John Knox Presbytery History
The John Knox Presbytery is a unit of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), created by the 188th General Assembly meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, in May 1976. The Presbytery is incorporated in the state of Wisconsin with adherence to the laws in the states of Iowa and Minnesota.
The boundaries of The John Knox Presbytery are drawn to include all churches and ministers in the counties of Dubuque (except Community Church, Cascade), Fayette, Clayton , Winneshiek, Allamakee, Jackson (except First Church, Miles) in Iowa; Fillmore, Houston and Winona in Minnesota; and Marquette, Grant, Lafayette, Green, Dane, Iowa, Crawford, Richland, Sauk, Columbia, Vernon, LaCrosse, Monroe, Juneau, Adams, Buffalo, Trempealeau and Jackson in Wisconsin.
John Knox Presbytery came into being on January 1, 1977, but that was not the real beginning.
The Presbyterian Church came to Iowa in the 1830’s. It came to Wisconsin in the 1840’s and it came to Minnesota in the 1850’s.
In Iowa, we count our membership churches as 12. Since 1830, 64 other Presbyterian churches have come and gone in the Iowa counties in John Knox Presbytery.
In Wisconsin, we count our membership churches as 38. Since 1840, 127 other Presbyterian churches have come and gone in the Wisconsin counties in John Knox Presbytery.
In Minnesota we count our membership churches as 4. Since 1850, 34 other Presbyterian churches have come and gone in the Minnesota counties in John Knox Presbytery.
In heritage of the John Knox Presbytery are found many streams of denominational format and expressions of faith. For example:
- Old School
- New School
- Congregational Church
- United Presbyterian Church of North America
- Welsh Calvinist Methodist
- Bohemian Brethren
- Synod of the West
- Cumberland Presbyterian Church
Our heritage begins with the first calling by God for people to be God’s People: Abraham and Sarah. God’s people wavered in the “Yes” to God: Egypt to Mt. Sinai to Canaan: Canaan to Exile: Exile to Canaan to Exile. Our heritage includes the action of God in Jesus Christ to lead God’s People firmly from Exile to what we call the Church in every place in the world. Through the presence of power of the Holy Spirit we come to today as God’s People committed to bring all people of the world to be God’s People.