Denominations - Protestant

Date Founded:  1936

Membership/Number of Clergy:  28,780/464 as of 2010.

Headquarters:  The Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 607 N. Easton Rd., Bldg. E, Willow Grove, PA 19090-2539

Schools & Seminaries:  No official seminary.  Many clergy trained at Westminster Theological Seminary, Mid-America Reformed Seminary, and Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.

Publications:  New Horizons magazine.  Since 1975 the Orthodox Presbyterian Church has jointly owned Great Commission Publications (GCP) with the Presbyterian Church in America.

Website:  http://www.opc.org/

Core Beliefs: 

• The Bible, having been inspired by God, is entirely trustworthy and without error.
• The one true God is personal, yet beyond our comprehension. 
• God created the heavens and the earth, and all they contain. 
• Because of the sin of the first man, Adam, all mankind is corrupt by nature, dead in sin, and subject to the wrath of God. 
• Faith in Christ has always been the only way of salvation, in both Old Testament and New Testament times. 
• The Son of God took upon himself a human nature in the womb of the virgin Mary, so that in her son Jesus the divine and human natures were united in one person. 
• Those whom God has predestined unto life are effectually drawn to Christ by the inner working of the Spirit as they hear the gospel. 
• Believers strive to keep God’s moral law, which is summarized in the Ten Commandments, not to earn salvation, but because they love their Savior and want to obey him.
• Christ has established his church, and particular churches, to gather and perfect his people, by means of the ministry of the Word, the sacraments of baptism (which is to be administered to the children of believers, as well as believers) and the Lord’s Supper (in which the body and blood of Christ are spiritually present to the faith of believers), and the disciplining of members found delinquent in doctrine or life. 

See a fuller explanation at http://www.opc.org/beliefs.html

Short History:  In 1936 a number of clergy withdrew from the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. over issues of doctrinal purity.  You can read more about the issues at http://www.opc.org/cce/Lest_We_Forget-Kellogg.html.  The Presbyterian Church in America and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church explored merger in 1987, but the OPC determined that the PCA was too lax in its interpretation of the Westminster Standards.  At this point a number of OPC churches aligned with the PCA. The OPC is a member of the North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council (NAPARC) and of the International Conference of Reformed Churches (ICRC).

Local Churches:  The closest church to Louisville is Good Shepherd OPC, 11688 Mill Road, Cincinnati, OH 45240.  There is a church finder at http://www.opc.org/locator.html.