The United Reformed Church

We are part of the United Reformed Church.

The United Reformed Church (URC) follows Jesus
Christ, God’s Son, who was born into our world
2,000 years ago in what is now Israel/Palestine.
After a teaching ministry of about three years he
was brutally crucified by the Roman authorities.
We believe that he came back to life, taught his followers about life after death, and then ascended to heaven. For more about Jesus follow this link.

The URC’s basic beliefs are based on the Bible.

One key features of the URC is that local congregations are guided by a group of elected lay people called 'elders' (though they may be young!). They are specially commissoned ('ordained') to serve for three years and they work with the minister and share pastoral care with her or him. Decisions are made by Church Meeting, the gathering of all the members, usually advised by the Elders Meeting.

The URC is called United because it was formed from two denominations (the Congregational Church and the Presbyterian Church) which united in 1972. In 1981 the Churches of Christ joined the Union. In 2000 the Scottish Congregational Church also joined - so the URC is spread throughout Great Britain.

The URC is called Reformed because it belongs to the tradition of the Reformers of the 16th and 17th centuries who wanted to reform the church to make it more Christ-like. Though relatively small in Britain, the Reformed Churches are strong throughout Europe and part of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches numbering 75 million world wide.

Click here for more details of the United Reformed Church.