Presbyterians United

A new denomination was born last week. The General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church in North America (membership: 251,244) approved plans to merge with the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (membership: 2,809,603). The resulting 3,000,000-member body, which will officially begin its existence at a convention in Pittsburgh next May, will be known as the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. Only one other major Presbyterian body remains in the U.S.--the southern Presbyterian Church of the U.S. (810,917 members).

The two groups have long been in the process of merging--this is their third try --and have no essential doctrinal differences. But traditional loyalties are so strong that last week's delegates voted for the merger by only 161 to 124 (although in the complex polling setup, the vote of individual presbyteries was more solidly in favor). Said Dr. Robert W. Gibson, president of Monmouth College, Monmouth, Ill., and chairman of the committee working for the union: "The United Presbyterian Church, being made up of people who like to think for themselves, seldom moves in unison. [But] I am confident that we shall move with enthusiasm into the union."

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