Protestants: The Dutch Meet Dixie

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Meeting in separate assemblies, representatives of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. (1,000,000 members) and the Reformed Church in America (400,000) last week approved a tentative plan of union. If the proposal is ratified by the local governing districts of the two churches, they will merge in 1970 to form a new denomination called the Presbyterian Reformed Church.

The two organizations have much in common. Both adhere to a Calvinist theology and are cautiously conservative on such social issues as black equality. The Southern Presbyterians were formed at the outbreak of the Civil War; membership in the church is almost entirely white, and its pastorate is largely traditionalist in outlook. The Reformed Church—many of its oldest congregations are still known as Dutch Reformed—is strong in the East and Midwest, also has a predominantly white, middle-class membership. If the union is approved, the logical next step would be merger with the 3.3 million-member, liberal United Presbyterian Church, which has made clear its desire for further ecumenical discussions.