A church minister has been reprimanded by the ruling body of a Presbyterian denomination.
Minister Kevin Bidwell, minister at Sheffield Presbyterian Church (SPC), has been “formally rebuked” by the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of England and Wales (EPCEW) Presbytery for threatening legal action against its members. However, a spokesman for Bidwell says that as he has renounced EPCEW’s jurisdiction, a judicial rebuke by its governing body is unlawful and ultra vires.
In June 2025, the EPCEW Presbytery, which functions as its collective leadership, set up a judicial commission to hear the charges against Bidwell. He subsequently sent several legal threats via email to the Presbytery, including requiring EPCEW to “cease and desist” an alleged copyright infringement relating to a video of a 2023 address at Grace Presbyterian Church, Douglasville. The video formed part of the evidence relating to an allegation of slander.
