The society was formed on 1 February 1950 by John Taylor and Keith Watson for evangelical Anglican members of the university. It had three aims: (i) to provide instruction in the ''doctrines of the Reformation contained in the Thirty-Nine Articles of religion, the Homilies and the Book of Common Prayer'', (ii) ''to exhort unto the full and effectual use of the means of grace'', and (iii) to hold a service each term. It also began to organise a lecture programme. John Warren Gladwin, later Bishop of Chelmsford, was elected president in 1963. By the mid to late sixties the society was in abeyance. From 1975 onwards a group using the same name was formed with following three aims: (i) ''to uphold the distinctive biblical doctrines of the church of England'', (ii) ''to explain their relevance to church life today'', and (iii) ''to help undergraduates prepare for their future roles in church life.''