The Evangelical Presbyterian Church in England and Wales (EPCEW) () is a reformed and conservative evangelical Presbyterian denomination based in England and Wales with churches in Germany, Switzerland, and Sweden. Founded in 1996, denominational growth has been steady but the denomination remains small with around 20 congregations.
History
In the second half of the twentieth century, the work of the Edinburgh-based Banner of Truth Trust resulted in a growing interest in England and Wales in Reformed, confessional and connectional Christianity. 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 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,
In the following years, the denomination grew significantly with a number of congregations joining the EPCEW and others being planted by existing churches. In part, this was due to support from missionaries from the Presbyterian Church in America. In 2000, two congregations in Cardiff were accepted into the EPCEW. By 2005, the denomination comprised nine congregations with six in England and three in Wales. By 2010 the total had risen to 15 and, notably, this included two congregations in Sweden. Five years later, the total number of congregations had risen to 17 and this included one congregation in Sweden and one in Germany.
In 2016 the EPCEW expressed its desire to continue to plant churches and Oxford Presbyterian Church was planted in 2018. By 2020, there were 20 congregations in the denomination while in 2021 a further two church plants were made, in Gloucester and Zurich.
Several EPCEW ministers were instrumental in the 2020 founding of Westminster Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Gateshead, England.
In 2024, the congregations at Sheffield, Lincoln, Blackburn and Bury St Edmunds announced their intention to separate from EPCEW. As of November 2025, these churches were no longer counted by EPCEW as belonging to the denomination with a consequential fall to 18 congregations in the denomination.
Congregations
As of 2020, the denomination has twenty-three congregations and church plants at:
England
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| Congregation
! style="text-align:center;"| Town or City
! style="text-align:center;"| Minister
!Website
! style="text-align:center;" class="unsortable"| Image
|-
|All Saints Presbyterian Church
|Newcastle Upon Tyne
|Rev Benjamin Wontrop
|[https://allsaintspres.org.uk/]
|150px
|-
|Cambridge Presbyterian Church
|Cambridge
|Rev Douglas McCallum
|[http://www.cambridgepres.org.uk/]
|
|-
|Chelmsford Presbyterian Church
|Chelmsford
|Rev Darren Moore
|[http://www.chelmsfordpres.org.uk/]
|
|-
|Durham Presbyterian Church
|Durham
|Rev Phil Baiden
|[http://durhampresbyterian.church/]
|
|-
|East Hull Presbyterian Church
|Hull
|Vacant
|[http://www.ehpc.co.uk/]
|150px
|-
|Hexham Presbyterian Church
|Hexham
|Vacant
|[http://hexhampres.uk/]
|
|-
|Naunton Lane Evangelical Presbyterian Church
|Leckhampton, Cheltenham
|Rev Matt Faux
|[http://www.cheltenhampres.org.uk/]
|150px
|-
|Oxford Presbyterian Church
|Oxford (Northgate Hall)
|Rev Andy Young
|[https://www.oxfordpres.co.uk/]
|150px
|-
|Solihull Presbyterian Church
|Solihull
|Rev Dr Stephen Dancer
|[http://www.solihullpres.org.uk/]
|
|-
|Sunderland Evangelical Presbyterian Church
|Sunderland
|Rev Nathan Hilton
|[http://www.sunderlandpres.org.uk/]
|
|-
|Whaddon Road Evangelical Presbyterian Church
|Cheltenham
|Rev David Pfeiffer, Rev Larry Wilkes
|[http://www.whaddonevangelicalchurch.org/about-us/]
|150px
|-
|Gloucester Evangelical Presbyterian Church
|Gloucester
|Rev Michael Cochran,<br>Rev Tim Dalton
|[https://www.gloucesterpres.co.uk/]
|
|}
Wales
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| Congregation
! style="text-align:center;"| Town or City
! style="text-align:center;"| Minister
!Website
! style="text-align:center;" class="unsortable"| Image
|-
|Christ Presbyterian Church
|Barry
|Rev Dr Drew Goodman
|[http://www.christchurchbarry.org.uk/]
|
|-
|Bethel Presbyterian Church
|Cardiff
|Rev Andrew Graham
|[http://www.bethelpcr.org.uk]
|
|-
|Immanuel Presbyterian Church
|Cardiff
|Rev Dr Peter Naylor
|[https://www.immanuel.org.uk/]
|150px
|-
|Ely Presbyterian Church
|Ely, Cardiff
|Rev Philip Haines
|[https://www.epcreformed.org/]
|
|}
Sweden
- Tranås, Sweden
Germany
- Berlin, Germany
- Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany
Switzerland
- Zurich, Switzerland
Number of congregations
Denominational growth has been steady as seen in the following table.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Number of congregations
! Notes
|-
| 2000
| 6
| Five congregations in England and one in Wales.
|-
| 2005
| 9
| Six congregations in England and three in Wales.
|-
| 2010
| 15
| Includes two congregations in Sweden.
|-
| 2015
| 17
| Includes one congregation in Sweden and one congregation in Germany.
|-
|2020
|20
|There are 20 established churches with a congregation in Sweden and another in Germany.
|-
|2025
|22
|There are 22 established churches, including congregations in Sweden, in Germany and in Switzerland.
|}
Publications
The denomination publishes The Presbyterian Network in Spring and Autumn with theological and pastoral articles and news from its congregations.
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, and one of seven European Christian denominations who founded the European Conference of Reformed Churches. The denomination has a co-operative agreement with the Presbyterian Church in America and maintains relations with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Northern Ireland.
See also
- English Presbyterianism
References
External links
- Evangelical Presbyterian Church in England and Wales - Official Website