What is a PCA church?

The Presbyterian Church in America is a Protestant denomination that holds to the Westminster Confession of Faith, affirms the inerrancy of Scripture, ordains only men as pastors and elders, and governs congregations through local sessions of elders accountable to regional presbyteries and a national General Assembly. It was formed in December 1973 by over 260 congregations that departed from the mainline Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS) to preserve historic Reformed Protestantism against theological liberalism.

Today the PCA has approximately 1,900 congregations and 390,000 members in the United States and Canada.

1. The Bible is the Word of God, inerrant and sufficient. We hold that Scripture is the final authority on faith and life, and that it does not contain errors in its original manuscripts.

2. The Westminster Confession is our confessional standard. Every PCA pastor and elder vows to uphold the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Shorter and Larger Catechisms, written in the 1640s.

3. Reformed theology is our doctrinal framework. We teach the sovereignty of God in salvation (sometimes called "the five points of Calvinism" or "the doctrines of grace"), covenant theology, and the regulative principle of worship.

4. Presbyterian government is our polity. Each congregation is led by a session of elders (not a single senior pastor with unchecked authority). Sessions answer to presbyteries. Presbyteries answer to the General Assembly. Accountability runs upward and downward.

The PC(USA) is the mainline Presbyterian denomination. Over the 20th century, it moved progressively away from historic Protestant doctrine on biblical inerrancy, the person and work of Christ, human sexuality, and ordination.

In 1973, pastors and churches committed to historic Reformed Protestantism withdrew from the PCUS (which later merged into the PC(USA)) and formed the PCA. The PCA retains the doctrinal commitments the mainline denomination has relaxed or rejected: biblical inerrancy, male-only ordination to the office of elder and pastor, affirmation of marriage as between one man and one woman, and the full authority of the Westminster Standards.

The PCA is also distinct from the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC), though it maintains fraternal relationships with both. All three hold to the Westminster Standards; differences lie in nuance, worship style, and historical origin.

Shared ground: PCA shares with evangelical Baptists and non-denominational churches a commitment to the Bible, the gospel, and salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone.

Key differences:

Baptism. PCA practices infant baptism as a sign of God's covenant with believers and their children. Baptists baptize only professing believers. We cover this in detail on our infant baptism page.

Government. PCA has a presbyterian structure (elders in session, presbyteries, General Assembly). Baptist churches are congregational. Non-denominational churches are often led by a single pastor with varying degrees of accountability.

Confession. PCA formally confesses the Westminster Standards. Most Baptist and non-denominational churches have shorter statements of faith or no formal confession.

Worship. PCA worship tends to be more structured and traditional, with historic liturgy, hymns, and weekly Lord's Supper. See how we worship for details.

Shearer Presbyterian Church was founded in 1888, decades before the PCA existed. When the PCA was formed in 1973, Shearer joined the realignment to preserve the Reformed convictions it had held throughout its history.

Today we remain committed to the same confession, the same gospel, and the same approach to worship and discipleship. The denominational affiliation changed. The doctrine did not.