| Waldensian Evangelical Church | |
| Native Name: | Chiesa Evangelica Valdese |
| Native Name Lang: | it |
| Type: | Religious sect |
| Orientation: | Waldensian |
| Scripture: | Christian Bible |
| Theology: | Reformed theology |
| Polity: | Presbyterian |
| Associations: | Union of Methodist and Waldensian Churches Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy World Alliance of Reformed Churches World Council of Churches Waldensian Evangelical Church of the River Plate |
| Territory: | Italy, Switzerland |
| Founder: | Peter Waldo |
| Founded Date: | 12th century AD |
| Founded Place: | Lyon, France |
| Congregations: | 170 in Italy 7 in Switzerland |
| Members: | 25,000 |
| Website: | https://www.chiesavaldese.org/ |
The Waldensian Evangelical Church (Chiesa Evangelica Valdese, CEV) is a Protestant denomination active in Italy and Switzerland that was independent until it united with the Methodist Evangelical Church in Italy in the Union of Methodist and Waldensian Churches. Founded in the 12th century by Peter Waldo as a proto-Protestant group, since the 16th century Reformation it has adopted Calvinist theology and blended into the wider Calvinist tradition. It is one of several Protestant denominations with pre-Reformation roots, and is appraised by various denominations of Protestantism as its major successor.
The Church, after the Protestant Reformation, adhered to Calvinist theology and became the Italian branch of the Calvinist churches.[1] [2] As such, the church is a member of the World Communion of Reformed Churches.[3]
In 1967, the church had 30,000 members in Italy (plus some 15,000 affiliates in Argentina and Uruguay),[4] and was a founding member of the Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy (FCEI),[5] an ecumenical body comprising mainly historical Protestant denominations. In 1975 the CEV united with the Methodist Evangelical Church (5,000) to form the Union of Methodist and Waldensian Churches.[2] [6] [7]