Formed in 1973 to be a denomination that is “Faithful to the Scriptures, True to the Reformed Faith, and Obedient to the Great Commission,” the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) is the largest conservative Reformed denomination in the United States, with approximately 1,700 churches and 400,000 members.

The PCA is an evangelical denomination, proclaiming the gospel of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. The PCA is a Reformed denomination, believing that God’s Word is the only guide for the church and that God alone saves through his immeasurable mercy and according to his sovereign plan. The PCA believes that the system of doctrine taught in the Bible is summarized well in the Westminster Confession of Faith, along with the Larger and Shorter Catechisms.

The General Assembly is the PCA’s highest assembly and constitutes the bond of union, peace, and correspondence among all its churches and presbyteries.

The General Assembly is the PCA’s highest assembly and constitutes the bond of union, peace, and correspondence among all its churches and presbyteries. When the elders of the PCA gather as the Assembly, each church is reminded that they labor not alone but together as the body of Christ for his glory.

The 52nd General Assembly of the PCA will meet June 23–27, 2025, in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Connectional Church

The everyday work of the church in proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ through missions and church planting, worship and fellowship, and the daily life of each member is carried out in local congregations. However, the PCA is a connectional church, and each church exists in mutual relationship. This relationship, and the unity of the church it displays, is made visible in a series of graded bodies composed of elders (i.e., presbyters, the Greek word meaning “elders”):

• A local church is governed by a session comprising ruling elders elected by the members of the congregation and pastors (teaching elders).
• The churches (represented by their ruling elders) and the ministers (teaching elders) of a region form a presbytery. There are 87 presbyteries in the PCA.
• The elders of the PCA also meet annually at a national General Assembly. Every teaching elder may attend, as well as a designated number of ruling elders from each church. The elders who attend are called “commissioners” and can vote on Assembly business.

What Is the General Assembly?

As the highest body of the PCA, the General Assembly addresses matters that concern the whole church. Over the course of a week, the commissioners meet to study, discuss, debate, and decide biblical and ministry issues.

It carries out its work throughout the year through its committees (responsible for coordinating matters such as world missions, church planting, and discipleship) and agencies (responsible for coordinating matters such as education, benevolences, and retirement benefits). These are tasked by the Assembly with executing the policies the Assembly establishes.

As the highest body of the PCA, the General Assembly addresses matters that concern the whole church.

The Assembly also has a Standing Judicial Commission (SJC). The SJC serves the Assembly as its judicial court. It handles all matters governed by the PCA’s Rules of Discipline, except for the annual review of presbytery records, which may come before the Assembly. For a matter to come before the SJC, it must first be adjudicated by a presbytery. That decision may then be appealed or carried to the SJC. The SJC’s decisions in judicial matters are the final decision of the Assembly.

How Does Business Come to the General Assembly?

Most business before the General Assembly comes via one of two paths: from Committees of Commissioners (CoCs) or from the presbyteries.

CoCs are committees of elders attending the Assembly who meet before the full Assembly begins. Each Committee and Agency of the denomination has a CoC that hears a report, examines its minutes and budget, and makes recommendations to the Assembly regarding the Committee or Agency and its responsibilities.

Many of the important decisions made by the Assembly come to it from the presbyteries. Presbyteries may send the Assembly an overture, a request for action on a specific matter. Overtures that pertain to the nature or responsibilities of a Committee or Agency are referred to that Committee or Agency and its CoC to make aTh recommendation to the Assembly. Most overtures are referred to the Overtures Committee—a CoC composed of one teaching elder and one ruling elder from each presbytery, whose task is to make recommendations to the whole Assembly on each overture referred to it. The Assembly then discusses and votes on each overture.

What Is the Significance of the General Assembly?

The General Assembly not only directs the life and work of the PCA for the coming year but also shapes the denomination’s priorities and policies for the long term. At the Assembly, the Book of Church Order (the PCA’s standard for governance) can be amended, the Committees and Agencies are directed in their work, and the application of Scripture to issues of faith, life, and ministry is debated, studied, and decided.

Many of the Assembly’s actions are binding on the churches in the denomination:

• Constitutional changes, such as amendments to the Book of Church Order, are binding on the whole church.
• Judicial cases adjudicated by the SJC are binding regard­ing the matter thus settled.
• Results of the review and control of presbyteries are binding on the presbytery involved.

Other actions of the Assembly are a matter of guidance and counsel:

• Studies and statements on particular subjects give the consensus of an Assembly’s opinion on that subject.

These opinions serve as a guideline or pious advice to the churches of the PCA on the subject. As such, they are to be given due and serious consideration and should be reported, studied, and taken seriously, but they are not binding on the consciences of sessions or individuals who believe on biblical grounds that another position is preferable.

Peace, Purity, and Mission

As the elders of the PCA gather as the General Assembly, they touch each church in the denomination. Through the Assembly, the purity, peace, and mission of the PCA are maintained and promoted.

Learn more about this year’s General Assembly.