Cumberland Presbyterian Church - Timeline Event

Finis Ewing, Samuel King, Samuel McAdow

02-04-1810

After the revivals at Cane Ridge, Kentucky, the number of Presbyterian converts on the Western frontier swelled. Facing a shortage of ministers, some congregations within the newly organized Synod of Kentucky ordained uneducated ministers in violation of the denomination's rules. The synod responded by censuring the group, but the General Assembly rejected the motion.

In response to tension over ordination, as well as theological differences, Finis Ewing, Samuel King, and Samuel McAdow formed the Cumberland Presbytery on February 4, 1810 in Kentucky. The Cumberland Presbytery formed an alternative synod in 1813 and the two Kentucky synods co-existed uneasily until 1825 when the denomination formally revoked recognition of the Cumberland group. In 1829, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, with presbyteries throughout the South, created its own General Assembly.

As of 2008, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church lists more than 78,000 members, more than half reside in Kentucky or Tennessee.

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After the revivals at Cane Ridge, Kentucky, the number of Presbyterian converts on the Western frontier swelled. Even before the revivals, American Presbyterianism faced a shortage of qualified ministers. On the frontier, the problem was even worse with very few candidates who had the necessary formal education. Some congregations within the newly organized Synod of Kentucky ordained uneducated ministers in violation of the denomination's rules. The synod responded by censuring the group, but the General Assembly rejected the motion. In response to tension over ordination, as well as theological differences, Finis Ewing, Samuel King, and Samuel McAdow formed the Cumberland Presbytery on February 4, 1810 in Kentucky. The Cumberland Presbytery formed an alternative synod in 1813 and the two Kentucky synods co-existed uneasily until 1825, when the denomination formally revoked recognition of the Cumberland group. In 1829, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, with presbyteries throughout the South, created its own General Assembly.

In keeping with the broader theological trends associated with the Second Great Awakening, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church held to an Arminian view of human will and divine election, that all people are offered the free choice to accept or reject salvation. Accordingly, the church adopted a revised version of the Westminster Confession of Faith. By the early 20th century the divide between Cumberland's theology and that of broader Presbyterianism had narrowed. In 1906, a majority of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church's congregations reunited with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), although a significant minority remained separate. As of 2008, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church had more than 78,000 members, more than half reside in Kentucky or Tennessee.