Complementing that is the Book of Order which gives the rationale and description for the organization and function of the Church at all levels. PCUSA] is a mainline Christian denomination in the U.S. Its name is often confused with the Presbyterian Church in America [a.k.a. The Book of Confessions outlines the beliefs of the PC(USA) by declaring the creeds by which the Church's leaders are instructed and led. Calvin did much of his... Read more » It split from the PCUSA decades ago because it could not accept the concept of female clergy. 1) The PCA does not ordain women to either of the offices in the church (Teaching/Ruling Elder, Deacon). The Presbyterian Constitution The official creeds, confessions, and beliefs of the Presbyterian Church, including the Nicene Creed, the Apostles' Creed, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Westminster Confession of faith, are all contained within a document called The Book of Confessions. The PCUSA by contrast ordains women to both offices. The Book of Order is currently divided into four sections – 1) The Foundations of Presbyterian Polity 2) The Form of … The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) [a.k.a. With about 2 million members, the Presbyterian Church (USA) is one of the largest denominations in the U.S. 2) The PCA affirms that the bible is inerrant and infallible in all that it teaches. The Constitution of PC(USA) is composed of two portions: Part I, the Book of Confessions and Part II, the Book of Order. The PCA has its roots in theological controversies over liberalism in Christianity and neo-orthodoxy that had been a point of contention in the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. (formerly the Presbyterian Church in the Confederate States of America) which had split from the mainline Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A along regional lines at the beginning of the Civil War. The PCA is a smaller and much more conservative denomination. Church History Theology Social Issues What makes us unique Presbyterians trace their history to the 16th century and the Protestant Reformation. The Presbyterian Church (USA) is the result of a 1983 merger of two theologically liberal churches: the Presbyterian Church in the United States and the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. Comparison of Basic Beliefs and Viewpoints of Three Presbyterian Denominations: Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (PCUSA), Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians (ECO), and Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) At the request of Mid-Council leaders in the Presbyterian Church (USA) this comparison chart has been developed. Our heritage, and much of what we believe, began with the French lawyer John Calvin (1509-1564), whose writings crystallized much of the Reformed thinking that came before him. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has more than 1.7 million members in more than 10,000 congregations and worshiping communities answering Christ's call to mission and ministry throughout the United States and the world.

The PCUSA does not. While the Fundamentalist–Modernist Controversy had led to a split in the PC-USA in the mid 1930s, leading to the formation of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and PCA].