The Orthodox Presbyterian Church separated from the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America in the 1930s over what they believed to be growing liberalism in the parent body.
Originally known as the Presbyterian Church of America, the new Presbyterian body quickly faced a disagreement over whether to affirm the traditional Presbyterian a-millennialist Calvinist theology or the premillennial dispensational theology that was growing in popularity at the time. The premillennial group broke away and formed the Bible Presbyterian Church, while the Presbyterian Church of America was forced to change its name when the PCUSA filed suit against their choice of name, adopting its current name in 1939.
One of its founders, J. Gresham Machen, was a highly educated New Testament scholar and theologian, and a leader in the fundamentalist movement. He helped to found Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, which rivaled Princeton, where he had previously taught. He had resigned from Princeton in 1929 in protest of the hiring of a group of professors who denied the inerrancy of the Bible and did not affirm the substitutionary atonement of Christ and His bodily resurrection from the dead.
Machen also fought liberalism in the PCUSA, but the General Assembly of that denomination refused to take action in 1933.
Machen and his followers founded a new independent board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions, and were deposed from office by the PCUSA, which prompted the creation of the new denomination that would become the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
Not surprisingly, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church places strong emphasis on the infallibility and inerrancy of Scriptures, and that the Bible is the only rule of faith and the sole source of special revelation for the Church. The Westminster Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter catechisms are accepted as subordinate standards for doctrine and practice. The OPC publishes Trinity Hymnal as a worship supplement to the Westminster Confession of Faith.
The OPC believes in one true God, creator and sustainer of the universe. God is an invisible Spirit, completely self-sufficient, and not constrained by space or time. He is personal, holy, just, loving, merciful, and in full control over all things. Within the unity of the Godhead are three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and an eternal deity. He took a human nature upon Himself when He was born of the Virgin Mary. During the incarnation, He was fully God and fully man. He lived a sinless life, and His death on the cross served as a perfect sacrifice for sins, securing salvation for His chosen ones. He rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, where He rules over His kingdom as Lord.
The Holy Spirit convicts the elect of sin, drawing them to Christ, and enabling them to believe. He indwells those who believe, sanctifies them, and enables them to progressively stop sinning and to live in righteousness. The OPC does not believe in charismatic phenomena such as speaking in tongues, prophesying, or miraculous healing.
Because of Adam's sin, mankind is corrupt by nature, dead in sin, and subject to the wrath of God. However, those who God has predestined to salvation are drawn to Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit, which enables them to repent and to believe. Once they believe in Jesus, God justifies them, pardons their sins, accepts them as righteous, and transfers Christ's merits to them.
The Church is the body of Christ, who is its head.
Believers who have professed faith in Jesus Christ and are baptized are known as communicant members and are permitted to take part in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. They also have voting rights. Baptized children are known as noncommunicant members, and do not take part in the Lord's Supper or vote on matters of the Church.
Baptism is administered to believers and their children. In the Lord's Supper, the body and blood of Jesus Christ are spiritually present to the faith of believers.
The Church government includes Sessions, Presbyteries, and a General Assembly. Sessions govern local congregations. Presbyteries meet twice a year. They oversee congregations and supervise ministers within their geographical region. The General Assembly meets once a year and oversees the denomination.
This category is focused on the denomination known as the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and may include denominational sites as well as those of presbyteries and affiliated associations, organizations, ministries, and corporations. Sites representing local congregations should be submitted to the appropriate Local & Global category corresponding to the church's geographical location, however.
Recommended Resources
Committee on Home Missions and Church Extension of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church
The OPC committee assists member presbyteries in planting new churches throughout North America, supports regional home missionaries, conducts training seminars for church planters, introduces seminary students to the ministry, assists congregations in finding pastors, and facilitates a loan program for congregations in need of property and buildings. Its missions are highlighted, and a calendar of conferences and seminars are included.
https://chmce.org/
The Presbyterian Church USA split along geographical lines at the time of the Civil War, and the OPC came out of the Northern Presbyterian church, leaving that body due to what its members viewed as liberalism in the larger body. OPC history and standards are described here, along with a directory of local congregations, publications and many other resources.
http://www.opc.org/
Presbytery of New York and New England
The presbytery covers member sessions of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Member churches may be located by state and city. Addresses, meeting information and times, and contacts are posted to the site, along with stated meetings, bylaws, and the guidelines followed by the presbytery for receiving candidates for the gospel ministry.
http://nyneopc.org/
Presbytery of Northern California and Nevada
The presbytery is the governing body of the regional churches of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in the northern part of California and Nevada, which may be located here, including addresses, contacts, and web addresses. Also included are schedules of its annual youth camp, a calendar of programs and events, meeting schedules, an audio archive, its bylaws, and rules for keeping sessional records.
https://www.pncnopc.org/
Formed from the Presbytery of the Dakotas in 1985, the presbytery includes member churches of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Featured are a church directory, membership, and ordination information, and its church planting and foreign missions programs, Christian camps and retreats, home and overseas missions, a calendar of events, meeting schedules, and sessional records.
https://opcsouthwest.org/
Reformed Theology in Piety, Practice & Preaching
The personal website of Dr. J.V. Fesko, Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, and an ordained minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, the site features an audio archive of sermons and another of lectures, as well as a list of books written by Dr. Fesko, with a purchase link, biographical material, and a contact form. Also, includes are several videos of Dr. Fesko’s lectures on various topics and his preaching.
https://www.jvfesko.com/
The Presbytery of the Northwest
The regional presbytery includes member churches of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in the Pacific Northwest, which includes Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington, as well as one congregation in Alberta. Member churches may be located through the site, including an interactive map. An overview of the OPC’s beliefs and practices, a photo gallery, a calendar of events, and conference schedules are posted.
http://pnwopc.org/
