Free Presbyterian Church
The Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster is a conservative presbyterian denomination founded by Ian Paisley in 1951. Most of its membership live in Northern Ireland.
The church is unashamedly Protestant. It gladly identifies with the great Protestant Reformation. Throughout its history it has stood opposed to the ecumenical movement’s efforts to promote union with the Church of Rome, because that church still holds to every dogma that caused the Reformation in the first place. In theology the church is Reformed. It stands foursquare in the great Geneva tradition of Calvin, Knox, the English and American Puritans, and some of the most used revival preachers in history.
Today there are some 100 Free Presbyterian churches and extensions in various parts of the world—in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, England, Wales, Scotland, Canada, and the United States. They also have missionary works in Spain, India, Kenya, Liberia, and the West Indies. In 2005, the congregations of North America were formed into an autonomous presbytery as The Free Presbyterian Church of North America. The Ulster and North American presbyteries, however, maintain a fraternal relationship resulting in an international Free Presbyterian Church family.
