United Reformed Church

United Reformed Church
Classification	Protestant
Orientation	Reformed
Polity	Presbyterian; Congregationalist
Moderator	The Revd Clare Downing and Peter Pay
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	1,383
Members	46,481[1]
Official website	www.urc.org.uk

The United Reformed Church (URC) is a Protestant Christian church in the United Kingdom. It has approximately 46,500 members in 1,383 congregations with 608 active ministers, including 13 church related community workers.[1]

Origins and history

The United Reformed Church resulted from the 1972 union of the Presbyterian Church of England and the Congregational Church in England and Wales. In introducing the United Reformed Church Bill in the House of Commons on 21 June 1972,[2] Alexander Lyon called it "one of the most historic measures in the history of the Christian churches in this country".[3] About a quarter of English Congregational churches chose not to join the new denomination; in England, there are three main groups of continuing Congregationalists: the Congregational Federation, the Evangelical Fellowship of Congregational Churches and the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches.

The URC subsequently united with the Re-formed Association of Churches of Christ in 1981[4] and the Congregational Union of Scotland in 2000.[5]

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.[6][7][8][9]

In 2012, the United Reformed Church voted to allow the blessing of same-sex civil partnerships.[10] In 2016, the URC voted to allow its churches to conduct same-sex marriages.[11]

Congregations and membership

According to its 2021 Yearbook, the United Reformed Church has approximately 43,000 members in 1,331 congregations with 364 stipendiary ministers, 62 non-stipendiary ministers, 105 non-active or in non-URC posts, 815 retired ministers, 215 of whom are active, 30 church-related community workers, 232 of other churches, 45 Synod recognised local lay leaders and lay pastors, 2 mission partners, 384 accredited lay preachers, 7901 serving elders and 6698 non serving elders.[1][12] The decline of the denomination matches that of other Christian churches in the United Kingdom such as the Church of England and the Methodist Church. [1]

Belief

The URC is a trinitarian church whose theological roots are distinctly Reformed and whose historical and organisational roots are in the Presbyterian (Calvinism) and Congregational 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.[13]

Polity

Grade I listed Saltaire United Reformed Church in West Yorkshire

Lesslie Newbigin was Moderator of the General Assembly of the URC in 1978/1979.

The URC is governed by a combined form of congregationalism and presbyterian polity.

Congregation

Each congregation (local church) within the URC is governed by a Church Meeting consisting of all its members, which is the ultimate decision-making body in the local church. There is also an elders' meeting (similar to the presbyterian Kirk Session in the Church of Scotland) which advises the Church Meeting and shares with the minister the spiritual and pastoral oversight of the church. Elders are normally elected to serve for a specific period of time.

Within the present structures, congregations are able to manage themselves and arrange their services as they choose, reflecting their circumstances and preferences. As a result, congregations, even neighbouring ones, may have quite different characters, types of service and eligibility for communion.

Congregations, through the Church Meeting, are responsible for the selection (issue of a 'call') of ministers to fill vacancies. They also select elders from within the membership and accept new members.

Synod

At a regional level, representatives of the congregations assemble in a synod. There are 11 English synods, roughly corresponding to each region of England, one in Scotland and one in Wales; each is served by a synod moderator. The synod and its committees provide oversight within the framework of presbyterian polity, giving pastoral care and making important decisions about where ministers serve and how churches share ministry. Through the synods, the URC relates to other Christian denominations at a regional level such as Anglican dioceses. Synods make many key decisions about finance, and about church property, which is usually held in trust by a synod trust company. Synods have committees and employ staff to encourage and serve local churches.

General Assembly

The General Assembly of the United Reformed Church meeting in Cardiff, July 2014

Over United Reformed Church, Winsford, Cheshire

The URC has a General Assembly (chaired by two Moderators, one elder, one ordained a Minister of Word and Sacrament or a church related community worker) which gathers representatives of the whole of the URC to meet biennially. Advised by the Mission Council, the General Assembly plans the activity of the URC across Great Britain and makes key policy decisions about the direction of the life of the denomination. It also appoints central staff (i.e. those responsible Britain-wide), receives reports from committees, and deals with substantial reports and initiatives such as Vision4Life.[14] The synods are represented along with the convenors of the Assembly's standing committees.

There are 11 standing committees appointed by General Assembly to carry out its policy and to advise the Assembly. Each committee relates to a different area of church life, including mission, ministries and education and learning.

Mission Council, the executive body of the General Assembly, meets twice a year.

Church related community work

Church related community work (CRCW) is a distinctive ministry within the URC. CRCW ministers use the principles of community development to respond to issues facing their neighbourhoods, working alongside local individuals and organisations, developing initiatives to transform communities.

Between them, CRCW ministers enable churches to widen their mission by:

identifying local needs and opportunities;
confronting injustice;
organising community action;
developing and supporting initiatives that improve the lives and wellbeing of local people; and
theologically reflecting upon that action.

Ecumenism

Formed in an act of ecumenical union, the URC is committed to ecumenism. The denomination is a member of many ecumenical organisations, including Churches Together in England, Cytûn (Churches Together in Wales), the Enfys covenant, Action of Churches Together in Scotland (ACTS) and Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, the World Council of Churches, the Conference of European Churches, the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe, the World Communion of Reformed Churches and the Council for World Mission.