What to expect at a PCUSA church

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is the largest Presbyterian body in the United States and the mainline one — formed in 1983 when the northern and southern streams reunited after the split of the Civil War. Congregations are governed by elected elders in a session, grouped into presbyteries, and it is a connectional church: a PCUSA congregation belongs to a wider body that ordains its ministers and holds its property in trust. In North Carolina it is the Presbyterian church most towns have had the longest.

• A printed order of worship handed to you at the door, followed closely — you will always know what comes next.
• Hymns with an organ or piano and usually a choir; larger congregations often add a separate contemporary service.
• A sermon of 15 to 25 minutes, generally thoughtful rather than exhortative.
• Prayers of the people, a corporate confession, and the Lord's Prayer said together.

Read the full PCUSA guide — beliefs, worship, and common questions →