A Brief History of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America

The Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) is a very small denomination with a long history. Its roots go back to the Covenanters of Scotland, a group that defied the king and refused to become a part of the national Church of Scotland. Persecuted by the crown, they migrated by the thousands to America in the 1700s. Because ordained ministers were scarce in colonial America, Covenanters formed societies that functioned in the place of regular congregations. Toward the end of the eighteenth century, they were able to organize into a denomination under the corporate name Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America.

Ardent patriots, Reformed Presbyterians carried their defiance of the king to America and were influential in the early days of settlement and agitation that led up to the American Revolution. It is claimed that one of their documents, the 1775 Mecklenberg Declaration, is the precursor to the Declaration of Independence. There is no clear answer; however, both documents contain similar wording. They were men of action as well as words and took up arms along with other Americans to drive out the British.

Following the revolution, Reformed Presbyterians were deeply disappointed when the U.S. Constitution was adopted, because it contained no reference to God and allowed slavery. They maintained their love and loyalty to America but refused to take an oath to uphold the Constitution. They refused also to vote in public elections, since the person elected would have to swear to uphold the Constitution. This boycott of elections, however, did not inhibit Reformed Presbyterian patriotism or participation in the life of the nation.

Because they had been shut out of the establishment in Scotland, Reformed Presbyterians had learned to educate themselves and think for themselves. Young Reformed Presbyterian ministers were trained in the households of older ministers rather than the universities. Although adhering to the same Confession of Faith as other Presbyterian denominations, Reformed Presbyterians applied their faith to social and political issues in an independent and sometimes unique manner. While other Presbyterian denominations used their superior academic skills to justify slavery, Reformed Presbyterians looked critically at slavery through the lens of the Bible and concluded it was against God’s perfect will.

Fiercely devout, practiced in argument and unafraid of dissent, Reformed Presbyterians took up the cause of abolition. In the year 1800, the Reverend Alexander McLeod refused to accept a call to Coldenham, New York, because one of the elders in that congregation owned a slave. The Presbytery considered the matter and voted that no slaveholder could take communion, and Rev. McLeod became the pastor at Coldenham. This position soon took hold across the denomination, leading to a significant loss in membership—entire congregations in the South left the denomination. Two Reformed Presbyterian ministers are credited with visiting Abraham Lincoln in the days immediately before the Emancipation Proclamation, urging him to take action. Some wording in the Proclamation is said to echo their suggestions. One Reformed Presbyterian minister sent a personal donation to help in the defense of the men of the Amistad.

In that same century, the three institutions of the church were founded: Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary (1810), Geneva College (1848), and the Reformed Presbyterian Home (1897).

Reformed Presbyterians were progressive on many social issues. They believed in the education of women and blacks. Both were represented in the first graduating class of Geneva College. In 1888, the Reformed Presbyterian Church ordained women as deacons, the first Christian denomination to ordain women to any office. Women were active in all spheres of church work.

While the Reformed Presbyterian Church of today bears little resemblance to the vigorous social force of the 1800s, it has retained a dedication to the heart of the Christian message, paying close attention to family and the education of children. Its three institutions, the seminary, the college, and the nursing, personal care, and independent living home continue to grow and expand their influence in the communities they serve.