The Evangelical Presbyterian Church was a Reformed denomination founded in 1956.

History

The church was composed of the majority of the

Bible Presbyterian Church The Bible Presbyterian Church is an American Protestant denomination in the Calvinist tradition. History Origin The Bible Presbyterian Church was formed in 1937, predominantly through the efforts of such conservative Presbyterian clergymen as ...

which left that denomination over what it felt was the strong influence of

Carl McIntire Carl Curtis McIntire, Jr. (May 17, 1906 – March 19, 2002), known as Carl McIntire, was a founder and minister in the Bible Presbyterian Church, founder and long-time president of the International Council of Christian Churches and the Amer ...

and the fundamentalists, while the new church (then the BPC Columbus Synod) had a stronger emphasis on the Reformed aspect of belief and practice. This split occurred in 1956. Carl McIntire developed into a rather heavy-handed, dictatorial leader in the BP denomination and some of his colleagues like Buswell and Harris and younger men, most notably Donald MacNair and Robert Rayburn, began resisting this trend. Tensions came to a head in 1955, when the entire BP Church numbered about 8,760 members (the OPC was about the same size at this time). About 43% of the church followed McIntire in leaving and they formed what came to be known as the BP Church, Collingswood (NJ) Synod; the majority remained in what was initially known as the BP Church, Columbus (OH) Synod. The BPC-Columbus Synod renamed itself the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in 1961 to avoid the confusion with the Bible Presbyterian church, Collingswood Synod. During this time it also established

Covenant College Covenant College is a private, liberal arts, Christian college in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, located near Chattanooga, Tennessee. As the college of the Presbyterian Church in America, Covenant teaches subjects from a Reformed theological w ...

and

Covenant Theological Seminary Covenant Theological Seminary, informally called Covenant Seminary, is the denominational seminary of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). Located in Creve Coeur, Missouri, it trains people to work as leaders in church positions and elsewhe ...

as denominational institutions.

Merger

The church had a short lifespan, as it entered merger talks with the

Reformed Presbyterian Church in North America, General Synod The Reformed Presbyterian Church, General Synod was a Presbyterian denomination that came about due to a split amongst the Reformed Presbyterians, or Covenanters and existed between 1833 and 1965. History The division had come about in 1833 betw ...

(RPCGS) and merged with that group in 1965 to form the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod (which itself merged into the

Presbyterian Church in America The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) is the second-largest Presbyterian church body, behind the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the largest conservative Calvinist denomination in the United States. The PCA is Reformed in theology and presb ...

in 1982).

The Reformed Presbyterian Church in North America, General Synod

The Reformed Presbyterian Church, General Synod adhered to the Solemn League and Covenant and was of the Covenanter tradition. It was formed in 1833 when the Reformed Presbyterian Church divided over issue of allegiance to the Constitution. One group named Reformed Presbyterian Church, General Synod allowed its members to vote and to hold office. The General Synod permitted instrumental music during the worship and adopted hymns and psalms to be sung in the services. The other group the

Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America The Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) is a Presbyterian church with congregations and missions throughout the United States, Canada, Japan, and Chile. Its beliefs—held in common with other members of the Reformed Presbyteria ...

did not allow members to vote and hold office and opposed hymns and instrumental music.

Notable personalities

* J. Oliver Buswell * Robert G. Rayburn *

Francis Schaeffer Francis August Schaeffer (January 30, 1912 – May 15, 1984) was an American evangelical theologian, philosopher, and Presbyterian pastor. He co-founded the L'Abri community in Switzerland with his wife Edith Schaeffer, , a prolific autho ...

References

* Hart, D.G. and Noll, M.A. ''Dictionary of the Presbyterian and Reformed Tradition in America.'' Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1999. Presbyterian denominations in the United States Christian organizations established in 1956 Presbyterian denominations established in the 20th century Presbyterian Church in America Former Presbyterian denominations {{Christian-denomination-stub