Brief Statement of Faith Unity in Christ

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism;  one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all…

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
– Ephesians 4:1-6; 15-16

In 1983, the Presbyterian Church (USA) was formed by the reunion of the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America and the Presbyterian Church in the United States. This reunion prompted the creation of this brief statement of faith, which is arranged within a Trinitarian framework. The statement also emphasizes Jesus’ ministry in Judea and Galilee and concern for God’s creation, and it affirms the ordination of both women and men. Intended to declare the faith of the unity church, the statement is Trinitarian in format and often used in Presbyterian worship.

Church conflicts can be resolved, but it often takes longer than we would like.  The Brief Statement of Faith was compiled as part of the reunification of the northern and southern Presbyterian Churches.  (Some churches refused reunification and became the Presbyterian Church in America.)  This “new” PC(USA) resolved to leave the past conflict over slavery in the US behind us.  It only took 100 years.  May we see the error of our ideologies sooner than our forebears and strive for unity in the church.