What is Mercersburg Theology?
The Mercersburg Society, founded in 1983, is a Ministry Team of the Penn Central Conference of the United Church of Christ, which seeks to strengthen the church of the present time.  We affirm the vision of the Christian faith found in the Mercersburg tradition as apostolic, catholic, evangelical, and reformed, grounded in Scripture, catechisms, and ecumenical creeds. We provide opportunities for theological reflection regarding the Mercersburg tradition and its application today, including such gatherings as convocations and study groups; celebrate the incarnation of God in Jesus Christ as the foundation for the church’s life in worship, sacraments, fellowship, and service; and support and encourage research and publications regarding Christ and the church, liturgy, sacraments and ecumenism, especially through the New Mercersburg Review and The Mercersburg Theology Study Series (Wipf & Stock).
The Society is led by a Corporate Board consisting of the President, Board Secretary, Membership Secretary, Financial Liaison to the Penn Central Conference, Editor of the New Mercersburg Review, Program Chair, and Members at Large. The Board meets at least annually, usually in conjunction with our annual Convocation.
About the Mercersburg Society
The Mercersburg Society was founded in 1983 by a group of pastors, professors, church judicatory persons and laity for study and discussion of matters of contemporary theology within the context of Mercersburg Theology, a theological system of thought developed by John Williamson Nevin and Philip Schaff from 1840-1860 at the Seminary of the German Reformed Church in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania.
The Society organized a theological gathering in 1984 with a group called the Biblical, Theological, Liturgy Group at Craigville, Massachusetts and had its first Mercersburg Convocation, an annual two-day event for members and friends of the Society to study and discuss theology and the Mercersburg tradition, in 1985 at St. John’s United Church of Christ in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. The Society was formally incorporated in 1987.
Following the 1985 Convocation, The New Mercersburg Review, the journal of the Society, was started and is published once or twice a year.
The income of the Society is primarily derived from membership dues, life memberships, and private donations.
The Corporate Board of the Society meets at least annually, usually in conjunction with the  Convocation to make necessary decisions for the operation of the Society. Members of the Board and others work throughout the year to conduct the business of the Society.
In January 2024, the Mercersburg Society became a Ministry Team of the Penn Central Conference of the United Church of Christ. Penn Central Conference Agreement with Mercersburg Society. In December 2024, the Mercersburg Society was legally dissolved as an autonomous entity.
In June 2025, the Corporate Board adopted a new Constitution to reflect these changes. Constitution Adopted 2025
Current Leadership
The Corporate Board is elected annually. The members for 2025 are:
President
Anne Thayer
Financial Liaison to PennCentral Conference
David Layman
Secretary
Linden DeBie
Editor, New Mercersburg Review
William Evans
Program Chair
Lee Barrett
Membership Secretary
Tekoa Robinson
Members at Large
Tim Dugan, Ted Trost, Â Matt Deal, Jennifer Fair, Chris Rankin
Convocation
Upcoming
Convocation 2026
June 1-2, 2026
Past Convocations
Society News and Updates
Letter from the President (COMING SOON)
Roth Prize Competition
Implications of new Keystone Conference (COMING SOON)
Pastoral Reflections on Contemporary Spiritual and Ecclesial issues
Once a month we ask a working pastor or lay leader to reflect on pressing spiritual and ecclesial issues in the contemporary ecumenical church. If you would like to offer your reflections, please email the President of the Society at [email protected].
Study Groups (COMING SOON)
Events of Interest (COMING SOON)
