Tenth Presbyterian Church
Encyclopedia
Tenth Presbyterian Church is a congregation of approximately 1,500 members located in downtown Philadelphia
, Pennsylvania
. Tenth is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in America
(PCA), a denomination in the Reformed or Calvinist tradition.
Tenth Church was designed by John McArthur, Jr.
, and, until the erection of the North American Building
in 1900, its 250 feet (76.2 m) tower-and-spire was the tallest structure in Philadelphia. The architect later had the distinction of designing City Hall. In 1893, the notable Frank Miles Day
was hired to perform major alterations in the structure and the interior decoration.
neighborhood, or the southwestern quadrant of the Center City area.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Tenth is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in America
Presbyterian Church in America
The Presbyterian Church in America is an evangelical Protestant Christian denomination, the second largest Presbyterian church body in the United States after the Presbyterian Church . The PCA professes a strong commitment to evangelism, missionary work, and Christian education...
(PCA), a denomination in the Reformed or Calvinist tradition.
History
The original Tenth Presbyterian Church, founded in 1829, was located on the northeast corner of Twelfth and Walnut Streets. It established a daughter church in 1855-1856 called the West Spruce Street Presbyterian Church on the southwest corner of Seventeenth and Spruce Streets. The two churches worked together, with the ministers exchanging pulpits each week. Because of membership decline in the original Tenth Church caused by population shifts, the two churches merged in 1893 at the Seventeenth and Spruce Streets location, taking the name of the older church (Tenth Presbyterian Church).Tenth Church was designed by John McArthur, Jr.
John McArthur, Jr.
John McArthur Jr was a prominent American architect practicing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Designer of some of the city's most ambitious buildings of the Civil War era, few of his works survive...
, and, until the erection of the North American Building
North American Building
The North American Building is a historic high-rise building at 121 South Broad Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Designed by Philadelphia architect James H. Windrim , it was built in 1900 as the headquarters of the Philadelphia newspaper The North American . The building was commissioned by...
in 1900, its 250 feet (76.2 m) tower-and-spire was the tallest structure in Philadelphia. The architect later had the distinction of designing City Hall. In 1893, the notable Frank Miles Day
Frank Miles Day
Frank Miles Day was a Philadelphia-based architect who specialized in residences and academic buildings. In 1883, he graduated from the Towne School of the University of Pennsylvania, and traveled to Europe. In England, he apprenticed under two architects, and won the 1885 prize from the...
was hired to perform major alterations in the structure and the interior decoration.
Location
Tenth is located at the southwest corner of 17th and Spruce Streets in Philadelphia's Rittenhouse SquareRittenhouse Square
Rittenhouse Square is one of the five original open-space parks planned by William Penn and his surveyor Thomas Holme during the late 17th century in central Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The park cuts off 19th Street at Walnut Street and also at a half block above Manning Street. Its boundaries are...
neighborhood, or the southwestern quadrant of the Center City area.
Senior Ministers
Some notable staff members of the church from its founding include:- Thomas McAuley, D.D., LL.D. Senior Pastor. 1829-1833
- Henry Augustus Boardman, D.D. Senior Pastor. 1833-1876
- Marcus A. Brownson, D.D. Senior Pastor. 1897-1924
- Donald Grey Barnhouse, Th.D., D.D. Senior Pastor. 1927-1960
- Mariano Di GangiMariano di GangiMariano Di Gangi was a minister of the Presbyterian Church in Canada .-Biography:...
, D.D. Senior Pastor. 1961-1967 - James Montgomery Boice, Th.D., D.D. Senior Minister. 1968-2000
- Philip G. RykenPhilip RykenPhilip Graham Ryken is president of Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. Dr. Ryken was inaugurated on Friday, September 17, 2010 at Edman Chapel.-Education:...
, Ph.D. Senior Minister. 1995-2010, now president of Wheaton CollegeWheaton College (Illinois)Wheaton College is a private, evangelical Protestant liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago in the United States... - Liam Goligher, D.Min. Senior Minister. May 22, 2011-present
Ministries
- Three Sunday services with approximately 1,400 people in weekly attendance
- ACTS Ministries: mercy ministries to the poor and homeless near Tenth Church
- Tenth College Fellowship is a group for college students, helping them to be connected in the church and to grow spiritually during their college years.
- Maranatha is the youth group for students in grades 7-12, begun in 1984 and still continuing to meet weekly on Sunday nights and sponsor other events throughout the year.
- Medical Campus Outreach is a ministry to medical and other health professional students on medical campuses in and around Philadelphia.
- Small group Bible studies meet weekly in host homes across the city of Philadelphia and throughout the suburbs in Pennsylvania and New Jersey
- Various other discipleship groups, support groups, and prayer groups meet regularly in the church facilities and elsewhere
External links
- Tenth Presbyterian Church – Official website
- Tenth Presbyterian Church at Philadelphia Architects and Buildings