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Region: England, Wales and Northern Ireland

RE:QUEST

A space for resources to help RE teachers and their students explore the Christian faith

“A huge resource to treasure.”
Lat Blaylock, Editor, RE Today

We are delighted to share with you our library of resources. You can use the filter feature below to find topics most relevant to your curriculum.

Church Denominations

Why are there different types of churches?

Over the years, the Christian church has divided into different groups called denominations. All Christians have the same, foundational beliefs, they just do things in very different ways. You can find out more about their differences by watching these videos here.

This family tree shows how each new denomination branched out from an older one. Click here to download the Denomination Family Tree

Denomination Family tree  

Denomination Timeline:

1054  "The Great Schism" - Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches divide.
1519  Martin Luther starts "The Reformation" and the Lutheran Church
1534  King Henry VIII proclaims himself head of the Church of England
1559  John Knox starts the Presbyterian Church in Scotland
1581  Robert Browne and Robert Harrison start Congregational Churches in England
1608  John Smyth starts Baptist Churches
1650  George Fox is arrested; his movement is first called 'Quakers'
1784  John Wesley's 'Methodist Society' separates from the Church of England
1820  (approx.) Brethren churches and Exclusive Brethren churches started, mainly by Christians from the Church  of England
1900  Pentecostal churches started in America
1960  (approx.) Independent Charismatic churches start in the U.K.