Our Work

In October 1997 the United Reformed Church celebrated its 25th anniversary. Formed in 1972 by the union of the Congregational Church in England and Wales and the Presbyterian Church of England, the URC has continued to express its deep commitment to the visible unity of the whole Church by its subsequent union in 1981 with the Re-formed Churches of Christ, through continuing talks with other traditions and in more than 400 local churches united with other denominations.

The Halifax Group of United Reformed Churches was set up in 1977, after many abortive attempts to find a way forward for the URC in Halifax. Four URC Churches came together to form the Group: Carlton, Heath, Park & Providence. Highroad Well & Warley URC then voted to join the Group. In September 2008, Park closed and merged with Highroad Well & Warley to form the new named church New Hope URC. The Group provides a way for all 4 Churches to enjoy ministry while enabling each Church to follow God's call in its local community.

Ministry has been provided by two Ministers working together as Joint Group Ministers offering Word and Sacrament to all the Group Churches. Within this overall principle various patterns have been adopted to enable continuity of pastoral care, preaching and leadership of the churches.

The Group also runs a Charity, with each Church electing two representatives as Directors.

Want to know more about the Halifax Group? Then come inside by using the menu at the top of the page.

The URC comprises @ 150,000 adults and 100,000 children and young people in 1750 congregations spread throughout England, Scotland and Wales, served by some 1100 ministers, both women and men. Though one of the smaller of Britain's mainstream denominations, the URC stands in the historic Reformed tradition, whose member denominations make up the largest single strand of Protestantism with more than 70 million members world-wide. Along with other Reformed churches, the URC holds to the Trinitarian faith expressed in the historic Christian creeds and finds its supreme authority for faith and conduct in the Word of God in the Bible, discerned under guidance of the Holy Spirit. The URC's structure also expresses its faith in the ministry of all God's people through the structure of democratic Councils by which the Church is governed.

Theologically, the URC is a broad church. Its membership embraces congregations of evangelical, charismatic and liberal understandings of the Christian faith in a variety of mixtures! If you would like to know more about the United Reformed Church or receive details of a congregation near you, click the link Contact URC

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