Synod of Appalachia: The Strength of the Hills

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I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help (Ps. 121:1).

The Appalachian Mountain region of the United States is one of the most beautiful parts of America. The Mountaineers who live there are a special, but often-neglected, part of its constituency. The Presbyterian Church recognized a spiritual need there early in the 20th century.

Massanutten Mountain, Virginia (photo by R. Andrew Myers).

The [PCUS] General Assembly of 1915 erected a new synod, new not only in name in concept as well, in that it followed the general boundaries of the southern Appalachian Mountain region rather than conforming to state lines. The Synod of Appalachia originally covered portions of Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia, with several churches in Kentucky and West Virginia. Robert F. Campbell (1858-1947), pastor of the First Church of Asheville, North Carolina, who became prominent as a leader in the formation of the synod, served as its first moderator. The Synod of Appalachia functioned in an effective manner with respect to the progress of Presbyterianism within its borders until its dissolution, over its own protest, with its final meeting held in 1973. — James E. McGoldrick, Presbyterian and Reformed Churches: A Global History, pp. 234-235

The Synod of Appalachia was a long-term 20th century experiment by the Southern Presbyterian Church to address a particular home missionary need. It was a chapter in American Presbyterian history that is worthy of study because of the particular focus on the mountaineers who reside in those bounds. Below is a map of the synod’s boundaries as found in a 1927 volume on this subject.

Map of the Synod of Appalachia from E.M. Craig, Highways and Byways of Appalachia (1927) [a book not yet available to read on LCP].

Homer McMillan writes of this Synod in "Unfinished tasks" of the Southern Presbyterian Church:

Synod of Appalachia. It is the territorial unity and similarity of interest of the mountain Presbyteries that lie back of the great mountain Synod of Appalachia. This great Home Mission Synod embraces almost the same territory as the proposed State of Appalachia. The mountain sections of the Church, just as in the case of the States, received scant attention from the Synods to which they belonged. There was a disposition to look upon the mountain Presbyteries as dependent missionary territory, rather than an integral part of the Synod. They had little voice in the councils of the Church. The formation of these Presbyteries, with their common interests and common problems, into a separate Synod has lifted the mountain sections of the Church out of the back yard and has given them a Church-wide prominence. The churches of the mountain Presbyteries having the same educational and religious needs are able to develop their own resources, train their own leaders, build their own educational institutions and colleges, and carry out the program of service best adapted to their needs.

There are people and places all around America, and the world, whose needs the church must consider and address. The Appalachian mountaineers of the 20th century had a history, a spiritual need, and portion in God’s plan, which is still unfolding. Remember to pray for the mountaineers of Appalachia. They have been described as the “strength of the hills.” Bob Childress “The Man Who Moved a Mountain,” Dr. and Mrs. Sloop, and many others have labored to bring the gospel to them, and their legacy is not forgotten. May we continue to pray for the work that goes on amidst the mountains of Appalachia to the glory of God.

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