The Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Ukraine is a

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...

Protestant 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 ...

denomination in the

Reformed tradition 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 Calv ...

. It holds to the

presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

form of church governance and to the Reformed theology of the

Westminster Standards The Westminster Standards is a collective name for the documents drawn up by the Westminster Assembly (1643–49). These include the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Westminster Shorter Catechism, the Westminster Larger Catechism, the Directo ...

Origin

The Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Ukraine (EPCU) was recognised as an independent national denomination on April 16, 2008 in

Odessa, Ukraine Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrative ...

. At of the time of organisation, the denomination had one presbytery comprising three particularised churches and 8 mission churches. As of 2012 the Evangelical Presbyterian Church has 12 churches and missions in various parts of

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. The EPCU was started by missionaries of the

Presbyterian Church in America The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) is the second-largest Presbyterian church body, behind the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the largest conservative Calvinist denomination in the United States. The PCA is Reformed in theology and presb ...

in the early 1990s. Holy Trinity Presbyterian Church in

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Kyi ...

has been the largest congregation. There are congregations in 9 various cities.

History

It's a little-known fact that the

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 ...

came this far eastward, approximately 100 Reformed churches existed between 1570 - 1590. In the 1930s Canadian-Ukrainian missionaries revitalized the

Reformed faith 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 Calv ...

in Western

which was then part of

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

. Separate German Reformed and Lutheran communities - the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg and

Helvetic Confession The Helvetic Confessions are two documents expressing the common belief of the Calvinist churches of Switzerland. History The First Helvetic Confession ( la, Confessio Helvetica prior), known also as the Second Confession of Basel, was drawn up in ...

- joined the "Union of Reformed Communities". Before the invasion of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...

, there were 35 churches in 5 districts and approximately 3,000 members in cities like

Kolomyia Kolomyia, formerly known as Kolomea ( ua, Коломия, Kolomyja, ; pl, Kołomyja; german: Kolomea; ro, Colomeea; yi, ), is a city located on the Prut River in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast (province), in western Ukraine. It serves as the adm ...

Lviv Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukrain ...

Rivne Rivne (; uk, Рівне ),) also known as Rovno (Russian: Ровно; Polish: Równe; Yiddish: ראָוונע), is a city in western Ukraine. The city is the administrative center of Rivne Oblast (province), as well as the surrounding Rivne Raio ...

, Przemyśl, Stepan. The Ukrainian Evangelical Reformed Church had 18 ordained pastors. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

the Communist regime destroyed much of this work. After the break up of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

, short term PCA mission teams began working in various Ukrainian cities. They formed church planting teams to shepherd the forming religious communities. The church in Odessa was the first church to be particularized in the history of the denomination. In 1998, the Ukrainian government granted the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Odessa the 100-year-old historic building that had housed a reformed congregation before the advent of communist restrictions to religious practice. During Communist times, the building had been seized and turned into a puppet theater. The 1,300 square foot building was built in 1898, and seats 500. Upon regaining possession of the building, the Presbyterian Church renovated it and installed an organ. Weekly attendance is more than 100 and expanded in five various cities. It has become a center for church planters in Ukraine. The Evangelical Presbyterian Church was officially organized at a celebration service on April 16, 2008 in the Ukrainian city of Odessa. The Belgorod Christian Clinic is a ministry of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in

Belgorod-Dnestrovsky Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi ( uk, Бі́лгород-Дністро́вський, Bílhorod-Dnistróvskyy, ; ro, Cetatea Albă), historically known as Akkerman ( tr, Akkerman) or under different names, is a city, municipality and port situated ...

. The Belgorod Presbyterian Church was the first local church planted by MTW missionaries in Ukraine.

Missions

The church has mission churches in various cities, and has plans to plant many new churches in the coming years. There are mission teams in

, Odessa,

, and Kherson. The first outreach to Western Ukraine is taking place through the Lviv church plant. In that beautiful city there is an international, cross-cultural church planting team that is building relationships with people, including through English and mercy ministries. The goal is to have 44

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

churches in the next 15 years. The biggest goal to become financial self-supporting.

Reformed Seminary in Ukraine

A reformed seminary The Evangelical Reformed Seminary of Ukraine was opened to train pastors and officers. M.Div classes begun in 2000 with 20 students. In the Evangelical Reformed Seminary theology classes are taught by qualified teachers and guest professors from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The founder of the seminary is Dr. Clay Quarterman. The current president is Rev. Erik van Alten.

Theology

Confessional Standards

Westminster Confession of Faith The Westminster Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith. Drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly as part of the Westminster Standards to be a confession of the Church of England, it became and remains the "subordinate standard" ...

Westminster Larger Catechism The Westminster Larger Catechism, along with the Westminster Shorter Catechism, is a central catechism of Calvinists in the English tradition throughout the world. History In 1643 when the Long Parliament of England called the Westminster As ...

Westminster Shorter Catechism The Westminster Shorter Catechism is a catechism written in 1646 and 1647 by the Westminster Assembly, a synod of English and Scottish theologians and laymen intended to bring the Church of England into greater conformity with the Church of Sco ...

Other respected Reformed confessions

* Belgic Confession *

Second Helvetic Confession The Helvetic Confessions are two documents expressing the common belief of the Calvinist churches of Switzerland. History The First Helvetic Confession ( la, Confessio Helvetica prior), known also as the Second Confession of Basel, was drawn up in ...

* Heidelberg Catechism *

Canons of Dort The Canons of Dort, or Canons of Dordrecht, formally titled The Decision of the Synod of Dort on the Five Main Points of Doctrine in Dispute in the Netherlands, is the judgment of the National Synod held in the Dutch city of Dordrecht in 1618� ...

Ecumenial Creeds

* Apostles Creed * Nicene Creed * Athanasian Creed

External links

Presbyterian Church of the Holy Trinity (Kyiv)Evangelical Reformed Seminary of UkraineMission to The WorldNikolayev Presbyterian ChurchIzmail ChurchOdessa Presbyterian ChurchBig City Church of KyivKharkov ChurchKherson Church"Holy Trinity" Reformed Church of L'vivBelgorod-Dniestrovskii Church

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Evangelical Presbyterian Church Of Ukraine Presbyterian denominations in Europe Christian organizations established in 2008 Reformed denominations in Europe Protestantism in Ukraine Presbyterian organizations established in the 21st century Protestant denominations established in the 21st century