Upper Cumberland Presbyterian Church

The Upper Cumberland Presbyterian Church is a Christian denomination that maintains less than 1,000 members among twelve .

Origins

The name Cumberland comes from the church's historic connection with the Cumberland Presbyterian (CP) denomination. The Upper Cumberland Presbyterian Church uses a slightly revised version of the 1883, Confession of Faith of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The CP church adopted a new Confession Of Faith in 1984. The seeds of the Upper Cumberland Presbyterian Church arose from a group known as the Fellowship of Cumberland Presbyterian Conservatives. They protested the modernist movement, in particular they resisted the adoption and usage of the Revised Standard Version (RSV) of the Bible.

The Fellowship of Cumberland Presbyterian Conservatives formed a conference and planned a second one in Memphis, TN. When the CP General Assembly declared their actions to be unconstitutional, Rev H.C. Wakefeild, Rev. Oliver, Rev. Dycus and other leaders of the group broke away from the CP denomination and formed the new Upper Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

The "Upper Cumberland" part of the name refers to the fact that the denomination was established in Gallatin, TN on the Upper Cumberland River, the section of the Cumberland River east of Nashville,TN.

The issues which gave rise to the denomination remain important today. The King James Version of the Bible is the official Bible of the denomination.

Distribution

The Upper Cumberland Presbyterian congregations are mostly rural, country churches. They are located in three geographic areas; East of Nashville, South of Nashville, and North Central Alabama.

The congregations East of Nashville which are actually located along the Upper Cumberland Rivers are:

PLEASANT GROVE -- Whitleyville, TN
PLEASANT SHADE -- Pleasant Shade, TN
POSTON'S CHAPEL -- Cookeville, TN
RUSSELL HILL -- Pleasant Shade, TN
SUMNER COUNTY -- Gallatin, TN [http://www.scucpc.com]

Three congregations are located south of Nashville:

HICKORY HILL -- Petersburg, TN
LEBANON CAMPGROUND -- Shelbyville, TN
SHELBYVILLE -- Shelbyville, TN

There are four congregations located North Central Alabama:

BROOKLYN -- Holly Pond, AL
MT. PISGAH -- Cullman, AL
PLEASANT HILL -- Centerville, AL
WALNUT PARK -- Gadsen, AL

Governance

The representatives of the twelve congregations meet twice a year to form a presbytery. This is the highest church court of the denomination. A moderator of presbytery is elected for a six months term. The denomination's official publication is called "The Bulletin" and is edited by Mrs. Jaunita Healy.

Training of Ministers

The denomination does not have a college or seminary. Ministers are usually self-taught men who are then further trained by the Ministerial Training Committee. Some prominent ministers of the denomination have held other careers while serving as pastors.