Presbyterians trace our history to the 16th century and the Protestant Reformation. Our heritage began with the French lawyer John Calvin (1509-1564), whose writings from Geneva and Switzerland crystallized much of the Reformed thinking that came before him. From there, the Reformed movement spread to other parts of Europe and the British Isles.

Many of the early Presbyterians in America came from England, Scotland and Ireland. The first American Presbytery was organized at Philadelphia in 1706 and the first General Assembly was held in 1789 by the Rev. John Witherspoon, one of the few ordained ministers to sign the Declaration of Independence.