Christian

Presbyterian Church in America (PCA)

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Confidence: HighLast reviewed 29 May 2026United StatesWikipedia

Conservative Presbyterian denomination (1973 split from PCUS). Subscribes to Westminster Standards. Mainstream conservative Reformed body.

CLCI radar

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Low Control

BITE breakdown

Behavior Control3/10

Information Control2/10

Thought Control3/10

Emotional Control3/10

Modifiers (+0)

0 — conservative Presbyterian denomination; mainstream low-moderate control.

Founded

1973

Members

≈400,000 communicant members

Active in

USA

In context

PCA is the second-largest US Presbyterian denomination. Conservative Reformed theology with Westminster Standards. Mainstream low-control voluntary participation; some sub-currents (notably the Federal Vision controversy) more controlling.

Recovery resources

ICSA (International Cultic Studies Association) — General referral and cult-aware therapist directory.
INFORM (Information Network on Religious Movements) — LSE-founded UK research-based information service covering new religious movements.
Freedom of Mind Resource Center — Steven Hassan's organisation; BITE-model resources and family-side exit guidance.

See the full curated list at /resources.

Evidence by BITE axis

Information Control

Strict subscription to Westminster Standards in some Presbyteries
mainstream low-moderate control

Timeline

1973
PCA splits from PCUS

Sources

Various PCA publications search ↗

We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. Where a source includes its own URL, the open ↗ link opens it directly; otherwise search ↗ runs a Google Scholar query for the cited title — useful for verifying academic sources. For news outlets, search the outlet's own archive.

Change history

Substantive edits logged per the score-updates policy.

2026-05-29Phase 1 Batch J: per-group recovery resources applied via programmatic palette (closest-fit by category + subCategory + score). Palette: Mainstream-comparator lighter.
2026-05-20Score band scheme migrated from 4 bands to 5 (Minimal 0–5 / Low 6–12 / Moderate 13–20 / High 21–30 / Extreme 31–40). No CLCI value changed; the new Minimal band was carved out of the bottom of the previous Low band.

Key terms in this profile

Denomination

Relevant hubs

Curated entry points on CLCI Hub for situations connected to this group.

Found something wrong on this profile?

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Disclaimer. This profile is an educational summary based on publicly available reports. Many members of this group do not experience the patterns described. Individual congregations and chapters vary widely. If you or someone you know needs support, contact a licensed therapist or the International Cultic Studies Association.