Reform is an Evangelical organisation within
Anglicanism, active in the
Church of England and the
Church of Ireland. Reform in England describes itself as a "network of churches and individuals within the Church of England, committed to the reform of ourselves, our congregation and our world by the
gospel".
Several large Anglican churches in England are members of Reform, such as
Jesmond Parish Church (in
Newcastle upon Tyne),
St Ebbe's, Oxford and
St Helen's Bishopsgate (located in the
City of London).
Reform was started in 1993 to oppose the
ordination of women to the priesthood (like
Forward in Faith in the
Anglo-Catholic tradition) but has recently focused on advocating a conservative
view of homosexuality. Reform is keen to recognise the unique value of women's ministry within the church. Some Reform members support ordination of women to the priesthood, but not their appointment in charge of a parish or similar. Reform members are also divided over the issue of the remarriage of divorced persons and the issue is left out of the definition of marriage found in the Reform Covenant.
Reform stand firmly in the more
Reformed tradition of the Church of England, but while they disagree of the interpretation placed upon Anglicanism by Forward in Faith (e.g. views about the
Eucharist, the meaning of
ordination,
prayers for the dead and to the
saints) they pledged at their 2006 conference their co-operation with that Anglo-Catholic grouping to oppose the acceptance of women bishops within the Church of England.