Evangelical Presbyterian Church in England and Wales

The Evangelical Presbyterian Church in England and Wales (EPCEW) is a reformed and conservative evangelical denomination in both England and Wales with churches in Germany and Sweden.

History

In 1986, a Presbyterian conference was held in a Free Church of Scotland chapel in London, where a vision of a new Presbyterian denomination in England was proposed, which was to be faithful to Scripture and adhere to the Westminster Confession. As a consequence, the Presbyterian Association in England was formed in 1987[1] from several small Christian groups and existing congregations with efforts at church planting following. In 1991, an interim Presbytery was formed with congregations in Blackburn, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Durham and Hull to work towards the establishment of the new denomination. This came to fruition in 1996,[1] taking the name, Evangelical Presbyterian Church in England and Wales.[2]

Church Planting

In 2000, two congregations in Cardiff, Immanuel and Bethel, were accepted into communion.[3][4] The EPCEW has grown significantly since its founding with a number of congregations joining the EPCEW and others being planted by existing churches. The denomination recently planted a church in the Salford/Manchester area[5] and is working to establish church plants in Oxford[6] and Sunderland[7]. They are actively looking to plant churches throughout England and Wales.

Denominational growth has been steady:

Year Number of congregations Notes
2000 6 [8]
2005 10 [9]
2010 15 Includes two congregations in Sweden.[10]
2015 17 Includes one congregation in Sweden and one congregation in Germany.[11]
2018 20 There are 16 established churches and 2 church planting Bible studies in the UK, with a congregation in Sweden and another in Germany.

Congregations

As of 2018, the denomination has twenty congregations at:[12]

England

Wales

Sweden

Germany

Westminster Presbyterian Theological Seminary

Several EPCEW ministers were instrumental in the recent founding of Westminster Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Gateshead, UK. WPTS aims to equip men to hold fast to God’s faithful Word, with a particular focus on preparation for planting churches in the UK and continental Europe. The school is committed to the Westminster Standards, experiential Calvinism, Presbyterian Church government, ordinary means of grace ministry, and the regulative principle of worship. The seminary offers a range of courses accredited through Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, including the Master of Divinity (MDiv).

Publications

The denomination publishes The Presbyterian Network in Spring and Autumn with theological and pastoral articles and news from its congregations.[33]

International Organisations

Along with the Free Church of Scotland and the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing), the denomination is one of the three members of the International Conference of Reformed Churches from Great Britain,[34] and one of seven European Christian denominations who founded the European Conference of Reformed Churches.[35]

References

  1. 1 2 Bauswein, Jean-Jacques; Vischer, Lukas (1999). The Reformed Family Worldwide: A Survey of Reformed Churches, Theological Schools, and International Organizations. W.B. Eerdmans. p. 512. ISBN 9780802844965.
  2. ↑ http://www.epcew.org.uk/about.html Evangelical Presbyterian Church in England and Wales - About
  3. ↑ http://christianquoter.blogspot.hu/2010/06/presbyterianism-in-england-today-part-3.html Christian Quoter - Presbyterianism in England Today (Part 3)
  4. ↑ http://heidelblog.net/2012/09/there-are-presbyterians-in-england-and-theyre-having-a-conference/ The Heidelblog - There Are Presbyterians in England and They’re Having a Conference
  5. ↑ "Mission - Salford-Manchester Evangelical Presbyterian church plant".
  6. ↑ "Oxford Evangelical Presbyterian Church". Oxford Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Retrieved 2018-05-23.
  7. ↑ "Sunderland Presbyterian Bible Study | nil desperandum auspice Deo". sunderlandpres.org.uk. Retrieved 2018-05-23.
  8. ↑ "Congregations". epcew.org.uk. Evangelical Presbyterian Church in England and Wales. Archived from the original on 2000-12-04. Retrieved 2016-06-26.
  9. ↑ "Congregations". epcew.org.uk. Evangelical Presbyterian Church in England and Wales. Archived from the original on 2005-12-18. Retrieved 2016-06-26.
  10. ↑ "Congregations". epcew.org.uk. Evangelical Presbyterian Church in England and Wales. Archived from the original on 2010-12-02. Retrieved 2016-06-26.
  11. ↑ "Congregations". epcew.org.uk. Evangelical Presbyterian Church in England and Wales. Archived from the original on 2015-11-22. Retrieved 2016-06-26.
  12. ↑ "EPCEW Congregations". Evangelical Presbyterian Church in England and Wales Website. Evangelical Presbyterian Church in England and Wales. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  13. ↑ "Church information - Affinity".
  14. ↑ http://www.bse-pc.org/welcome.htm Bury St Edmunds Presbyterian Church
  15. ↑ http://www.cambridgepres.org.uk/ Cambridge Presbyterian Church
  16. ↑ http://www.chelmsfordpres.org.uk/ CPC Hall Street
  17. ↑ http://www.cheltenhampres.org.uk/ Naunton Lane Evangelical Presbyterian Church
  18. ↑ "About us: Whaddon Road Evangelical Presbyterian Church".
  19. ↑ http://www.depc.org.uk/ Durham Presbyterian Church
  20. ↑ http://www.gatesheadpres.org.uk/ Gateshead Presbyterian Church
  21. ↑ "Hexham Presbyterian Church". Hexham Presbyterian Church Website. Hexham Presbyterian Church. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  22. ↑ http://www.ehpc.co.uk/ East Hull Presbyterian church
  23. ↑ "Oxford Evangelical Presbyterian Church". Oxford Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Retrieved 2018-05-23.
  24. ↑ "Salford EPC | Salford Evangelical Presbyterian Church". salfordepc.org.uk. Retrieved 2018-05-23.
  25. ↑ http://www.sheffieldpres.org.uk/ Sheffield Presbyterian Church
  26. ↑ "Sunderland Presbyterian Bible Study | nil desperandum auspice Deo". sunderlandpres.org.uk. Retrieved 2018-05-23.
  27. ↑ http://www.solihullpres.org.uk/ Solihull Presbyterian Church
  28. ↑ "Church information - Affinity".
  29. ↑ http://www.bethelpcr.org.uk Bethel Presbyterian Church, Cardiff
  30. ↑ http://www.immanuelcaerau.org.uk/ Immanuel Presbyterian Church
  31. ↑ http://www.immanuelskyrkan.info Immanuelskyrkan, Tranås
  32. ↑ "Home - Presbyterianische Kirche".
  33. ↑ http://www.epcew.org.uk/resources.html Evangelical Presbyterian Church in England and Wales - Resources
  34. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2013. International Conference of Reformed Churches - Churches in Membership
  35. ↑ http://www.eucrc.org/index.php/members/list-of-members European Conference of Reformed Churches - Member Churches
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