The United Church of Christ

Congregational   Christian  Evangelical  Reformed  

The motto of the United Church of Christ “That they may all be one” (John 17:21) reflects the commitment of the church to work toward healing the divisions in the body of Christ. It is  a uniting church as well as a united church

The United Church of Christ was formed in 1957 with the union of two Protestant denominations: the Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches. Each of these was, in turn, the result of a union of two earlier denominations.

The Congregational Churches were organized by the Pilgrims of Plymouth Plantation (1620) and the Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (1629). The Christian Churches sprang up in the late 1700s and early 1800s in reaction to the theological and organizational rigidity of some of the churches of that time. The Reformed Church in the United States traced its beginnings to congregations of German settlers in Pennsylvania from 1725 on. Later Reformed folk from Switzerland and other countries joined its ranks.  The Evangelical Synod of North America had its beginning in an association of German Evangelical pastors in Missouri in 1840, reflecting  the 1817 union of Lutheran and Reformed churches in Germany.

Through the years, members of additional groups, such as Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, Volga Germans, Armenians, Hungarians, and Hispanic Americans have joined with the four earlier groups. Thus the United Church of Christ celebrates and continues a wide variety of traditions in its common life.

The characteristics of the United Church of Christ can be summarized in part by the key words in the names of the four denominations that formed the union: Christian-a church that continues the witness of the early disciples to the reality and power of the crucified and risen Christ, Jesus of Nazareth. Reformed-in the tradition of the 16th century Protestant Reformers, the UCC confesses the authority of one God, affirming the primacy of the Scriptures, the doctrine of justification by faith, the priesthood of all believers, and the principle of Christian freedom. Congregational- members of each congregation covenant with one another and with God and in turn, exist in covenantal relationships with the larger church for more effective work.  This covenanting emphasizes trustful relationships rather than legal agreements.  Also Evangelical-The primary task of the church is the proclamation of the gospel, or evangel - the good news of God's love.  The UCC proclaims this gospel by word and deed to individual persons and to society.  UCC churches gather for the worship of God, and to engage in the service of humankind.

Believing that each person is unique and valuable; and that it is the will of God that every person belong to a family of faith where they have a strong sense of being valued and loved in a supportive community. The UCC welcomes each person on a spiritual journey at whatever stage of that journey.