Presbyterian Church in Ireland
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland ( Irish An Eaglais Phreispitéireach in Éirinn , Presbyterian Church in Ireland) is a Presbyterian , Reformed Church in both parts of Ireland with a focus on Northern Ireland . They are based in Belfast .
origin
The church has its origins in the emigration of Scottish Presbyterians to the Irish province of Ulster around 1600, from which the Presbytery of Ulster was formed in 1642 ; the present church was formed by the merger of various Presbyterian groups in 1835. The history of Irish Presbyterianism was marked by a number of splits, for example the Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland and the Free Presbyterian Church of Ian Paisley .
today
The church currently (as of 2017) has around 225,000 members in over 550 parishes and 19 presbyteries . In Northern Ireland around 13% of the population belong to the Church, in the Republic of Ireland less than one percent. The ordination of women has been practiced since the 1970s.
Ecumenism
The Presbyterian Church of Ireland is a member of the World Fellowship of Reformed Churches , the Conference of European Churches , the Fellowship of Evangelical Churches in Europe and the Irish Council of Churches . The Church left the World Council of Churches in 1980 because of its support for South African liberation movements .