Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Ukraine

The Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Ukraine is a

Evangelical Presbyterian
conservative Evangelical Protestant denomination in the Reformed
tradition. It holds to the presbyterian form of church governance Church of Ukraine
and to the Reformed theology of the Westminster Standards.[2] Classification Protestant
Theology Calvinist,
Origin confessional
Reformed
The Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Ukraine (EPCU) was Governance Presbyterian
recognised as an independent national denomination on April 16,
Region Ukraine
2008 in Odesa, Ukraine. At of the time of organisation, the
denomination had one presbytery comprising three particularised Branched from Presbyterian
churches and 8 mission churches. As of 2012 the Evangelical Church in America
Presbyterian Church has 12 churches and missions in various parts planted the first
of Ukraine. The EPCU was started by missionaries of the congregations in
Presbyterian Church in America in the early 1990s. Holy Trinity the mid-1990s
Presbyterian Church in Kyiv has been the largest congregation.
Congregations 12
There are congregations in 9 various cities.[3]
Members <1,500[1]

History
It's a little-known fact that the Reformation came this far eastward, approximately 100 Reformed churches
existed between 1570 - 1590. In the 1930s Canadian-Ukrainian missionaries revitalized the Reformed faith
in Western Ukraine which was then part of Poland. Separate German Reformed and Lutheran communities
- the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg and Helvetic Confession - joined the "Union of Reformed
Communities". Before the invasion of the Red Army, there were 35 churches in 5 districts and
approximately 3,000 members in cities like Kolomyia, Lviv, Rivne, Przemyśl, Stepan. The Ukrainian
Evangelical Reformed Church had 18 ordained pastors. After World War II the Communist regime
destroyed much of this work.[4]

After the break up of the Soviet Union, 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
Odesa was the first church to be particularized in the history of the denomination. In 1998, the Ukrainian
government granted the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Odesa 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.[5][6] The Evangelical Presbyterian
Church was officially organized at a celebration service on April 16, 2008 in the Ukrainian city of
Odesa.[7]
The Belgorod Christian Clinic is a ministry of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Belgorod-
Dnestrovsky. 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 Kyiv, Odesa, Lviv, 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.[8] The goal is to have 44 Presbyterian churches in the next 15 years. The biggest goal to become
financial self-supporting.[9]

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, the United States, the
Netherlands, South Africa and the United Kingdom.[10] The founder of the seminary is Dr. Clay
Quarterman. The current president is Rev. Erik van Alten.[11]

Theology

Confessional Standards
Westminster Confession of Faith
Westminster Larger Catechism
Westminster Shorter Catechism[12]

Other respected Reformed confessions

Belgic Confession
Second Helvetic Confession
Heidelberg Catechism
Canons of Dort

Ecumenial Creeds
Apostles Creed
Nicene Creed
Athanasian Creed[13]

See also
Protestantism in Ukraine
Presbyterianism
 Reformed Church in Transcarpathia

External links
Presbyterian Church of the Holy Trinity (Kyiv) (http://holytrinityua.blogspot.com)
Evangelical Reformed Seminary of Ukraine (http://ersu.org/)
Mission to The World (http://www.mtwukraine.org/)
Nikolayev Presbyterian Church (http://nikchurch.org.ua/)
Izmail Church (https://web.archive.org/web/20080405033431/http://www.mtwukraine.org/ind
ex.php)
Odesa Presbyterian Church (http://www.erpco.org.ua/)
Big City Church of Kyiv (http://www.jesus.kiev.ua/)
Kharkov Church (http://www.kharkov-church.narod.ru/)
Kherson Church (https://web.archive.org/web/20080405033431/http://www.mtwukraine.org/i
ndex.php)
"Holy Trinity" Reformed Church of L'viv (http://www.lvivtserkva.com)
Belgorod-Dniestrovskii Church (http://www.christianclinic.org/) Archived (https://web.archive.
org/web/20080110052824/http://www.christianclinic.org/) 2008-01-10 at the Wayback
Machine

References
1. www.eastwestreport.org/27-english/e16-2/204-new-western-oriented-evangelicals-in-
ukraine (http://www.eastwestreport.org/27-english/e16-2/204-new-western-oriented-evangeli
cals-in-ukraine)
2. www.reformiert-online.net (http://www.reformiert-online.net)
3. "www.mtwukraine.org/Mission_to_the_World__Ukraine/Welcome.html" (https://web.archive.
org/web/20130617113344/http://www.mtwukraine.org/Mission_to_the_World__Ukraine/Wel
come.html). Archived from the original (http://www.mtwukraine.org/Mission_to_the_World__
Ukraine/Welcome.html) on 2013-06-17. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
4. www.erpco.org.ua/? (http://www.erpco.org.ua/?page_id=140)
5. [1] (http://www.leben.us/volume-01-issue-3/164-the-odessa-church-today)
6. "Evangelical Presbyterian Reformed Church of Odesa" (https://swanson4ukraine.wordpress.
com/tag/evangelical-presbyterian-reformed-church-of-odessa/). building in the borderland.
Retrieved 2021-12-31.
7. www.leben.us/volume-01-issue-3/164-the-odessa-church-today (http://www.leben.us/volume
-01-issue-3/164-the-odessa-church-today)
8. "Mission to the World MTW Ukraine" (https://archive.today/20130415113848/http://www.mtw
ukraine.org/Mission_to_the_World__Ukraine/Contact_us.html). Archived from the original (ht
tp://www.mtwukraine.org/Mission_to_the_World__Ukraine/Contact_us.html) on 2013-04-15.
Retrieved 2013-03-15.
9. www.burnhamsnapshots.com/Our_ministry.html (http://www.burnhamsnapshots.com/Our_mi
nistry.html)
10. "History – ЕРСУ" (https://seminary.ersu.org/en/history/). Retrieved 2021-12-31.
11. "www.ersu.org/en/about-ersu/faculty" (https://web.archive.org/web/20160713041947/http://w
ww.ersu.org/en/about-ersu/faculty). Archived from the original (http://www.ersu.org/en/about-
ersu/faculty) on 2016-07-13. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
12. "ЕРСУ" (https://www.ersu.org/). www.ersu.org. Retrieved 2021-12-31.
13. "Archived copy" (https://web.archive.org/web/20080414200945/http://www.epcu.org.ua/).
Archived from the original (http://www.epcu.org.ua/) on 2008-04-14. Retrieved 2008-05-08.

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