about the United Reformed Church

The United Reformed Church is one of the smaller of Britain’s ‘mainstream’ denominations.  In the West Midlands Synod , there are 141 churches. The denomination however stands in the historic Reformed tradition, whose member churches make up the largest single strand of Protestantism with more than 70 million members world-wide.

Along with other Reformed churches the United Reformed Church 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 United
Reformed Church’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.

The West Midlands Synod is divided into seven areas - North Staffordshire, mid-Staffordshire, Black Country and South Staffordshire, Birmingham, Warwickshire and Coventry, Shropshire and Gloucestershire - under the oversight of a Synod Moderator, currently Roy Lowes, previously Secretary for Training and Training Officer in the South West Synod.

A Synod training strategy was established in 2000 and reviewed in 2006.  The three training officers are currently John Burgess (Ministerial Training Officer), Stuart Scott (Lay Training Officer) who are both half-time in their posts and Chris Burgham (Children and Youth Development officer) who is full-time.