The Presbyterian Church is facing a major shakeup at this very moment.
While the Presbyterian Church in America reaffirmed its historic position on church leadership, newly released statistics from the Presbyterian Church (USA) paint a sobering picture of ongoing decline.
Meeting at its 53rd General Assembly in Louisville, Kentucky, PCA commissioners overwhelmingly rejected an overture that would have opened the office of ordained deacon to women, reaffirming the denomination’s longstanding position.
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The vote came after the PCA’s Overtures Committee recommended defeating the proposal, stating that the church’s constitutional standards already provide “a sufficient expression of the biblical warrant, nature, qualifications, and duties of deacons,” according to reporting by The Christian Post.
In a separate report by Protestia, the more liberal branch of Presbyterian Churches, PCUSA, is now experiencing a decline, with membership dropping from 1,045,848 in 2004 to 1,019,003 in 2025.
The demographic data are equally striking.
The report found that approximately 35% of PCUSA’s members—289,671 people—are age 71 or older. In total, 60% of the denomination is 55 and older.
The contrast is difficult to ignore: one denomination is moving in a more conservative direction, while another is wrestling with shrinking membership, aging congregations and the challenge of reaching the next generation.
Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the newly released book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
