Synod of the Trinity is an upper

judicatory The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

of the

Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

headquartered in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. The synod oversees sixteen presbyteries covering all of Pennsylvania, most of West Virginia, and a portion of eastern Ohio.

History

The Presbyterian Church in the United States of America has its roots in the territory of the Synod of the Trinity, which was founded as the Synod of Philadelphia in 1717 following the division of the

Presbytery of Philadelphia The Presbytery of Philadelphia, known during its early years simply as the Presbytery or the General Presbytery, is a presbytery of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). It was the first organized presbytery in what was to become the United States. H ...

into three presbyteries (Philadelphia, New Castle, and

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

), with the synod as a superior body. After the

Presbytery of New Brunswick The Presbytery of New Brunswick is a presbytery of the Presbyterian Church (USA). In 1738 the Presbytery of East Jersey was merged with the Presbytery of Long Island and renamed the Presbytery of New York, and two days after that, the Presbytery o ...

was expelled from the synod in 1741 during a major division in the church,

Jonathan Dickinson Jonathan Dickinson (1663–1722) was a merchant from Port Royal, Jamaica who was shipwrecked on the southeast coast of Florida in 1696, along with his family and the other passengers and crew members of the ship. The party was held captive by Job ...

left the synod in 1745 to form the Synod of New York. An advocate of the

Great Awakening Great Awakening refers to a number of periods of religious revival in American Christian history. Historians and theologians identify three, or sometimes four, waves of increased religious enthusiasm between the early 18th century and the late ...

, Dickinson founded a seminary that later became Princeton University. The synod was reunited as the Synod of New York and Philadelphia in 1758. By 1851, the synod, then known as the Synod of Philadelphia, was "one of the largest and most influential Synods in the Presbyterian Church, embracing the entire States of Delaware, Maryland, and the greater part of the State of Pennsylvania." By 1881, the synod consisted of nineteen Pennsylvania counties, the City of Philadelphia, and a portion of western Africa.Synod of Philadelphia, The New York Times, 17 October 1881
/ref> In 1882, the name was changed to the Synod of Pennsylvania. When the General Assembly decided in 1973 to create regional judicatories, the synod was merged with the

Synod of West Virginia A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin word meani ...

to form the Synod of Pennsylvania-West Virginia. Finally, when church reunion occurred in 1983, presbyteries in a portion of eastern Ohio were joined to the synod and the name was changed to the Synod of the Trinity. Th
Presbyterian Historical Society
shows 81 Presbyterian/Reformed historic sites registered within the bounds of the synod.

Presbyteries

There are sixteen presbyteries in the synod.
map

Carlisle

Donegal

Huntingdon

Kiskiminetas

Lackawanna

Lake Erie

Lehigh

Northumberland
* Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
*

Presbytery of Redstone The Presbytery of Redstone is a Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) governing congregations in Westmoreland, Fayette, Somerset, and Cambria Counties in Western Pennsylvania Western Pennsylvania is a region in the U.S. state of P ...

Visi
website

Shenango

Upper Ohio Valley
*

Washington Presbytery Washington Presbytery, of the Presbyterian Church (USA) is the association of PCUSA churches in Washington and Greene counties in Pennsylvania. It contains sixty-five churches and has roughly twelve thousand members. History It was formed from po ...

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Visi
website

West Virginia

References

External links

*

{{coord, 40.24043, -76.93311, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-PA, display=title Presbyterianism in the United States History of Pennsylvania Trinityc Presbyterianism in West Virginia Presbyterianism in Pennsylvania Presbyterianism in Ohio 1717 establishments in Pennsylvania