts, theological liberalization, competition from evangelical and nondenominational churches, and broader trends affecting mainline Protestantism.

The denomination participates in ecumenical bodies including the World Communion of Reformed Churches and the National Council of Churches. It is closely affiliated with Princeton Theological Seminary and directly operates Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, along with a network of affiliated colleges and universities.

Several questions surrounding the PC(USA) are subjects of ongoing theological, ecclesiastical, and civil dispute:

• Whether the denomination's revisions to its standards on sexuality and marriage represent legitimate doctrinal development or a departure from orthodox Christian teaching - see PC(USA) Debate
• Whether departing congregations retain title to church property under the denomination's “trust clause” - see PC(USA) Property Debate
• Whether mainline Protestant decline is primarily driven by theological liberalization or by broader sociological forces - see Mainline Protestant Decline Debate

• Traditional/Confessional: The PC(USA) has departed from the historic Reformed faith by revising its standards on human sexuality and marriage, and faithful Presbyterians are called to reform or leave the denomination. See Confessional Viewpoint.
• Progressive/Revisionist: The denomination's changes on ordination and marriage reflect a faithful reading of Scripture and a more complete understanding of human dignity. See Progressive Viewpoint.
• Denominational Loyalist: The PC(USA) remains a viable and faithful institution capable of holding together diverse theological perspectives within a common polity. See Loyalist Viewpoint.

• Presbyterian Church USA - History
• Presbyterian Church USA - Debate
• Presbyterian Church USA - Property Debate
• Mainline Protestant Decline
• Reformed Theology
• Protestantism
• Thirteenth Amendment (contextual - Presbyterian involvement in the abolitionist movement)

~~FOOTNOTES~~

<footnote>Presbyterian Church (USA), “About the PC(USA),” https://www.pcusa.org/. Accessed 2025.</footnote> <footnote>Balmer, Randall, and John R. Fitzmier. The Presbyterians. Greenwood Press, 1993.</footnote> <footnote>Wuthnow, Robert. The Restructuring of American Religion. Princeton University Press, 1988. For broader context on mainline Protestant decline.</footnote> <footnote>PC(USA) Office of the General Assembly, “Presbyterian 101,” https://www.pcusa.org/site_media/media/uploads/oga/pdf/presbyterian-101.pdf.</footnote>