About the Presbyterian Church in America The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) has a strong commitment to evangelism, missionary work at home and abroad, and to Christian education. From its inception, the PCA has determined its purpose to be faithful to the Scriptures, true to the reformed faith, and obedient to the Great Commission. In December 1973, delegates, representing 260 congregations, which had separated from the Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS), gathered at Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama, and organized what became known as the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). These congregations had separated from the PCUS in opposition to the long-developing theological liberalism which denied the deity of Jesus Christ and the inerrancy and authority of Scriptures. In addition, the PCA held to the traditional position on the role of women in church offices. In 1982, the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod, joined the Presbyterian Church in America. The Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod, had been formed in 1965 by a merger of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church and the Reformed Presbyterian Church in North America, General Synod. The PCA has made a firm commitment on the doctrinal standards which had been significant in Presbyterianism since 1645, namely the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms. These doctrinal standards express the distinctives of the Calvinistic or Reformed tradition. Among the distinctive doctrines of the Westminster Standards and of Reformed tradition is the unique authority of the Bible. The reformers based all of their claims on sola scriptura, the Scriptures alone. This included the doctrine of their inspiration which is a special act of the Holy Spirit by which He guided the writers of the books of Scriptures (in their original autographs) so that their words should convey the thoughts He wished conveyed, bear a proper relation to the thoughts of other inspired books, and be kept free from error of fact, of doctrine, and of judgment -- all of which were to be an infallible rule of faith and life. Historically, the concept of infallibility has included the idea of inerrancy. Other distinctives are the doctrines of grace, which depict what God has done for mankind’s salvation: (1) Total depravity of man-Man is completely incapable within himself to reach out towards God. Man is totally at enmity with God, cf. Romans 3:10-23. (2) Unconditional election by the grace of God-There is absolutely no condition in any person for which God would save him. As a matter of fact, long before man was created, God chose or predestined some to everlasting life. He did this out of His mere good pleasure, cf. Ephesians 1:4 and 5. (3) Particular atonement-God in His infinite mercy, in order to accomplish the planned redemption, sent His own Son, Jesus Christ, to die as a substitute for the sins of a large but specific number of people, cf. Romans 8:29 and 30. (4) The irresistible grace of God-This is the effectual work of the Holy Spirit moving upon a particular person whom He has called, applying the work of redemption, cf. John 3:5 and 6. (5) The perseverance of the saints-This is that gracious work of God’s sanctification whereby He enables a saved person to persevere to the end. Even though the process of sanctification is not complete in this life, from God’s perspective it is as good as accomplished, cf. Romans 8:30, 38, and 39, and Philippians 1:6. The PCA maintains the historic polity of Presbyterian governance set forth in The Book of Church Order, namely rule by presbyters (or elders) and the graded assemblies or courts. These courts are the session, governing the local church; the presbytery, for regional matters; and the general assembly, at the national level. This relationship facilitates connectionalism to the national general assembly, which expresses the bond of union between/among all churches. It has taken seriously the position of the parity of elders, making a distinction between the two classes of elders, teaching and ruling. It has self-consciously taken a more democratic position (rule from the grass roots up) on Presbyterian governance in contrast to a more prelatical form (rule from the top assemblies down). The PCA is one of the faster growing denominations in the United States, with over 1575 churches and missions throughout the USA and Canada. There were over 331,000 communicant and non-communicant members as of December 2005. Most of the work of the denomination is coordinated in the PCA Office Building in Lawrenceville, Georgia. That work is carried out by four program committees -- Mission to the World, Mission to North America, Christian Education and Publication and Reformed University Ministries. In addition, there is the Office of the Stated Clerk, which is responsible for the administration of the General Assembly; the PCA Foundation, which teaches more effective stewardship; and PCA Retirement & Benefits, Inc, which provides life, disability, retirement plan benefits and a relief fund for PCA pastors, lay church workers, and the staffs of PCA committees, agencies, and institutions. National denominational institutions located outside PCA's headquarters include Ridge Haven, a conference center located close to Rosman, North Carolina; Covenant College, a liberal arts college with over 750 students, located at Lookout Mountain, Georgia; and Covenant Theological Seminary, in St. Louis, Missouri. The PCA's influence extends far beyond the walls of the local church. Through Mission to the World, about 600 foreign missionaries are working in about 60 nations. Because of the unique relationship between Mission to the World and over 30 mission agencies with which some of PCA's missionaries are working, many people consider PCA's influence to be far greater than its size might indicate. Further, with close to 160 chaplains in the military and in hospitals, and 45 university and campus ministers, the Gospel is proclaimed to a rather large audience around the world not reached through usual ecclesiastical channels. Because of the emphasis on education, many members of the PCA are teachers and professors at all levels of education, including large universities and quite a few theological seminaries. Mission to North America assists presbyteries and local congregations in their church-planting efforts through vision communication, strategic planning, and the recruitment, assessment, and training of church planters. Christian Education and Publications' mission is to glorify God by serving the PCA in its commitment to creating disciples. It does this by teaching and training leaders and church members as well as by providing a biblically based Sunday school curriculum for all ages through its publishing house, Great Commission Publications. The Women in the Church is under the oversight and direction of the Christian Education and Publications Committee and provides seminars, retreats, and materials for women. Office of the Stated Clerk is under the oversight of the Administrative Committee, whose ministry is service. In addition to planning, coordinating, and arranging facilities and services for the annual meeting of the General Assembly, the ruling body made up of about 2,980 commissioners (ministers and ordained lay leaders), the Clerk's office serves as a liaison between the General Assembly and the presbyteries and sessions, as well as other denominational bodies. Other areas of service include assisting church pulpit committees and pastors in their search for churches and overseeing corporate civil matters, the PCA Historical Center in St. Louis, and the management and operation of the Lawrenceville headquarters. Unlike many activist organizations that lobby local, state, and federal governments for the enactment of laws, neither the PCA nor its churches attempts to represent its members in public matters. The PCA does encourage its members to be active in political and civic organizations. Consequently, the denomination is well represented in prison ministries, adoption services, pregnancy crisis centers, disaster relief, and many other such organizations in the communities where the churches are located. The PCA does humbly petition the government, when appropriate, regarding the significant moral issues that trouble our communities and nation. In this new century, the Presbyterian Church in America continues its commitment to evangelism world-wide and the building up of the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ. Bibliography: James Montgomery Boice, Foundations of the Christian Faith, Intervarsity Press, IL, 1986 Phyllis S. Fraley, Atlanta; a Vision for the New Millennium; 1995 John Edwards Richards, The Historical Birth of the Presbyterian Church in America, Liberty Press, SC, 1986 Frank Joseph Smith, The History of the Presbyterian Church in America, Reformation Education Foundation, Manassas VA, 1985 Morton H. Smith, How is the Gold Become Dim, Jackson, MS, 1973