Presbyterian History

Here are some interesting facts about the history of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.):

• The word "Presbyterian is derived from "presbuteros," the Greek word for "elder."
• The Father of Presbyterianism was John Calvin.  Calvin was born a French Catholic but became convinced of the truth of Reformation ideas and fled to Switzerland, where he wrote his theological masterpiece, Institutes of the Christian Religion.
• The Netherlands adopted a Presbyterian constitution in 1563.  The Dutch Reformed Confessions of 1618 remained part of the Dutch constitution until the 20th century.
• John Knox, a Scot who studied under Calvin, established the Presbyterian faith in Scotland in 1559.
• A coalition of English, Irish, and Scottish Presbyterians created the Westminster Assembly, which developed many key Presbyterian documents between 1643 and 1649.
• English Puritans, French Huguenots, and Presbyterians from the Netherlands, Germany, Scotland and Ireland emigrated to the New World and helped establish the Presbyterian Church here.
• During the early 1800's, the issue of slavery split the Presbyterian Church in America into four separate branches; after the Civil War, they merged into one northern church (The Presbyterian Church in the United States of America) and one southern church (The Presbyterian Church in the United States).  After further splits and mergers, these two branches reunited in 1983 to form the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

For more information, including genealogy information, visit the Presbyterian Historical Society at: http://www.history.pcusa.org/