About Us

GRACE PRESBYTERY TODAY

We are Grace Presbytery, we are Spirit-Ignited: boldly living in God’s abundance, sharing and creating in Christ.

We are missional… we do not exist to serve ourselves; we strive to make a difference in the lives of others.

We are relational… we do not exist unto ourselves: we strive to build healthy relationships one person at a time.

We are connectional… we do not exist only for ourselves; we strive to reclaim our connectional identity seeking to connect to the larger church locally, nationally, and globally.

JAMES 1:22

But be doers of the word and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.

Grace Presbytery claims God’s mission as our calling: to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ who saves, redeems, and reconciles the world to God through ministries of witness, justice, and mercy. We live out this calling by:

Connecting with our congregations and our leaders; visiting congregations, offering care and support, sharing the concerns and joys of ministry together.
Embracing bold new ministry initiatives, valuing diversity, working alongside our congregations as they discern what is “next”.
Empowering our members and affirming their sense of agency, undertaking this work together as one body with many equal parts.

Comprised of 130 congregations across 54 counties of North, Northeast, and Central Texas, Grace Presbytery is part of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and Synod of the Sun.

Grace Presbytery's History

In the 1970s, Covenant Presbytery (PCUS) and Trinity Presbytery (UPCUSA) collaborated on missions due to their shared geographical boundaries, eventually forming a union presbytery. On January 4, 1979, they established Grace Union Presbytery at First Presbyterian Church in Dallas, which was later renamed by dropping “Union” in 1983 after the merger of the PCUS and UPCUSA.

The Presbyterian Church in the United States of America originated from the first General Assembly in Philadelphia on May 24, 1789. In 1810, many Presbyterians west of the Allegheny Mountains left to form the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, which began its mission in Texas in 1827 along the Red River. Texas Presbytery was organized on November 27, 1837, and in 1843, the Cumberland Presbyterian Synod of Texas was formed with three presbyteries: Texas, Red River, and Colorado.

In Central Texas, mission work by the Presbyterian Church in the USA began in 1833, leading to the formation of the Presbytery of Texas in 1840. The Synod of Texas was organized in 1851, thriving until many churches joined the Presbyterian Church in the Confederate States of America in 1862. After the Civil War, this body became the Presbyterian Church in the United States, which includes the Covenant Presbytery.

The Presbytery of Austin was organized on July 16, 1868, marking the resurgence of the Presbyterian Church in Texas. By 1875, the Synod of Texas included three presbyteries, and a vigorous mission program established numerous churches. In 1906, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church reunited with its mother church, strengthening the presence of Presbyterianism in Texas. In 1958, this denomination merged with the United Presbyterian Church of North America to form the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, of which Trinity Presbytery is a member.