Synod of the Trinity
Encyclopedia
Synod of the Trinity is an upper judicatory of the Presbyterian Church (USA)
headquartered in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
. The synod oversees sixteen presbyteries covering all of Pennsylvania
, most of West Virginia
, and a portion of eastern Ohio
.
left the synod in 1745 to form the Synod of New York. An advocate of the Great Awakening
, Dickinson founded a seminary that later became Princeton University
. By 1851, the synod was "one of the largest and most influential Synods in the Presbyterian Church, embracing the entire States of Delaware, Maryland, and the greater part of the State of Pennsylvania." By 1881, the synod consisted of nineteen Pennsylvania counties, the City of Philadelphia, and a portion of western Africa. In 1882, the Synod of Pennsylvania was born. When the General Assembly decided in 1973 to create regional judicatories, the Synod of Pennsylvania-West Virginia was formed. Finally, when church reunion occurred in 1983, presbyteries in a portion of eastern Ohio were joined to the synod and the name was changed to the Synod of the Trinity.
The Presbyterian Historical Society shows 81 Presbyterian/Reformed historic sites registered within the bounds of the synod.
Presbyterian Church (USA)
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...
headquartered in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
Camp Hill is a borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, 2 miles southwest of Harrisburg. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,636 at the 2000 census...
. The synod oversees sixteen presbyteries covering all of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, most of West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, and a portion of eastern Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
.
History
The Presbyterian church has its roots in the territory of the Synod of the Trinity, which was founded as the Synod of Philadelphia in 1717. After the Presbytery of New Brunswick was expelled from the synod in 1741 during a major division in the church, Jonathan DickinsonJonathan Dickinson (of New Jersey)
Jonathan Dickinson was a Congregational, later Presbyterian, minister, a leader in the Great Awakening of the 1730s and 1740s, and a co-founder and first president of the College of New Jersey, which later became Princeton University.-Biography:Born in Hatfield, Massachusetts on April 22, 1688,...
left the synod in 1745 to form the Synod of New York. An advocate of the Great Awakening
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...
, Dickinson founded a seminary that later became Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. By 1851, the synod was "one of the largest and most influential Synods in the Presbyterian Church, embracing the entire States of Delaware, Maryland, and the greater part of the State of Pennsylvania." By 1881, the synod consisted of nineteen Pennsylvania counties, the City of Philadelphia, and a portion of western Africa. In 1882, the Synod of Pennsylvania was born. When the General Assembly decided in 1973 to create regional judicatories, the Synod of Pennsylvania-West Virginia was formed. Finally, when church reunion occurred in 1983, presbyteries in a portion of eastern Ohio were joined to the synod and the name was changed to the Synod of the Trinity.
The Presbyterian Historical Society shows 81 Presbyterian/Reformed historic sites registered within the bounds of the synod.
Presbyteries of the Synod of the Trinity
There are sixteen presbyteries in the synod. (map)- Beaver-Butler
- Carlisle
- Donegal
- Huntingdon
- Kiskiminetas
- Lackawanna
- Lake Erie
- Lehigh
- Northumberland
- Philadelphia
- Pittsburgh
- Presbytery of RedstonePresbytery of RedstoneThe Presbytery of Redstone is a Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church governing congregations in Westmoreland, Fayette, Somerset, and Cambria Counties in Western Pennsylvania. Its headquarters in located in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. It governs 80 congregations and 14,971 total congregants. It...
- Shenango
- Upper Ohio Valley
- Washington PresbyteryWashington PresbyteryWashington Presbytery, of the Presbyterian Church is the association of PCUSA churches in Washington and Greene counties in Pennsylvania. It contains 65 churches and has a membership of about 12,000....
http://washpresby.presbychurch.org/newpage/index2.htm - West Virginia
See also
- Synod website
- History of the synod
- 18th century synod history
- Presbyterian polityPresbyterian polityPresbyterian polity is a method of church governance typified by the rule of assemblies of presbyters, or elders. Each local church is governed by a body of elected elders usually called the session or consistory, though other terms, such as church board, may apply...