The Union of Methodist and Waldensian Churches ( it, Unione delle Chiese Metodiste e Valdesi) is an Italian
united
United may refer to:
Places
* United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community
* United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
Arts and entertainment Films
* ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film
* ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
denomination.
It was founded in 1975 upon the union of the
Waldensian Evangelical Church
The Waldensian Evangelical Church (''Chiesa Evangelica Valdese'', CEV) is a Protestant denomination active in Italy and Switzerland that was independent until it united with the Methodist Evangelical Church in Italy in the Union of Methodist and W ...
(a
Calvinist
Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...
church with pre-
Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
roots) and the
Methodist Evangelical Church in Italy
The Methodist Evangelical Church in Italy ( it, Chiese Evangelica Metodista in Italia), known also as Italian Methodist Church (''Chiese Metodista Italiana''), is a Protestant church in the Methodist tradition active in Italy that was independent ...
.
It has 50,000 members (45,000
Waldensians
The Waldensians (also known as Waldenses (), Vallenses, Valdesi or Vaudois) are adherents of a church tradition that began as an ascetic movement within Western Christianity before the Reformation.
Originally known as the "Poor Men of Lyon" in ...
, of whom 30,000 in Italy and some 15,000 divided between
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
and
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
, and 5,000
Methodists) and it is member of both the
World Communion of Reformed Churches
The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) is the largest association of Calvinist churches in the world. It has 230 member denominations in 108 countries, together claiming an estimated 80 million people, thus being the fourth-largest Chris ...
(as Waldensian Evangelical Church) and of the
World Methodist Council
The World Methodist Council (WMC), founded in 1881, is a consultative body and association of churches in the Methodist tradition. It comprises 80 member denominations in 138 countries which together represent an estimated 80 million people; this ...
(as Methodist Evangelical Church).
It is a founding member of the
Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy The Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy ( it, Federazione delle Chiese Evangeliche in Italia, FCEI) is an ecumenical Protestant body in Italy.
History
The FCEI, formed in 1967, includes the historical Protestant churches of Italy, that is t ...
, an
ecumenical
Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...
body representing Italian historical Protestant denominations. The denomination voted, in 2010, to bless same-gender couples.
See also
*
Religion in Italy
Religion in Italy is characterised by the predominance of Christianity and an increasing diversity of religious practices, beliefs and denominations. Most Christians in Italy adhere to the Catholic Church, whose headquarters are in Vatican City ...
*
Christianity in Italy
Christianity in Italy is characterised by the predominance of the Catholic Church.
The country's patron saints are Francis of Assisi and Catherine of Siena.
Overview
According to the CISB China ''Global Religious Landscape'' survey by the U.S. t ...
*
Protestantism in Italy
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
*
List of Italian religious minority politicians
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby uni ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Union Of Methodist And Waldensian Churches
Protestantism in Italy
Waldensianism
Methodist denominations
Members of the World Council of Churches
United and uniting churches
Religious organisations based in Italy
Christian organizations established in 1975
Methodist denominations established in the 20th century