Organization and membership

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is governed by a constitution comprising two volumes: the Book of Confessions, which is concerned with matters of doctrine, and the Book of Order, which is concerned with matters of church organization, membership, and government. The lowest level of governance is the session, which consists of the pastors and active elders of an individual church. Two higher levels are the regional presbytery of pastors, elders, and deacons and the synod, which comprises several presbyteries representing a much larger territory. The church’s highest governing body is the General Assembly, which is elected by the presbyteries for meetings every two years. Its decisions on amending the constitution must be approved by a majority of the presbyteries in order to become effective. In the first decade of the 21st century, the denomination claimed almost two million members in about 10,000 congregations. Its headquarters are in Louisville, Kentucky.