Why did the Presbyterian Church in the United States reject proposed union with the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. during the 1950s?

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Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) First Presbyterian Church, Johnstown, N.Y.

The Presbyterian Church in the United States (the Southern church) rejected the proposed union with the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. during the 1950s primarily because of concerns regarding church governance.

Traditionally, the Southern church emphasized the promotion of local initiative and sought to restrict the powers of central agencies. Consequently, the merger failed during that decade because the Southern church refused to accept the centralization of authority that would have resulted from the union.1

A successful movement for union between the two bodies did not occur until the late 1970s, ultimately resulting in the formation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in 1983.1