A united church, also called a uniting church, is a denomination formed from the merger or other form of church union of two or more different Protestant Christian denominations, a number of which come from separate and distinct denominational orientations or traditions. Multi-denominationalism, or a multi-denominational church or organization, is a congregation or organization that is affiliated with two or more Christian denominations, whether they be part of the same tradition or from separate and distinct traditions.

Historically, unions of Protestant churches were enforced by the state, usually in order to have a stricter control over the religious sphere of its people, but also for other organizational reasons. As modern Christian ecumenism progresses, unions between various Protestant traditions are becoming more and more common, resulting in a growing number of united and uniting churches. Examples include the United Church of Canada (1925), the Church of South India (1947), the Evangelical Church in Germany (1948), the United Church of Christ (1957), the United Methodist Church (1968), the Church of North India (1970), the Church of Pakistan (1970), the Uniting Church in Australia (1977), the Protestant Church in the Netherlands (2004), and the United Protestant Church of France (2013).

In the developing world, this model has been attractive in countries where Protestants are a small minority of the population; by pooling resources and endorsing cross-attendance between denominations, churches can serve a wider geographical area. In the developed world, since the mid-20th century, and the rise of secularism worldwide, mainline Protestantism has shrunk, reducing the viability of many individual denominations maintaining parallel administrative structures. Among others, Reformed (Calvinist), Anglican, and Lutheran churches have merged, often creating large nationwide denominations. In some countries, Methodist and Congregational denominations have also merged. The phenomenon is much less common among evangelical, nondenominational and charismatic churches as new ones arise and many of them remain independent of each other, although in some cases instances of evangelical church congregations joining multiple denominations in a phenomenon known as "multi-denominationalism" does occur; but in most cases Evangelicals cooperate with each other through interdenominationalism while still maintaining denominational distinctions.

Perhaps the oldest official united church is found in Germany, where the Protestant Church in Germany is a federation of Lutheran, United (Prussian Union) and Reformed churches, a union dating back to 1817. The first of the series of unions was at a synod in Idstein to form the Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau in August 1817, commemorated in naming the church of Idstein Unionskirche one hundred years later.

Around the world, each united or uniting church comprises a different mix of predecessor Protestant denominations. Trends are visible, however, as most united and uniting churches have one or more predecessors with heritage in the Reformed tradition and many are members of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. In 2020, according to the World Christian Database, the online version of the World Christian Encyclopedia, published by Edinburgh University Press, the "Consult on Uniting and United Churches" reported 81,976,000 members of United and Uniting Churches globally. Ethiopia has an estimated 9 million members of United churches.

Conciliar movement In the 1950s and 1960s, an ecumenical spirit emerged in many churches in the United States, leading to a conciliar movement known in some circles as Conciliarity. A product of this movement was the Consultation on Church Union (COCU). The COCU disbanded formally in 2002 but moved into the Churches Uniting in Christ movement.Lahutsky, Nadia (Winter 2003). "The Union of Christians and Disciples in 1832 and COCU/CUIC". Discipliana. 63 (4): 120. ISSN 0732-9881.

Denominations by country CountryDenominationFounding YearUnited branchesDoctrineSourcesAustraliaUniting Church in Australia1977Congregational Union of Australia, Methodist Church of Australasia, and Presbyterian Church of Australia churchesReformed (Congregationalist and Presbyterian) and Methodist churchesAustria1861Protestant Church of the Augsburg Confession in Austria and Reformed Church in AustriaLutheran and Reformed churches2013Baptists in Austria, Federation of Evangelical Churches in Austria, Free Christian Community - Pentecostal Community, Elaia Congregations and Mennonite Free Church of AustriaBaptist, Evangelical, Pentecostal and Mennonite churchesBangladeshChurch of Bangladesh1974Anglican and Presbyterian churchesBelgiumUnited Protestant Church in Belgium1979Reformed, Methodist and Lutheran churchesCanadaUnited Church of Canada1925Congregationalist, Methodist Church (Canada), and a majority of the Presbyterian Church in Canada (including Bermuda)Congregationalist, Methodist and Reformed (Presbyterian) churchesChinaThe Protestant Church in China1954Czech RepublicEvangelical Church of Czech Brethren1918Lutheran and Reformed (Calvinist) confessions; However, the ECCB has deeper roots in the Czech Reformation: in the Utraquist Hussite Church (1431–1620) and in the Unity of Brethren aka Moravian Church (1457–1620).Democratic Republic of CongoChurch of Christ in the Congo1924100 denominationsAnglican, Baptist, Mennonite, Methodist, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Salvation Army and Seventh-day Adventist denominationsFranceUnited Protestant Church of France2013Reformed Church of France and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of FranceLutheran and Reformed (Huguenot) churchesUnion of Protestant Churches of Alsace and Lorraine2006The Protestant Church of the Augsburg Confession of Alsace and Lorraine and the Protestant Reformed Church of Alsace and LorraineLutheran and Reformed churchesGermanyProtestant Church in Germany1922Lutheran and Protestant church bodies (sees are also organised in the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany Union of Evangelical Churches), of these ten are united:Lutheran and ReformedEvangelical Church in Berlin, Brandenburg and Silesian Upper LusatiaEvangelical Church in the RhinelandEvangelical Church of Westphalia1817successors of the Prussian Union of ChurchesEvangelical Church of Anhalt1880Protestant Church in Baden1821Evangelical Church of Bremen1873Evangelical Church in Central Germany2009Evangelical Church of the Church Province of Saxony (branch of the Prussian Union) and Evangelical Lutheran Church in ThuringiaProtestant Church in Hesse and Nassau1933Evangelical Church of Hesse (uniate since 1822), Evangelical Church of Nassau (uniate since 1817) and Evangelical Church of Frankfurt (unitate since 1899)Evangelical Church of Hesse Electorate-Waldeck1934Evangelical Church of Hesse-Kassel (uniate since 1818) and Evangelical State Church of Waldeck and Pyrmont (Waldeck part; uniate since 1821)Evangelical Church of the Palatinate (Protestant State Church)1818IndiaChurch of North India1970Anglican, Methodist, Baptist, Disciples of Christ, Presbyterian, Congregational, and the Church of the Brethren churchesChurch of South India1947Anglican, Methodist, Congregational, Presbyterian, and Reformed churchesIndonesiaIndonesia Christian Church or Gereja Kristen Indonesia1988GKI East Java, GKI West Java and GKI Central JavaItalyUnion of Methodist and Waldensian Churches1975Waldensian Evangelical Church and the Methodist Evangelical Church in ItalyWaldensian and Methodist churchesJamaicaUnited Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands1965Presbyterian, Congregationalist, and Disciples of Christ churchesJapanUnited Church of Christ in Japan1941union of thirty-three Protestant denominationsall Protestant denominations in Japan, including Anglican, Baptist, Holiness, Lutheran, Pentecostal, and Salvation Army churches.KiribatiKiribati Uniting Church2014several Protestant denominations in Kiribati, including Congregationalists, Evangelicals, Anglicans, and Presbyterians.MelanesiaUnited Church in Papua New Guinea and Solomon IslandsMethodist and the Reformed traditionNetherlandsProtestant Church in the Netherlands2004Dutch Reformed Church, the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (GKN), and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the NetherlandsContinental Reformed and Lutheran churches; the Reformed GKN was itself a union of Doleantie and Seceder churches.PakistanChurch of Pakistan1970Anglicans, Scottish Presbyterians (Church of Scotland), Methodists, and LutheransPuerto RicoUnited Evangelical Church in Puerto Rico1931, 2006Congregational Church, the Evangelical United Brethren Church and the Christian Churchindigenous Brethren, Christian, and Congregationalist denominationsPhilippinesIglesia Evangelica Unida de Cristo1932indigenous Presbyterian and Methodist denominationsIglesia Evangelica Unida de Cristo, Manwal ng Manggagawang Unida. 2007United Church of Christ in the PhilippinesEvangelical Church of the Philippines, the Philippine Methodist Church, the Disciples of Christ, the United Evangelical Church and several independent congregations.Norwood B. Tye, Journeying with the United Church of Christ in the Philippines: A History (Quezon City: United Church of Christ in the Philippines, 1994), 246-247Guillermo Manuel, "A Study of the Movement for Union and Closer Cooperation Among the Protestant Churches of the Philippines", p. 54.Union Church of Manila1914Presbyterian and Methodist churchesSouth AfricaUniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa1994Dutch Reformed Church in Africa and Dutch Reformed Mission ChurchHistorically Black and Coloured Continental Reformed churchesSwedenEvangelical Free Church in Sweden2002Örebro Mission, the Free Baptist Union and the Holiness UnionUniting Church in Sweden2011Baptist Union of Sweden, the Swedish branch of the United Methodist Church, and the Mission Covenant Church of SwedenThailandChurch of Christ in Thailand1934Baptist, Churches of Christ and Presbyterian congregationsUnited KingdomUnited Reformed Church1972Congregational Union of England and Wales and the Presbyterian Church of England, later joined by the Churches of Christ (Europe) and the Congregational Union of ScotlandReformed (Congregationalist and Presbyterian) and Churches of Christ denominations.United Free Church of Scotland1900United Presbyterian Church of Scotland (or UP; itself a merger of the Relief Church and United Secession Church) and the majority of the 19th-century Free Church of ScotlandReformed (Presbyterian) churchesUnited StatesUnited Church of Christ1957two previously united churches: Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church; and the Convention of the South; the United Evangelical Church in Puerto Rico became independent again in 2006Continental Reformed, German United (Reformed and Lutheran), Congregationalist and Black churchesUnited Methodist Church1968Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren ChurchWesleyan Church1968Wesleyan Methodist Church and the Pilgrim Holiness ChurchMethodist and Holiness churches Unitarian Universalist Association1961American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of America; the Canadian Unitarian Council became independent again in 2002Historically Unitarian and Universalist denominationsZambiaUnited Church in Zambia1965Church of Central Africa, Rhodesia (Presbyterian); the Union Church of Copperbelt; the Copperbelt Free Church Council; the Church of Barotseland and the Methodist church

See also Christianity Congregationalist polity Continuing church Convergence Movement English Covenant List of Christian denominations Uniate Church

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