The Dutch Meet Dixie

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.

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