Waldensian Evangelical Church

The Waldensian Evangelical Church (Chiesa Evangelica Valdese, CEV) was a Reformed denomination founded by Peter Waldo in 12th century in Italy, until merging with the Methodist Evangelical Church to form the Union of Methodist and Waldensian Churches in 1975. It was one of several Protestant denominations with pre-Lutheran roots, and is appraised by various denominations of Protestantism as its major successor.

The Church, after the Protestant Reformation, adhered to Calvinist theology and became the Italian branch of the Reformed churches. As such, the church was a member of the World Communion of Reformed Churches.

In 1967, the church had 30,000 members in Italy (plus some 15,000 affiliates in Argentina and Uruguay), and was a founding member of the Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy (FCEI), an ecumenical body comprising mainly historical Protestant denominations. In 1975 the CEV joined forces with the Methodist Evangelical Church (5,000) to form the Union of Methodist and Waldensian Churches.

The church ordained women and offered blessings for same-sex couples.