United Reformed Church
| United Reformed Church | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Reformed |
| Polity |
Presbyterian Congregationalist |
| Moderator | Kevin Watson and Alan Yates |
| Associations |
World Council of Churches, World Communion of Reformed Churches, Council for World Mission, Conference of European Churches, Community of Protestant Churches in Europe, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, Churches Together in England, Action of Churches Together in Scotland, Cytûn, Christian Aid, World Development Movement |
| Region | Great Britain |
| Origin | 1972 |
| Merger of | The URC is the result of a union between the Presbyterian Church of England and the Congregational Church in England and Wales in 1972 and subsequent unions with the Re-formed Association of Churches of Christ in 1981 and the Congregational Union of Scotland in 2000. |
| Congregations | 1,400 |
| Members | 56,000 |
| Official website | www |
The United Reformed Church (URC) is a Christian church in the United Kingdom. It has approximately 56,000 members in 1,400 congregations with 608 active ministers, including 13 church related community workers.
The United Reformed Church resulted originally from a union of the Presbyterian Church of England and the Congregational Church in England and Wales in 1972. In introducing the United Reformed Church Bill in the House of Commons on 21 June 1972,Alexander Lyon called it "one of the most historic measures in the history of the Christian churches in this country".
The URC subsequently united with the Re-formed Association of Churches of Christ in 1981 and the Congregational Union of Scotland in 2000.
In 1982, the United Reformed Church voted in favour of a covenant with the Church of England, the Methodist Church and the Moravian Church, which would have meant remodelling its moderators as bishops and incorporating its ministry into the apostolic succession. However, the Church of England rejected the covenant. In 2012, the United Reformed Church voted to allow the blessing of same-sex civil partnerships.
In 2016, the URC voted to allow its churches to conduct same-sex marriages.
According to its own records, the United Reformed Church has approximately 56,000 members in 1,400 congregations with 608 active ministers, including 13 church related community workers. From 2005 to 2010, 90 congregations closed, the fourth highest number of closures for a British denomination over the period.
The URC is a trinitarian church whose theological roots are distantly Reformed and whose historical and organisational roots are in the Presbyterian (Calvanism), Congregational and Churches of Christ traditions. Its Basis of Union contains a statement concerning the nature, faith and order of the United Reformed Church which sets out its beliefs in a condensed form.
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