Free Churches: Baptist, Methodist and United Reformed Church (URC)

Christian Free Churches are characterised by those who seek to follow Jesus Christ in their everyday lives and place a low emphasis on church rituals.

Orthodox in their beliefs, many free churches are evangelical, which means they place a high emphasis on:

• conversion
• the authority of the bible
• the cross as the means to salvation
• activism

As the name suggests, free churches value the 'freedom of confession' with respect to the political state, with denominations having historical roots in non-conformism within Europe and North America.

Free churches will often endorse the priesthood of all believers and encourage everyone to take an active role in the life of their church. In their Anabaptist and Mennonite expressions, for example, free churches are known for their prophetic counter-cultural ministry and their emphasis on social justice and poverty.

There is great diversity of practices and views within and between each local gathering of believers.