About the UCC
What is the United Church of
Christ?
The United Church of Christ came into being 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 traditions.
The
Congregational Churches were organized when the Pilgrims of Plymouth Plantation
(1620) and the Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (1629) acknowledged
their essential unity in the Cambridge Platform of 1648.
The
Reformed Church in the United States traced its beginnings to congregations
of German settlers in Pennsylvania founded from 1725 on. Later, its ranks
were swelled by Reformed immigrants from Switzerland, Hungary and other
countries.
The
Christian Churches sprang up in the late 1700s and early 1800s in reaction
to the theological and organizational rigidity of the Methodist, Presbyterian
and Baptist churches of the time.
The
Evangelical Synod of North America traced its beginnings to an association
of German Evangelical pastors in Missouri. This association, founded in
1841, reflected the 1817 union of Lutheran and Reformed churches in Germany.
Through the years, other groups such as American Indians, Afro-Christians,
Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, Volga Germans, Armenians, and Hispanic
Americans have joined with the four earlier groups. In recent years, Christians
from other traditions, including the Roman Catholic Church, have found
a home in the UCC, and so have gay and lesbian Christians who have not
been welcome in other churches. Thus the United Church of Christ celebrates
and continues a broad variety of traditions in its common life.
Characteristics of the United
Church of Christ
The characteristics of the United Church of Christ
can be summarized in part by the key words in the names that formed our
union: Christian, Reformed, Congregational, Evangelical.
Christian. By our very name, the
United Church of Christ, we declare ourselves to be part of the Body of
Christ;the Christian church. We continue the witness of the early disciples
to the reality and power of the crucified and risen Christ, Jesus of Nazareth.
Reformed. All four denominations
arose from the tradition of the Protestant Reformers: We confess the authority
of one God. We affirm the primacy of the Scriptures, the doctrine of justification
by faith, the priesthood of all believers, and the principle of Christian
freedom. We celebrate two sacraments: baptism and the Lord's Supper (also
called Holy Communion or the Eucharist).
Congregational. The basic unit
of the United Church of Christ is the congregation. Members of each congregation
covenant with one another and with God as revealed in Jesus Christ and
empowered by the Holy Spirit. These congregations, in turn, exist in covenantal
relationships with one another to form larger structures for more effective
work. Our covenanting emphasizes trustful relationships rather than legal
agreements.
Evangelical. The primary task
of the church is the proclamation of the Gospel or (in Greek) evangel
. The Gospel literally means the "Good News" of God's love revealed with
power in Jesus Christ. We proclaim this Gospel by word and deed to individual
persons and to society. This proclamation is the heart of the leiturgia
; in Greek, the "work of the people" in daily and Sunday worship. We gather
for the worship of God, and through each week, we engage in the service
of humankind.
What we believe
We can tell you more about the United Church of Christ
with the help of seven phrases from Scripture and Tradition which express
our commitments.
That they may all be one. [John
17:21] This motto of the United Church of Christ reflects the spirit of
unity on which it is based and points toward future efforts to heal the
divisions in the body of Christ. We are a uniting church as well as a
united church.
In essentials unity, in non-essentials
diversity, in all things charity. The unity that we seek requires
neither an uncritical acceptance of any point of view, nor rigid formulation
of doctrine. It does require mutual understanding and agreement as to
which aspects of the Christian faith and life are essential.
The unity of the church is not of
its own making. It is a gift of God. But expressions of that unity
are as diverse as there are individuals. The common thread that runs through
all is love.
Testimonies of faith rather than tests
of faith. Because faith can be expressed in many different ways, the
United Church of Christ has no formula that is a test of faith. Down through
the centuries, however, Christians have shared their faith with one another
through creeds, confessions, catechisms and other statements of faith.
Historic statements such as the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, the
Heidelberg Catechism, the Evangelical Catechism, the Augsburg Confession,
the Cambridge Platform and the Kansas City Statement of Faith are valued
in our church as authentic testimonies of faith. [See Faith for the complete
texts of some of these testimonies.] In 1959, the General Synod of the
United Church of Christ adopted a Statement of Faith prepared especially
for congregations of the United Church. Many of us use this statement
as a common affirmation of faith in worship and as a basis for study.
There is yet more light and truth
to break forth from God's holy word. This affirmation by one of the
founders of the Congregational tradition assumes the primacy of the Bible
as a source for understanding the Good News and as a foundation for all
statements of faith. It recognizes that the Bible, though written in specific
historical times and places, still speaks to us in our present condition.
It declares that the study of the scriptures is not limited by past interpretations,
but it is pursued with the expectation of new insights and God's help
for living today.
The Priesthood of All Believers.
All members of the United Church of Christ are called to minister to others
and to participate as equals in the common worship of God, each with direct
access to the mercies of God through personal prayer and devotion.
Recognition is given to those among us who have received special training
in pastoral, priestly, educational and administrative functions, but these
persons are regarded as servants; rather than as persons in authority.
Their task is to guide, to instruct, to enable the ministry of all Christians
rather than to do the work of ministry for us.
Responsible Freedom. As individual
members of the Body of Christ, we are free to believe and act in accordance
with our perception of God's will for our lives. But we are called to
live in a loving, covenantal relationship with one another; gathering in
communities of faith, congregations of believers, local churches.
Each congregation or local church is free to act in accordance with the
collective decision of its members, guided by the working of the Spirit
in the light of the scriptures. But it also is called to live in a covenantal
relationship with other congregations for the sharing of insights and
for cooperative action under the authority of Christ.
Likewise, associations of churches,
conferences, the General Synod and the churchwide "covenanted ministries"
of the United Church of Christ are free to act in their particular spheres
of responsibility. Yet all are constrained by love to live in a covenantal
relationship with one another and with the local churches in order to
make manifest the unity of the body of Christ and thus to carry out God's
mission in the world more effectively.
The members, congregations, associations,
conferences, General Synod, and covenanted ministries are free in relation
to the world. We affirm that the authority of God as revealed in Jesus
Christ and interpreted with the aid of the Holy Spirit stands above and
judges all human culture, institutions and laws.
But we recognize our
calling both as individuals and as the church to live in the world:
To proclaim in word and action the
Gospel of Jesus Christ.
To work for reconciliation and the
unity of the broken Body of Christ.
To seek justice and liberation for
all.
This is the challenge of the United Church
of Christ.
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