World Reformed Fellowship


The World Reformed Fellowship is an ecumenical, Protestant Christian fellowship that advances partnerships among confessional Reformed churches around the world.

History

The World Fellowship of Reformed Churches was formed in 1994 by the Presbyterian Church in America, the Presbyterian Church in Mexico">Presbyterianism">Presbyterian Church in Mexico, and the Presbyterian Church of Brazil, as well as member churches mainly from Latin American countries and from India, East Africa and the United States. The International Reformed Fellowship was formed also in 1994 with Calvinist churches in Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan, and from all part of Asia.
The World Fellowship of Reformed Churches and the International Reformed Fellowship united on October 24, 2000 to form the World Reformed Fellowship. The WRF is now an international body represented in seventy-nine countries.

Work

The WRF operates commissions that serve its global membership, focusing on evangelism and missions, theological education, and theology. These commissions facilitate dialogue for better partnership between member denominations and organizations, produce and provide resources for the church, operate as theological and ministerial forums between WRF members, and serve as platforms of engagement from the WRF towards other organizations. The theological commission has produced several documents, such as the WRF’s Statement of Faith, a narrative statement on Reformed identity, and a statement on ecclesiology, all designed to facilitate greater theological partnership across cultural and intra-Reformed theological differences. The commissions of the WRF sometimes facilitate larger forums, such as partnering with the Lausanne Movement to host a consultation on theological education in 2014 in São Paulo and a theological consultation on Christian ministry among Muslims in 2011 in Istanbul. The WRF partners with both the World Evangelical Alliance, of which the WRF is an affiliate member, and New Growth Press for book publishing.
The WRF hosts a global general assembly approximately every four years. These assemblies review and direct the work of the WRF’s commissions, are a time of networking and fellowship for the membership of the WRF, and are where the WRF’s membership hears about major issues facing the global church in order to consider and address them.
WRF membership is also divided up into regional boards for planning and implementing fellowship for ministries within their own larger, geographic area. These boards are more contextualized than the general assembly, both in composition and in the nature of their work.

Governance

Governance of the WRF is held by its membership voting at general assemblies. Oversight and operations are carried out by a board of directors and an international director.
Chairmen of the Board,
International Directors,

Membership

The WRF is similar in theology to the International Conference of Reformed Churches and more conservative than the World Communion of Reformed Churches, though several member churches of the WRF are also members of either the ICRC or the WCRC. The WRF primarily differs from these other groups in that it is a fellowship, not a council, and so includes in its membership not only denominations, but individual congregations, pastors and theologians, and non-ecclesial organizations. It conceives of its existence as facilitating dialogue and sharing of resources between the different global branches of Reformed Christians. Unlike the WCRC, which officially supports the ordination of women, and the ICRC, which prohibits denominational members that ordain women as pastors, the WRF as a confessional fellowship recognizes the diversity of positions among its members regarding the ordination women. There are a total of 84 denominational members of the WRF and 155 organizational members, as of September, 2025. The majority of WRF member denominations prohibit women from being ordained as pastors, elders, or deacons.
The WRF has a Reformed, confessional basis for membership. Members have to agree with:
The largest churches as of 2025 are :
  1. National Presbyterian Church in Mexico
  2. Presbyterian Church in Korea (HapDong)
  3. Presbyterian Church of Brazil
  4. Presbyterian Church in America
  5. Christian Reformed Church in North America
  6. ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians
  7. Evangelical Presbyterian Church

Denominational members

As of December 2025, there are 84 member denominations:
Countrydenominational subfamilyDenominationNumber of congregationsNumber of membersYear
South AfricaContinental reformedChristian Reformed Church in South Africa192,5001984
South AfricaContinental reformedReformed Churches in South Africa38276,8122022
AngolaPresbyterianPresbyterian Church of Angola10060,0002023
ArgentinaReformed anglicanOrthodox Episcopal Anglican Church ---
ArgentinaPresbyterianPresbyterian Community the Redeemer ---
AustraliaPresbyterianPresbyterian Church of Australia52326,1372023
AustraliaPresbyterianWestminster Presbyterian Church of Australia169002004
AustraliaPresbyterianPresbyterian Church of Eastern Australia167192016
BangladeshPresbyterianPresbyterian Church of Bangladesh26-2011
BangladeshPresbyterianBangladesh Presbyterian Church13-2017
BangladeshPresbyterianGrace Presbyterian Church of Bangladesh---
BangladeshPresbyterianIsa-e Church1256,0002015
BangladeshContinental reformedEvangelical Reformed Church of Bangladesh---
BangladeshContinental reformedBangladesh Evangelical Reformed Church of Bandarban, Tripura---
BangladeshReformed baptistSmyrna House of Prayer Church---
BangladeshReformed baptistThyatira Church Trust Bangladesh---
BrazilPresbyterianPresbyterian Church of Brazil5,420702,9472021
Brazil-Christian Church Nations For Christ---
BurundiContinental reformedChristian Reformed Church in Burundi---
Burundi-Holy Spirit Revival Church---
CanadaContinental reformedReformed Church of Quebec52652024
ColombiaPresbyterianUnited Church of Christ in Colombia---
CongoPresbyterianUnited Presbyterian Churches of Congo---
Democratic Republic of the CongoPresbyterianKivu Presbyterian Church---
Democratic Republic of the CongoContinental reformedReformed Community of Katanga---
Egypt-Gospel Peace Church of Egypt---
EthiopiaReformed baptistRaisin Power Baptist Church of Ethiopia---
GermanyReformed baptistReformed Free Church in Germany2-2024
Haiti-Union of Churches of the Christian Community of Haiti---
IndiaReformed anglicanCouncil of Reformed Churches of India---
IndiaReformed baptistTelugu Baptist Church Council---
IndiaReformed anglicanCelitic Cross Ministry Dioceses of India---
IndiaContinental reformedChristian Reformed Fellowship of India300-2019
IndiaReformed anglicanMalankara Evangelical Church3-2024
IndiaContinental reformedReformed Church of India---
IndiaPresbyterianPresbyterian Reformed Church in India10-
IndiaReformed anglicanIndia Christian Mission Church---
IndiaPresbyterianPresbyterian Church in India (Reformed)5010,0002015
IndiaPresbyterianReformed Presbyterian Church of India103,0002004
IndiaPresbyterianIndia Reformed Presbyterian Church---
IndiaPresbyterianReformed Presbyterian Church North East India10511,3762021
IndiaContinental reformedEvangelical Reformed Church of India844,6272022
IndiaReformed anglicanUnited Church of India---
IndiaReformed anglicanEpiscopal Diocese International---
IndonesiaContinental reformedIndonesian Reformed Evangelical Church747,0002011
ItalyReformed baptistEvangelical Reformed Baptist Churches in Italy145002020
KenyaPresbyterianAfrica Evangelical Presbyterian Church10010,0002022
Liberia-Emmanuel Temple ---
LithuaniaContinental reformedEvangelical Reformed Church of Lithuania147,0002008
MadagascarContinental reformedProtestant Church of Ambohimalaza-Firaisiana---
MalawiPresbyterianEvangelical Presbyterian Church of Malawi and Mozambique9015,0002016
MexicoPresbyterianNational Presbyterian Church in Mexico6,0002,800,0002010
MyanmarContinental reformedBiblical Reformed Church in Myanmar---
MyanmarContinental reformedChristian Reformed Church in Myanmar505,0002004
MyanmarContinental reformedReformed Community Churches in Myanmar---
MyanmarContinental reformedReformed Evangelical Church of Myanmar407,0002010
MyanmarPresbiteryanReformed Presbyterian Church in Myanmar352,5002021
New ZealandPresbyterianGrace Presbyterian Church of New Zealand25--
PolandPresbyterianEvangelical Presbyterian Church in Poland41202024
Romania, Ukraine and HungaryPresbyterianReformed Presbyterian Church of Central and Eastern Europe253702022
RussiaContinental reformedEvangelical Reformed Church of Russia153502010
SenegalPresbyterianPresbyterian Church of Senegal208002017
South KoreaPresbyterianPresbyterian Church in Korea (HapDong)11,7882,242,8442024
Sri LankaContinental reformedChristian Reformed Church in Sri Lanka413,0002014
Sudan and South SudanContinental reformedSudanese Reformed Churches346,0002023
UgandaPresbyterianPresbyterian Church in Uganda873,0452019
UgandaPresbyterianReformed Presbyterian Church in Uganda125,0002004
UgandaPresbyteriansNew Life Presbyterian Church21,0002004
UgandaPresbyterianCommunity Worship Presbyterian Church---
UgandaContinental reformedCovenant Reformed Church in Uganda---
Uganda-Greater Grace Ministry ---
Uganda-King's Church ---
UgandaPresbyterianReformed Presbyterian Church in Africa (Uganda)86192022
United KingdomPresbyterianAssociated Presbyterian Churches92002021
United KingdomPresbyterianFree Church of Scotland12611,7002024
United StatesPresbyterianPresbyterian Church in America1,964400,7512024
United StatesPresbyterianAssociated Reformed Presbyterian Church26025,6922022
United StatesPresbyterianEvangelical Presbyterian Church (United States)626119,9312024
United StatesContinental reformedEvangelical Reformed Church in America---
United StatesPresbyterianECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians400127,0002022
United StatesContinental reformedChristian Reformed Church in North America981183,7102025
United StatesReformed anglicanUnited Episcopal Church of North America26--
United StatesReformed anglicanEvangelical and Reformed Synod---
UruguayPresbyterianPresbyterian Church of Uruguay21502023
WorldTotalWorld Reformed Fellowship30,0816,891,5652004-2024

Member Profile

The vast majority of the World Reformed Fraternity are Presbyterian denominations. The Continental Reformed Churches represent the second largest group within the FRM, with 4.40% of members. The remaining 0.01% of members are Reformed Anglicans, Reformed Baptists and other denominations.

Former members

Former members of the WRF are:

Difference from other global communions

The World Reformed Fellowship is different from other global Reformed communions in that it allows a wide range of churches for membership. While the International Conference of Reformed Churches only allows membership to Presbyterians and Continental Reformed Churches, the WRF includes, in addition to these, Congregationalists, Reformed Baptists, Reformed Aglicanism, and Reformed Pentecostals. This is because its confessional base is extremely broad, allowing any position on baptism, ordination, eschatology, ecclesiology and pneumatology.
Even the largely liberal and ecumenical World Communion of Reformed Churches does not accept Baptists, Anglicans or Pentecostals as full members and considers them other denominational families. From this perspective, the World Reformed Fellowship applies a new concept of Reformed Christianity, giving it greater breadth than it has historically had meant.