| Covenant Presbyterian Church | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Protestant |
| Theology | Reformed |
| Polity | Presbyterian |
| Region | United States |
| Origin | 2006 |
| Separated from | Reformed Presbyterian Church General Assembly |
| Congregations | 12[1] |
| Official website | covenant-presbyterian |
TheCovenant Presbyterian Church (CPC) is aProtestant,Reformed denomination, founded in theUnited States in 2006 by a group of churches that split from theReformed Presbyterian Church General Assembly.[2][3][4][5]
ThePresbyterian churches originate from theProtestant Reformation of the 16th century. They adhere toReformed theology and have aform of ecclesiastical organization that is characterized by the government of an assembly of elders. GovernmentPresbyterian is common in Protestant churches that were modeled after the ReformationProtestantSwitzerland they notably developed in Switzerland,Scotland,Netherlands,France and portions ofPrussia, ofIreland and, later, of theUnited States.
In 1983, theReformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod (RPCES) merged with thePresbyterian Church in America (PCA). A group of churches in the PCA's Georgia Presbytery later objected to the way the merged denomination made its decisions. These churches separated from the PCA and formed thePresbytery of the Covenant.[6]
This presbytery grew, and in 1985 split into four presbyteries, thus organizing the assembly of theReformed Presbyterian Church in the United States. In 1990, the denomination changed its name to the Reformed Presbyterian Church in the Americas.
In 1991, the four presbyteries of the RPCA came into conflict. One of these was Hanover Presbytery, which became a separate denomination, theReformed Presbyterian Church - Hanover Presbytery.[7][8][9][10][11] Meanwhile, Westminster Presbytery and Geneva Presbytery formed theReformed Presbyterian Church General Assembly (RPCGA), leaving the fourth presbytery as a remnant of theReformed Presbyterian Church in the United States.[6]
In 2006, four churches and nine elders left the RPCGA to form the Covenant Presbyterian Church (CPC). Among the main causes for the formation of the denomination was a desire for presbyterian polity and to allow liberty for local Sessions to practice paedo-communion.[5][2][3][4]
The CPC has grown, currently counting 12 member churches.[1]
The CPC, like other Presbyterian denominations, subscribes to theWestminster Confession of Faith,Westminster Larger Catechism andWestminster Shorter Catechism.
Its unincorporated churches adhere toyoung earth creationism[12] and male head-of-household voting.
The denomination practices parity of elders, emphasizes Christian education for students of all ages, seeks a balanced measure of elder qualifications (character & doctrine) with no strict requirement for a seminary degree, and is conservative in its doctrines and practices, opposingsame-sex unions andabortion.[13]
 | This article aboutPresbyterianism is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
