What happened to the Presbyterian Church USA?

 

Mar 16, 2026 

 #pcusa #presbyterian #churchdecline

The Presbyterian Church Choose to Collapse...1 Million Left in 10 Years. This Is What Broke Them. This is the full investigation into the fastest denominational collapse in modern American history. Between 2013 and 2023 the Presbyterian Church USA lost over 1 million members. 55% of the entire denomination walked away in one decade. This video explains exactly what happened, what decisions caused the collapse, and what this means for every other church. All statistics used are official published annual PCUSA membership reports. This video covers the full timeline of PCUSA decline, the mass exodus to PCA, ECO and EPC denominations, the trust clause legal battles, the shift to progressive political activism, generational failure, and the broader pattern of mainline protestant collapse occurring across the United States. This is not a hot take. This is the documented sequence of decisions that destroyed one of the oldest and most influential religious institutions that ever existed in North America. What happened to the Presbyterians is not an exception. It is the pattern playing out right now in almost every historic mainline denomination. ⚠️ DISCLAIMER: All membership statistics are from official PCUSA General Assembly reports and denominational yearbooks. Historical data verified through Princeton Seminary archives and Pew Research Center religious landscape studies.

Nicaraguan dictatorship bans priestly and diaconal ordinations

Pew Research Center: Why Buddhism is in decline in East Asia

ZENIT Staff

A new report looks at the reasons for the decline based on qualitative interviews in Tokyo and Seoul. In addition to demographic decline, the erosion of faith between generations, the “pressures of modern life”, the decline in religious practices, and negative views of religion have also played a role. However, many claim to maintain a cultural connection with Buddhism and still feel drawn to its teachings.

Nicaraguan dictatorship bans priestly and diaconal ordinations in four dioceses across the country

ZENIT Staff

For a Church already weakened by years of repression, the measure appears designed not merely to punish current leadership but to obstruct the formation of the next generation of clergy.

Results of Vatican diplomacy: Amid conflict with the U.S., Cuba will release prisoners

Enrique Villegas

The decision underscores the continued relevance of Vatican diplomacy in Cuba. By combining moral appeals with patient negotiation, the Holy See has repeatedly succeeded in encouraging humanitarian gestures that might otherwise have remained politically impossibl

The Cross Atop the Jesus Christ Tower of the Basilica of the Holy Family, which the Pope will Inaugurate in Barcelona, ​​Is Now Visible

ZENIT Staff

The church’s Construction Board is gradually removing the scaffolding, and the 17-meter cross is now visible

Some reflections with you on the relationship between the administration of justice and the value of unity, according to Pope Leo XIV

ZENIT Staff

Address by the Holy Father on the occasion of the opening of the judicial year of the Tribunal of the Vatican City State

The sacrament of confession (reconciliation or penance), beautifully explained by Pope Leo XIV to young priests and seminarians

ZENIT Staff

Address by the Holy Father to the priests and seminarians who participated in the course on the Internal Forum of the Apostolic Penitentiary

The devil’s work: one of the topics discussed with Pope Leo XIV by leaders of exorcists from around the world. Here’s how the meeting went

Valentina di Giorgio

Orlita and Bamonte also shared a historical note that delighted the Pope: Leo XIV had personally known and appreciated Father Gabriele Amorth, the Italian priest who founded the International Association of Exorcists and who for decades served as one of the most widely known exorcists in the Church

Photo Gallery: A Look at the Custom Ford Explorer Platinum That Pope Leo XIV Received as a Gift from Chicago

ZENIT Staff

The Explorer was customized with a 3.3L V6 hybrid powertrain and 10-speed hybrid transmission, as well as an antenna that’s compatible with the European broadcast radio system. Vanity license plates read “DA POPE” and “LEO XIV.”

Online “relics” of St. Francis spark alarm: Franciscans warn faithful about growing digital fraud

Valentina di Giorgio

The alarm was raised after listings appeared on popular e-commerce platforms such as eBay and Etsy claiming to offer relics connected to the medieval saint—among them supposed fragments of bone, traces of blood and pieces of clothing attributed to the founder of the Franciscan movement

EU Court Requires Member States to Legally Recognize “Gender Reassignment”

ZENIT Staff

Stemming from a Bulgarian case where “sex” is defined biologically and civil registry alterations are forbidden, the CJEU argues such denials violate EU rights if they hinder everyday life, like identity checks, travel, or work in other states

Questions about liturgy: Should the cross be veiled during Lent?

ZENIT Staff

Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and sacramental theology at the Pontifical Regina Apostolorum university.

London’s Trafalgar Square to Host Landmark 15th Anniversary Performance of the Passion of Jesus on Good Friday

Elizabeth Owens

Fifteen years after its debut in the square, the Wintershall Passion play has evolved into more than a theatrical production. For many Londoners, it has become a moment in which one of Christianity’s most enduring narratives reenters the public space of a modern city, reminding audiences that stories of suffering, redemption and hope continue to shape cultural memory even in a secular age

‘Fraternity is where true conversion takes place’

Pope Leo XIV: God ‘cannot be enlisted by darkness’ During a pastoral visit to a Rome parish, the pope warned against invoking God to justify violence. Pope urges ceasefire in Middle East Speaking at his Sunday Angelus, Pope Leo XIV urged Christians to bring the Gospel to a world marked by violence and injustice. Preacher of the Papal Household: ‘Fraternity is where true conversion takes place’ In a sermon to the pope and the Roman Curia, Preacher of the Papal Household Father Roberto Pasolini explained that achieving true fraternity poses many challenges and requires inner transformation.

Ave Maria University to send first student group to new Ireland campus at former abbey Students at Ave Maria’s new Ireland campus will buck standard Catholic university study abroad standards, opting instead to live a Cistercian lifestyle at a centuries-old abandoned monastery.

The new faces of Christian nationalism

John Perkins, civil rights leader, influential Bible teacher, dies at 95
Religion News Service: “John Perkins is probably one of the true unsung heroes in America — not in Black America, not in the church community, but in America,” said the Rev. Barbara Williams-Skinner, co-founder of the Skinner Leadership Institute.
The New York Times: John M. Perkins dies at 95; evangelical minister espoused social justice*

 

The new faces of Christian nationalism*
The New Yorker: Trump has hollowed out the Johnson Amendment, which prohibited churches from endorsing candidates. Mercy Culture, in Fort Worth, has sprung into action.

 

US troops were told war on Iran was ‘all part of God’s divine plan,’ watchdog alleges
The Guardian: Religious freedom group says 200 troops sent complaints of superiors using extremist Christian rhetoric to justify war.

 

Taylor Tomlinson’s Netflix special is too ungodly for many churches. This one welcomed her.
Religion News Service: Fountain Street Church, where the formerly religious comedian filmed her special in November, has a legacy of rejecting dogma and pushing the envelope.

 

Southerners tend to be more religious than other U.S. adults — but less religious than they used to be
Pew Research Center: Between 2020 and 2025, religiousness in the South and in the other regions generally has been stable. But over the longer term, religiousness has declined markedly in each part of the country.

childlessness can be a calling

Civil rights leader John Perkins, who proclaimed the gospel against racism, has died.

Karen Swallow Prior writes about her experience with infertility and finds that like parenthood, childlessness can be a calling.

Infanticide rates have declined in Africa. But child abandonment and occasional infanticide of children with disabilities continue to be problems.

A South Indian missionary initiated a new Bible translation for millions of Hadoti speakers in northwest India. The fourth Sunday of Lent this weekend is traditionally called Laetare Sunday, based on the sung command "Rejoice!," and it sits halfway between Ash Wednesday and Easter.

Behind the Story

From CT contributor Karen Swallow Prior: I’ve written a handful of times over the years about my infertility and childlessness. But when Christianity Today asked me to write a longer reflection on the subject for their March/April print issue, I realized that it had been a while since I’d done so, and that I’d never written a feature-length article on this subject. I eagerly said yes and spent a few weeks last fall writing, revising, editing—and praying over my words.

I felt the Lord’s grace over my writing, and then when I saw the illustrations in progress, I felt that grace once again. It is a gift as a writer to work with a team—editor, proofreaders, artists, publication. It’s kind of like making a child—it’s a team effort, and there are a lot of ways things can go wrong—and a lot of ways in which God’s grace hovers over and in and through it all, no matter the outcome.

 

The Chosen breaks the Guinness World Record—again—for most translated season for a streaming series, with 125 languages. CT reported on the show when it first dubbed or subtitled the show into 50 languages in 2024. The head of the Turning Point USA chapter at Florida International University stepped down after Miami Herald reporting showed his participation in a racist group chat. CT has previously reported on Black clergy reckoning with Turning Point founder Charlie Kirk’s legacy on race.  Roscoe Robinson, a gospel musician who redirected his work to pop and R&B before returning back to his musical roots, died in late February. He was 97.

Today in Christian History

March 16, 1072: Adalbert, Archbishop of Bremen-Hamburg, dies. He energetically promoted missionary activities in Scandanavia, Iceland, Greenland, and the Orkneys, but he seems to have been largely unsuccessful.

St. Luke's Episcopal Church 03.08.2026

We call this SoNoGo - South Park-North Park-Golden Hill & Our Mission: to see the baptized who live in SoNoGo worship in SoNoGo 

St. Luke's Episcopal Church

The Episcopal Church

St. Luke's North Park is a Christian community praising God and seeking justice and healing in this dynamic neighborhood of San Diego since 1923.  We strive to create spaces for God’s grace to form life-changing relationships with Christ and each other across lines of prejudice and privilege. In the past three decades, God has led us to a new blessing: to serve as one of the primary congregations and cultural centers for South Sudanese Americans in the city, and more recently, for former Congolese refugees. Worshiping with our diverse community is a joyous experience that includes singing in Arabic and Swahili, and individuals from around the globe and the U.S., united by our found “home” at St. Luke’s and in Christ.  Our infant, toddler, children, and youth ministries are full and thriving, thanks be to God! We are proud partners with RefugeeNet, a non-profit dedicated to the well-being of refugee families. We’re also grateful to host sixteen twelve-step support meetings on campus each week. St. Luke's North Park is a Christian community seeking justice and healing in San Diego's North Park neighborhood. We dream to be a place where all people can enter into uncomfortable and brave spaces with others different than themselves -- different races, ethnicities, classes, creeds, sexual orientations, and gender identities -- and find their perspectives and hearts transformed. We follow a God who loves each of us especially for who we are and desires that every single human among us has all she or he needs to thrive in this world. Until that day comes, we will work alongside God's powerful Spirit to do justice in this hurting world and help all people find a loving and dignified home.

Rock Church Swahili 03.15.2026

Hoover High School, San Diego, CA  What You’ll Experience in This Service Spirit‑filled worship led by our Rock Church Swahili team Encouraging preaching centered on faith, strength, and God’s calling Testimonies that inspire hope and courage A joyful atmosphere of unity and praise ❤️ About Rock Church Swahili We are a vibrant, multicultural community worshiping Jesus in Swahili and English. Whether you’re joining from San Diego or around the world, you are welcome here. 📍 Join Us In Person Hoover High School 4474 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, CA

‘God wants to cover us in robes of grace’

Pope Leo XIV to move into papal apartment of Apostolic Palace The move was announced on March 14 by the Holy See Press Office, more than 10 months after Leo’s election. Psychiatrist Paul McHugh speaks about decades-long career, opposition to sex-reassignment surgeries McHugh told “EWTN News In Depth” that “we don’t know enough” about the psychiatric impact of gender reassignment surgeries. Scotland bishops on assisted suicide legislation: ‘Safeguards do not work’ The bishops of Scotland speak out on assisted suicide legislation, Italy’s bishops call for prayer and fasting for peace, the Hong Kong Diocese prepares for thousands of baptisms at Easter, and more. New biblical series depicts Book of Genesis through eyes of its best-known women “The Faithful: Women of the Bible” follows the stories of Sarah, Hagar, Rebekah, Leah, and Rachel and how each of these women shaped the story of salvation.

‘God wants to cover us in robes of grace,’ Catholic fashion writer says Mary Harper explains the positive dimension of choosing what to wear and what it can express, urging Catholics to invite the Holy Spirit into their fashion choices.

San Diego Japanese Christian Church 03.15.2026

 We call this SoNoGo - South Park-North Park-Golden Hill & Our Mission: to see the baptized who live in SoNoGo worship in SoNoGo

San Diego Japanese Christian Church

OMS Holiness Church of North America

San Diego Japanese Christian Church (SDJCC) is here to share the good news that a dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord is the key to abundant living in today’s world. Our church was founded as an outreach to Japanese speaking farmers in San Diego County over 80 years ago. SDJCC now has English and Japanese speaking ministries. It’s easy to miss, tucked away at the elbow of 19th and E streets just above Interstate 5: the Japanese American Christian Church in Golden Hill. You’d most likely drive past this humble place of worship on the way up Broadway without noticing it, but if you happened to be on a stroll down E Street looking at the nice old houses, you’d stumble upon it after the bigger homes give way to a series of California bungalows. It’s there before E turns right into 19th. Across the street from the church, a chain-link fence lines the sidewalk above the 5 where the homeless set up camp on a regular basis before they are swept out and relocated only to return again when the police shift their attention elsewhere. Historically, the church itself is a product of a relocation of a different sort. As my City College colleague, historian Susan Hasegawa informed me, it was originally founded as the Japanese Holiness Church by Christian Nikkei (immigrants and their descendents) in 1930 and located on Newton Avenue. Sponsored by the Oriental Mission Society, the church focused its efforts on outreach to Issei (first generation immigrant) farmers.

Makers Church 03.15.2026

We call this SoNoGo - South Park-North Park-Golden Hill & Our Mission: to see the baptized who live in SoNoGo worship in SoNoGo 

Makers Church

Southern Baptists Explained in 2 Minutes

Makers church was founded in 2010 as MOSAIC San Diego. In 2017 we became Makers Church. Two years later, in another act of faith, Makers Church and North Park Baptist, a dynamic community with almost 100 years of legacy and ministry, chose to merge into something beautiful and new.