Our Denominations     

Who is the United Reformed Church?

We are a family of Christians, worshipping in the name of Jesus in about 1500 local churches from Orkney to Cornwall. While the words of our name may be unfamiliar, it is a good description of who we are.

'United' - is an important part of our story. We started when English Presbyterians merged with English and Welsh Congregationalists in 1972. Churches of Christ joined in 1981 and Scottish Congregationalists in 2000.

'Reformed' - means that we trace our roots back to the Reformation and the initial dissenting communities who prioritized conscience over convention or social status. We prize freedom of thought and conscience.

'Church' -  Each local church makes most of its own decisions democratically. Most decisions are made at regular member’s meetings or by an elected group of people called elders. This means we are flexible in how we do things and no URC is the same. Our people hold a range of opinions about theology and church life.

We meet regionally twice a year and nationally every two years to deal with wider issues that affect us all,

All our tasks and posts are open to women as fully as to men and we are proud to say that we have been ordaining women for 100 years.

Who is the Methodist Church?

The Methodist Church is the fourth largest Christian Church in Britain.

It has more than six thousand churches and a total membership of approximately 330 000 people.

There are Methodist Churches in nearly every country in the world and global membership numbers some 70 million people.