How did views about centralized authority affect the Southern Presbyterian Church in the United States?

The Southern Presbyterian Church, historically known as the Presbyterian Church in the United States, maintained a tradition that emphasized local initiative and actively restricted the powers of central agencies.1

This commitment to decentralized authority significantly influenced the church's ecumenical relations. Specifically, efforts to unite the Southern church with the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. failed during the 1950s primarily because the Southern church refused to accept the centralization that such a merger would have required. It was not until a new movement for union emerged in the late 1970s that these concerns were addressed, eventually leading to a successful merger in 1983 to form the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).1