Cumberland Presbyterian Church
Encyclopedia
The Cumberland Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian Christian denomination
spawned by the Second Great Awakening
. In 2007, it had an active membership of less than 50,000 and about 800 congregations, the majority of which are concentrated in the United States
. The word Cumberland comes from the Cumberland River
valley where the church was founded.
The divisions which led to the formation of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church can be traced back to the First Great Awakening
. At that time, Presbyterians
in North America split between the Old Side (mainly congregations of Scottish
and Scots-Irish extraction) who favored a doctrinally-oriented church with a highly-educated ministry and a New Side (mainly of English extraction) who put greater emphasis on the revivalistic techniques championed by the Great Awakening. The formal split between Old Side and New Side only lasted from 1741 to 1758, but the two orientations remained present in the reunified church and would come to the fore again during the Second Great Awakening
.
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Presbyterians on the frontier suffered from a shortage of educated clergy willing to move to the frontier beyond the Appalachian Mountains
. At the same time, Methodists
and Baptists were sending preachers with little or no formal training into frontier regions and were very successful in organizing Methodist and Baptist congregations. Drawing on New Side precedents, Cumberland Presbytery
in Kentucky
began ordaining men without the educational background required by the Kentucky Synod
. This was bad enough for supporters of the Old Side, but what was even worse was that the presbytery allowed ministers to offer a qualified assent to the Westminster Confession
, only requiring them to swear assent to the Confession "so far as they deemed it agreeable to the Word of God". Old Siders in the Kentucky Synod (which had oversight over Cumberland Presbytery) sought to discipline the presbytery. Presbytery and synod were involved in a protracted dispute which touched upon the nature of ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Ultimately, the synod decided to dissolve Cumberland Presbytery
and expel a number of its ministers.
The Cumberland Presbyterian denomination was made up of the expelled members of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America
(PCUSA) and others in the area when the Kentucky Synod dissolved the original Cumberland Presbytery. There is historical evidence in the writings of several of the founders that indicate they did not intend the split to be permanent and certainly did not anticipate a long-standing separate denomination.
On February 4, 1810, near what later became Burns, Tennessee
in the log cabin home of the Rev. Samuel McAdow
, he, the Rev. Finis Ewing
and the Rev. Samuel King reorganized Cumberland Presbytery. After rapid growth, Cumberland Presbytery became Cumberland Synod in 1813 and the Cumberland Presbyterian denomination in 1829 when the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church was established.
A replica of the Rev. Samuel McAdow's cabin now stands where the three founded the church, and a sandstone chapel commemorating the event has been erected nearby. These two buildings are two of the main attractions in the surrounding Montgomery Bell State Park
. An outgrowth of the Great Revival of 1800, also called the Second Great Awakening, the new denomination arose to minister to the spiritual needs of a pioneer people who turned from the doctrine of predestination
as they interpreted it to embrace the so-called "Whosoever Will" gospel of the new church. The Red River Meeting House
in Logan County, Kentucky
, marks the location of the revival meeting thought by some to have given rise to the first organized Cumberland Presbyterian congregation.
in Princeton, Kentucky
, in order to better train their candidates for the ministry. Although very much a frontier institution, under the presidency of Franceway Ranna Cossitt
, Cumberland College was one of the first colleges in the United States to accept women as students. Ann Harpending and Melinda Barnett, for example, enrolled in the very first class.
The Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America
, a primarily African-American denomination, split from the primarily white Cumberland Presbyterian Church in 1874. Relations between the two groups have for the most part been very cordial, and many of the CPCA ministers have trained at Memphis Theological Seminary
. A reunion attempt on the part of both denominations failed to win approval in the late 1980s. The African American church wanted equal representation on all boards and agencies, feeling that otherwise they would be swallowed up by the larger white church. The joint committee drafting the plan of union agreed and made such a stipulation in its reporting to the General Assembly. However, many in the white, rural, southern-based church were not willing to cede that much power and balked at the plan. No other plans for union have been attempted. However, the two denominations share a confession of faith and cooperate in many common ministries.
The Upper Cumberland Presbyterian Church
is a small denomination which broke off from the Cumberland Presbyterian church over issues of membership in the National Council of Churches
and the use of the Revised Standard Version
of the Bible
.
In 1889, Cumberland Presbyterians were the first body in the Presbyterian and Reformed
tradition to ordain a woman as a minister, Louisa Mariah Layman Woosley
. It is interesting to note that a relatively conservative body, Nolin Presbytery, ordained Woosley while a relatively liberal body, Kentucky Synod
, opposed her ordination and instructed the presbytery to remove her from the ministerial roll.
By 1900, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church was the third largest Presbyterian or Reformed body in the United States and was rapidly growing. After making revisions to the Westminster Confession in 1903, the PCUSA (the so-called "Northern" denomination) proposed reunification with the CPC. The General Assembly voted by a significant majority for the union in the 1906 meeting. As a result, a large number of Cumberland congregations re-entered the PCUSA in 1906 and those who remained in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church felt somewhat antagonistic towards the PCUSA for generations afterward. Over the years, the bitterness subsided but has never entirely been forgotten. However, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America held concurrent 2006 general assemblies in Birmingham, Alabama
in celebration of 300 years of Presbyterianism in North America. The confessional differences between the denominations that resulted in the CPC's split have largely disappeared. However, new differences have arisen such as the stances on homosexuality and views toward the scriptures. The CPC, for the most part, holds to more conservative beliefs than the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), with an orientation toward Arminianism
as opposed to the strict Calvinism
of other conservative Presbyterian churches in the U.S.
However, for the most part, the CPC's constituency and theology resembles that of the United Methodist Church
, appealing mainly to long-established families with revivalistic religious tastes and generally conservative cultural dispositions, derived chiefly from the agricultural orientation of most of its historic territory, the Upper South
. Although explicit fundamentalism
and liberalism
are rare in the CPC, neither are entirely absent, and recent trends in the denomination seem to be moving it further to the right. This conservative thrust has probably been generated in response to the strong competition the CPC faces in most of its locales for a lower-to-middle-class constituency from groups like the Southern Baptist Convention
, charismatic or Pentecostal
faiths, and newer non-denominational fellowships. As the denomination has become more conservative, some of its more liberal ministers and members have transferred membership to the Presbyterian Church (USA), thereby intensifying already-present theological and social tendencies in the remaining CPC faithful toward evangelicalism.
Cumberland Presbyterian congregations may be found throughout the U.S. as well as in several foreign countries (Japan, Hong Kong, Colombia, etc.) but are primarily located in the American South
and border states
, with strong concentrations in Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Missouri
, southern Illinois
, Arkansas
, and Texas
. Many of those congregations are located outside major metropolitan areas, in small towns and rural communities. The majority of those churches founded in towns and cities in the 19th century joined in the union with the PCUSA in 1906 after the General Assembly voted to unite with that body. However, so did a fair number of the country churches, who were likely served at the time by pastors with relatively greater theological training, which would have been required by the mainstream Presbyterian tradition for admission to the ministry.
college, Bethel University, formerly Bethel College
, located in McKenzie, Tenn.
Recently, the denomination has related to this institution through a covenant agreement, forgoing direct ownership and control. The denomination also operates a seminary, Memphis Theological Seminary
, in Memphis, Tennessee
. The Cumberland Presbyterian Center
, also located in Memphis, houses other church boards and agencies. The denomination maintains a Children's Home in Denton, Texas
. The Historical Foundation of the CPC and the CPCA maintains its library and archives at the Cumberland Presbyterian Center
in Memphis.
In recent years, the denomination adopted an alternate educational route to ordination of ministers, known as the Program of Alternate Studies
. PAS, as it became known, was intended to serve persons embarking on a second vocation but not as an alternate a seminary education. However, a larger and larger percentage of candidates for the ministry are being allowed by their presbyteries to choose this non-seminary route to ordination, prompting a debate over what many in the church regard as a lessening of educational standards. At the present rate, the number of Cumberland Presbyterian clergy ordained without a seminary degree will surpass seminary-trained clergy within a few years.
Christian denomination
A Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name, structure, and doctrine within Christianity. In the Orthodox tradition, Churches are divided often along ethnic and linguistic lines, into separate churches and traditions. Technically, divisions between one group and...
spawned by the Second Great Awakening
Second Great Awakening
The Second Great Awakening was a Christian revival movement during the early 19th century in the United States. The movement began around 1800, had begun to gain momentum by 1820, and was in decline by 1870. The Second Great Awakening expressed Arminian theology, by which every person could be...
. In 2007, it had an active membership of less than 50,000 and about 800 congregations, the majority of which are concentrated in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The word Cumberland comes from the Cumberland River
Cumberland River
The Cumberland River is a waterway in the Southern United States. It is long. It starts in Harlan County in far southeastern Kentucky between Pine and Cumberland mountains, flows through southern Kentucky, crosses into northern Tennessee, and then curves back up into western Kentucky before...
valley where the church was founded.
Formation
First Great Awakening
The First Awakening was a Christian revitalization movement that swept Protestant Europe and British America, and especially the American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s, leaving a permanent impact on American religion. It resulted from powerful preaching that gave listeners a sense of personal...
. At that time, Presbyterians
Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism refers to a number of Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, which are organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures,...
in North America split between the Old Side (mainly congregations of Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
and Scots-Irish extraction) who favored a doctrinally-oriented church with a highly-educated ministry and a New Side (mainly of English extraction) who put greater emphasis on the revivalistic techniques championed by the Great Awakening. The formal split between Old Side and New Side only lasted from 1741 to 1758, but the two orientations remained present in the reunified church and would come to the fore again during the Second Great Awakening
Second Great Awakening
The Second Great Awakening was a Christian revival movement during the early 19th century in the United States. The movement began around 1800, had begun to gain momentum by 1820, and was in decline by 1870. The Second Great Awakening expressed Arminian theology, by which every person could be...
.
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Presbyterians on the frontier suffered from a shortage of educated clergy willing to move to the frontier beyond the Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
. At the same time, Methodists
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
and Baptists were sending preachers with little or no formal training into frontier regions and were very successful in organizing Methodist and Baptist congregations. Drawing on New Side precedents, Cumberland Presbytery
Cumberland Presbytery
In the history of the Presbyterian and Reformed tradition in the United States, there have been a number of judicatories named Cumberland Presbytery.- Cumberland Presbytery, PC 1802-1806:...
in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
began ordaining men without the educational background required by the Kentucky Synod
Kentucky Synod
In the history of the Presbyterian and Reformed tradition in the United States, there have been a number of judicatories named Kentucky Synod.- Kentucky Synod, PC :...
. This was bad enough for supporters of the Old Side, but what was even worse was that the presbytery allowed ministers to offer a qualified assent to the Westminster Confession
Westminster Confession of Faith
The Westminster Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith, in the Calvinist theological tradition. Although drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly, largely of the Church of England, it became and remains the 'subordinate standard' of doctrine in the Church of Scotland, and has been...
, only requiring them to swear assent to the Confession "so far as they deemed it agreeable to the Word of God". Old Siders in the Kentucky Synod (which had oversight over Cumberland Presbytery) sought to discipline the presbytery. Presbytery and synod were involved in a protracted dispute which touched upon the nature of ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Ultimately, the synod decided to dissolve Cumberland Presbytery
Cumberland Presbytery
In the history of the Presbyterian and Reformed tradition in the United States, there have been a number of judicatories named Cumberland Presbytery.- Cumberland Presbytery, PC 1802-1806:...
and expel a number of its ministers.
The Cumberland Presbyterian denomination was made up of the expelled members of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America
Presbyterian Church in the United States of America
The Presbyterian Church in the United States of America was a Presbyterian denomination in the United States. It was organized in 1789 under the leadership of John Witherspoon in the wake of the American Revolution and existed until 1958 when it merged with the United Presbyterian Church of North...
(PCUSA) and others in the area when the Kentucky Synod dissolved the original Cumberland Presbytery. There is historical evidence in the writings of several of the founders that indicate they did not intend the split to be permanent and certainly did not anticipate a long-standing separate denomination.
On February 4, 1810, near what later became Burns, Tennessee
Burns, Tennessee
Burns is a town in Dickson County, Tennessee, United States. It is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The 1987 comedy film Ernest Goes to Camp was shot here...
in the log cabin home of the Rev. Samuel McAdow
Samuel McAdow
Samuel McAdow , a Presbyterian minister, was, in 1810, one of the founders of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.-References:...
, he, the Rev. Finis Ewing
Finis Ewing
Finis Ewing was the primary founder of the Cumberland Presbyterian Denomination on February 4, 1810.-Biography:...
and the Rev. Samuel King reorganized Cumberland Presbytery. After rapid growth, Cumberland Presbytery became Cumberland Synod in 1813 and the Cumberland Presbyterian denomination in 1829 when the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church was established.
A replica of the Rev. Samuel McAdow's cabin now stands where the three founded the church, and a sandstone chapel commemorating the event has been erected nearby. These two buildings are two of the main attractions in the surrounding Montgomery Bell State Park
Montgomery Bell State Park
Montgomery Bell State Park is a Tennessee state park in Dickson County, Tennessee in the United States. The park is and sits at an elevation of . The park is open for year-round recreation including boating, hiking, camping, fishing and golf...
. An outgrowth of the Great Revival of 1800, also called the Second Great Awakening, the new denomination arose to minister to the spiritual needs of a pioneer people who turned from the doctrine of predestination
Predestination
Predestination, in theology is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God. John Calvin interpreted biblical predestination to mean that God willed eternal damnation for some people and salvation for others...
as they interpreted it to embrace the so-called "Whosoever Will" gospel of the new church. The Red River Meeting House
Red River Meeting House
The Red River Meeting House was the site of the first religious camp meeting in the United States and the start of the Second Great Awakening from June 13–17, 1800. The meeting was organized by Reverend James McGready in Logan County, Kentucky.-First Camp Meeting:There were several hundred people...
in Logan County, Kentucky
Logan County, Kentucky
Logan County is a county located in the southwest area of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 26,573. Its county seat is Russellville...
, marks the location of the revival meeting thought by some to have given rise to the first organized Cumberland Presbyterian congregation.
Subsequent history
In 1826, Cumberland Presbyterians established Cumberland CollegeCumberland College (Princeton, Kentucky)
Cumberland College in Princeton, Kentucky was founded in 1826 and operated until 1861. It was the first college founded by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and one of the first American institutions to accept female students. Presidents included Franceway Ranna Cossitt, Richard Beard, Milton...
in Princeton, Kentucky
Princeton, Kentucky
Princeton is a city in Caldwell County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 6,329 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Caldwell County.-History:...
, in order to better train their candidates for the ministry. Although very much a frontier institution, under the presidency of Franceway Ranna Cossitt
Franceway Ranna Cossitt
Franceway Ranna Cossitt was an early Cumberland Presbyterian Minister and the first stated clerk of the Cumberland Presbyterian General Assembly in 1829. He was also the founder of Cumberland College in Princeton, Kentucky, in 1825, which was eventually moved to Lebanon, Tennessee, in 1843, to...
, Cumberland College was one of the first colleges in the United States to accept women as students. Ann Harpending and Melinda Barnett, for example, enrolled in the very first class.
The Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America
Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America
The Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America is a primarily African-American denomination which developed from the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in 1874....
, a primarily African-American denomination, split from the primarily white Cumberland Presbyterian Church in 1874. Relations between the two groups have for the most part been very cordial, and many of the CPCA ministers have trained at Memphis Theological Seminary
Memphis Theological Seminary
Memphis Theological Seminary is an ecumenical theological seminary located in Midtown, Memphis, Tennessee. It is affiliated with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, but accepts and trains ministerial candidates from other groups as well...
. A reunion attempt on the part of both denominations failed to win approval in the late 1980s. The African American church wanted equal representation on all boards and agencies, feeling that otherwise they would be swallowed up by the larger white church. The joint committee drafting the plan of union agreed and made such a stipulation in its reporting to the General Assembly. However, many in the white, rural, southern-based church were not willing to cede that much power and balked at the plan. No other plans for union have been attempted. However, the two denominations share a confession of faith and cooperate in many common ministries.
The Upper Cumberland Presbyterian Church
Upper Cumberland Presbyterian Church
The Upper Cumberland Presbyterian Church is a Christian denomination in the United States that maintains less than 1,000 members among twelve congregations in Alabama and Tennessee.-Origins:...
is a small denomination which broke off from the Cumberland Presbyterian church over issues of membership in the National Council of Churches
National Council of Churches
The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA is an ecumenical partnership of 37 Christian faith groups in the United States. Its member denominations, churches, conventions, and archdioceses include Mainline Protestant, Orthodox, African American, Evangelical, and historic peace...
and the use of the Revised Standard Version
Revised Standard Version
The Revised Standard Version is an English translation of the Bible published in the mid-20th century. It traces its history to William Tyndale's New Testament translation of 1525. The RSV is an authorized revision of the American Standard Version of 1901...
of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
.
In 1889, Cumberland Presbyterians were the first body in the Presbyterian and Reformed
Reformed churches
The Reformed churches are a group of Protestant denominations characterized by Calvinist doctrines. They are descended from the Swiss Reformation inaugurated by Huldrych Zwingli but developed more coherently by Martin Bucer, Heinrich Bullinger and especially John Calvin...
tradition to ordain a woman as a minister, Louisa Mariah Layman Woosley
Louisa Mariah Layman Woosley
Louisa Mariah Layman Woosley was the first woman ordained as a minister in any Presbyterian denomination. In the entire Reformed tradition, only Antoinette Brown, a Congregationalist, can claim an earlier ordination...
. It is interesting to note that a relatively conservative body, Nolin Presbytery, ordained Woosley while a relatively liberal body, Kentucky Synod
Kentucky Synod
In the history of the Presbyterian and Reformed tradition in the United States, there have been a number of judicatories named Kentucky Synod.- Kentucky Synod, PC :...
, opposed her ordination and instructed the presbytery to remove her from the ministerial roll.
By 1900, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church was the third largest Presbyterian or Reformed body in the United States and was rapidly growing. After making revisions to the Westminster Confession in 1903, the PCUSA (the so-called "Northern" denomination) proposed reunification with the CPC. The General Assembly voted by a significant majority for the union in the 1906 meeting. As a result, a large number of Cumberland congregations re-entered the PCUSA in 1906 and those who remained in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church felt somewhat antagonistic towards the PCUSA for generations afterward. Over the years, the bitterness subsided but has never entirely been forgotten. However, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
The Presbyterian Church , or PC, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. Part of the Reformed tradition, it is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the U.S...
, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America held concurrent 2006 general assemblies in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
in celebration of 300 years of Presbyterianism in North America. The confessional differences between the denominations that resulted in the CPC's split have largely disappeared. However, new differences have arisen such as the stances on homosexuality and views toward the scriptures. The CPC, for the most part, holds to more conservative beliefs than the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), with an orientation toward Arminianism
Arminianism
Arminianism is a school of soteriological thought within Protestant Christianity based on the theological ideas of the Dutch Reformed theologian Jacobus Arminius and his historic followers, the Remonstrants...
as opposed to the strict Calvinism
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
of other conservative Presbyterian churches in the U.S.
Beliefs and practices
The denomination as a whole has a socially progressive tradition. Cumberland Presbyterians were among the first denominations to admit women to their educational institutions and to accept them in leadership roles. They were the first to include women as ordained clergy. Cumberland Presbyterians were also early to ordain African-Americans to the ministry. The 1984 revision of the Cumberland Presbyterian Confession of Faith, reflecting the denomination's long-standing traditions, was one of the first inclusive confessional documents in the Reformed tradition. This Confession was revised by a broad composite of theologians of both Cumberland Presbyterian Churches.However, for the most part, the CPC's constituency and theology resembles that of the United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
, appealing mainly to long-established families with revivalistic religious tastes and generally conservative cultural dispositions, derived chiefly from the agricultural orientation of most of its historic territory, the Upper South
Upland South
The terms Upper South and Upland South refer to the northern part of the Southern United States, in contrast to the Lower South or Deep South.-Geography:There is a slight difference in usage between the two terms...
. Although explicit fundamentalism
Fundamentalism
Fundamentalism is strict adherence to specific theological doctrines usually understood as a reaction against Modernist theology. The term "fundamentalism" was originally coined by its supporters to describe a specific package of theological beliefs that developed into a movement within the...
and liberalism
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
are rare in the CPC, neither are entirely absent, and recent trends in the denomination seem to be moving it further to the right. This conservative thrust has probably been generated in response to the strong competition the CPC faces in most of its locales for a lower-to-middle-class constituency from groups like the Southern Baptist Convention
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
, charismatic or Pentecostal
Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism is a diverse and complex movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, has an eschatological focus, and is an experiential religion. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, the Greek...
faiths, and newer non-denominational fellowships. As the denomination has become more conservative, some of its more liberal ministers and members have transferred membership to the Presbyterian Church (USA), thereby intensifying already-present theological and social tendencies in the remaining CPC faithful toward evangelicalism.
Structure
As with any church holding to a presbyterian polity, individual congregations are represented by elders (who form a session to govern the local church) at presbyteries. Presbyteries, in turn, send delegates to synods. Finally, the entire structure is governed by the General Assembly. The Assembly charges various boards and agencies with the day-to-day operation of the denomination.Cumberland Presbyterian congregations may be found throughout the U.S. as well as in several foreign countries (Japan, Hong Kong, Colombia, etc.) but are primarily located in the American South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
and border states
Border states
Border states is a term referring to the European nations that won their independence from the Russian Empire after the Russian Revolution, the treaty of Brest-Litovsk, and ultimately the defeat of the German Empire in World War I...
, with strong concentrations in Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, southern Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Many of those congregations are located outside major metropolitan areas, in small towns and rural communities. The majority of those churches founded in towns and cities in the 19th century joined in the union with the PCUSA in 1906 after the General Assembly voted to unite with that body. However, so did a fair number of the country churches, who were likely served at the time by pastors with relatively greater theological training, which would have been required by the mainstream Presbyterian tradition for admission to the ministry.
Schools and institutions
Prior to the 1906 partial union, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church placed a great deal of emphasis on education and sponsored 22 colleges and universities. All but one united with the Presbyterian Church. The denomination now maintains a single four-year liberal artsLiberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
college, Bethel University, formerly Bethel College
Bethel College (Tennessee)
Bethel University is a Cumberland Presbyterian college in McKenzie, Tennessee.-Biography:It was founded in 1842 in McLemoresville, Tennessee as Bethel Seminary, becoming Bethel College in 1850, and given a state charter in 1847, making it one of the oldest colleges to use the name "Bethel...
, located in McKenzie, Tenn.
McKenzie, Tennessee
McKenzie is a city at the tripoint of Carroll, Henry, and Weakley counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The population was 5,310 at the 2010 census.It is home to Bethel University and the Tennessee Technology Center at McKenzie.-Geography:...
Recently, the denomination has related to this institution through a covenant agreement, forgoing direct ownership and control. The denomination also operates a seminary, Memphis Theological Seminary
Memphis Theological Seminary
Memphis Theological Seminary is an ecumenical theological seminary located in Midtown, Memphis, Tennessee. It is affiliated with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, but accepts and trains ministerial candidates from other groups as well...
, in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
. The Cumberland Presbyterian Center
Cumberland Presbyterian Center
Cumberland Presbyterian Center refers to the denominational headquarters of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The original "Center" was located at 1978 Union Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee, from 1951 to 2008. Funded through a denomination wide campaign in the late-1940s, the original Center...
, also located in Memphis, houses other church boards and agencies. The denomination maintains a Children's Home in Denton, Texas
Denton, Texas
The city of Denton is the county seat of Denton County, Texas in the United States. Its population was 119,454 according to the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the eleventh largest city in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex...
. The Historical Foundation of the CPC and the CPCA maintains its library and archives at the Cumberland Presbyterian Center
Cumberland Presbyterian Center
Cumberland Presbyterian Center refers to the denominational headquarters of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The original "Center" was located at 1978 Union Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee, from 1951 to 2008. Funded through a denomination wide campaign in the late-1940s, the original Center...
in Memphis.
In recent years, the denomination adopted an alternate educational route to ordination of ministers, known as the Program of Alternate Studies
Program of Alternate Studies
Program of Alternate Studies or PAS is a program of the Cumberland Presbyterian denomination administered by Memphis Theological Seminary and intended to provide theological education to persons who are not able to attend a traditional theological seminary. PAS is directed by the Rev. Dr...
. PAS, as it became known, was intended to serve persons embarking on a second vocation but not as an alternate a seminary education. However, a larger and larger percentage of candidates for the ministry are being allowed by their presbyteries to choose this non-seminary route to ordination, prompting a debate over what many in the church regard as a lessening of educational standards. At the present rate, the number of Cumberland Presbyterian clergy ordained without a seminary degree will surpass seminary-trained clergy within a few years.
Notable members
- Finis EwingFinis EwingFinis Ewing was the primary founder of the Cumberland Presbyterian Denomination on February 4, 1810.-Biography:...
(founder) - Samuel McAdowSamuel McAdowSamuel McAdow , a Presbyterian minister, was, in 1810, one of the founders of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.-References:...
(founder) - Samuel King (founder)
- James Wickliffe AxtellJames Wickliffe AxtellJames Wickliffe Axtell was a newspaper man and prominent member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.-Biography:...
- Richard Beard
- Franceway Ranna CossittFranceway Ranna CossittFranceway Ranna Cossitt was an early Cumberland Presbyterian Minister and the first stated clerk of the Cumberland Presbyterian General Assembly in 1829. He was also the founder of Cumberland College in Princeton, Kentucky, in 1825, which was eventually moved to Lebanon, Tennessee, in 1843, to...
(president of Cumberland CollegeCumberland College (Princeton, Kentucky)Cumberland College in Princeton, Kentucky was founded in 1826 and operated until 1861. It was the first college founded by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and one of the first American institutions to accept female students. Presidents included Franceway Ranna Cossitt, Richard Beard, Milton...
, 1st Stated Clerk, etc.) - John FrizzellJohn FrizzellJohn B. Frizzell is a Canadian screenwriter and film producer.After several years writing, directing and co-producing the documentary series A Different Understanding for TVOntario, Frizzell joined partners Niv Fichman, Barbara Willis Sweete and Larry Weinstein to found the Canadian production...
- Benjamin Wilburn McDonnoldBenjamin Wilburn McDonnoldBenjamin Wilburn McDonnold, D.D., LL.D. was a Presbyterian minister, writer and educator. He was the third President of Cumberland University, and wrote the History of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church....
- James D. Porter, Jr.James D. Porter, Jr.James Davis Porter was governor of the U.S. state of Tennessee from 1875 to 1879.-Biography:A native of Paris, Tennessee, Porter graduated from the former University of Nashville at age 18. He was elected to the Tennessee General Assembly in 1859. When the American Civil War loomed, Porter sided...
- James Smith
- Louisa WoosleyLouisa Mariah Layman WoosleyLouisa Mariah Layman Woosley was the first woman ordained as a minister in any Presbyterian denomination. In the entire Reformed tradition, only Antoinette Brown, a Congregationalist, can claim an earlier ordination...
- William Jennings BryanWilliam Jennings BryanWilliam Jennings Bryan was an American politician in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. He was a dominant force in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, standing three times as its candidate for President of the United States...
- James Wickliffe AxtellJames Wickliffe AxtellJames Wickliffe Axtell was a newspaper man and prominent member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.-Biography:...
- Jack Barker
- Donald Barnhouse
- David Brown
- Mattie Ree Brown
- Paul B. Brown
- Paul F. Brown
- George BurroughsGeorge BurroughsGeorge Burroughs , American Congregational pastor, graduated from Harvard College in 1670, and became the minister of Salem Village in 1680, a charge which he held until 1683. He lived at Falmouth until it was destroyed by natives in 1690. Burroughs then moved to Wells, Maine...
- Thomas Dishman Campbell
- Thomas Hardesty CampbellThomas Hardesty CampbellThomas Hardesty Campbell was a Cumberland Presbyterian minister, a former president and dean of Memphis Theological Seminary, and a former director of the Historical Foundation of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Campbell retired from the seminary in 1974 and served seven years as pastor of the...
- Daniel J. Earheart-BrownDaniel J. Earheart-BrownThe Rev. Dr. Daniel J. Earheart-Brown is the president of Memphis Theological Seminary. He also serves as Professor of Theology. Earheart-Brown was ordained by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and served in several pastorates before being named to the seminary's highest position. He attends Faith...
- George Estes
- William T. IngramWilliam T. IngramThe Rev. Dr. William T. Ingram was the first President of Memphis Theological Seminary, serving from June 1, 1964 to September 1, 1978. Prior to that he was Dean of Cumberland Presbyterian Theological Seminary from 1962 to 1964 while the institution was located in McKenzie, Tennessee...
- Dr. Joe Ben Irby
- James W. KnightJames W. KnightJames Wade Knight was a Cumberland Presbyterian minister. He served as that denomination's first Director of Ministry and was the Executive of Kentucky Synod....
- Aaron McMillan
- Dr. Hubert Morrow
- Morris Pepper
- Robert D. RushRobert D. RushRobert D. Rush, an ordained Cumberland Presbyterian minister, is the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. He followed acting Stated Clerk Marjorie S. Shannon in the denomination's highest judicial office. Cumberland Presbyterian Stated Clerks are selected by...
- Dr. William Rustenhaven
- Jeri RyanJeri RyanJeri Lynn Zimmermann Ryan is an American actress best known for her roles as the liberated Borg, Seven of Nine, on Star Trek: Voyager; Tara Cole on Leverage; and Veronica "Ronnie" Cooke on Boston Public. She was also a regular on the science fiction show Dark Skies and the legal drama series...
- Beverly St. JohnBeverly St. JohnAn elder in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Beverly St. John served as that denomination's first female moderator of the General Assembly in 1988. The Cumberland Presbyterian denomination had been the first Presbyterian body to ordain women as clergy beginning with Louisa Woosley in 1889. St...
- John StilesJohn StilesJohn Stiles was born and raised in the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia, Canada. He is the author of the poetry collections Scouts are Cancelled and Creamsicle Stick Shivs, as well as the novels The Insolent Boy and Taking the Stairs. Featured on CBC's 'Q', Much Music, and TVO's 'Imprint', John has...
- Lynn Thomas
- Matthew H. GoreMatthew H. GoreMatthew H. Gore is a British historian, popular culturist, and educator residing in Memphis, Tennessee. He is best known for his book The History of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Kentucky to 1988 , but has published on a variety of topics as diverse as The Origin of Marvelman , the...
- Susan K. Gore
- Robert D. RushRobert D. RushRobert D. Rush, an ordained Cumberland Presbyterian minister, is the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. He followed acting Stated Clerk Marjorie S. Shannon in the denomination's highest judicial office. Cumberland Presbyterian Stated Clerks are selected by...
- Frank Ward
- Clark Williamson
- Samuel T. Quattrochi
- Dr. Carver Yu, From Hong Kong (President of China Graduate School of Theology)
Sources
- Thomas Hardesty CampbellThomas Hardesty CampbellThomas Hardesty Campbell was a Cumberland Presbyterian minister, a former president and dean of Memphis Theological Seminary, and a former director of the Historical Foundation of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Campbell retired from the seminary in 1974 and served seven years as pastor of the...
, Milton L. Baughn, and Ben M. Barrus. A People Called Cumberland Presbyterian (Memphis: Tennessee, 1972). - Matthew H. GoreMatthew H. GoreMatthew H. Gore is a British historian, popular culturist, and educator residing in Memphis, Tennessee. He is best known for his book The History of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Kentucky to 1988 , but has published on a variety of topics as diverse as The Origin of Marvelman , the...
. The History of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Kentucky to 1988. Published by the Joint Heritage Committee of Covenant and Cumberland Presbyteries (Memphis: Tennessee, 2000). - 2006 Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church (Memphis: Tennessee, 2007).
- 2007 Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church (Memphis: Tennessee, 2008).