Christianity: Details about 'United Church Of Christ'
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The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States, generally considered within the Reformed tradition, and formed in 1957 by the merger of two denominations, the Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches. As such, the UCC therefore unites one of the earliest Protestant denominations in the United States with various other mostly Reformed traditions that sprang up in the United States in the 1700s and 1800s. The United Church of Christ has approximately 1.3 million members and is composed of approximately 5,750 local congregations and two congregations in Canada organized in 39 . OriginIn 1957 the UCC was formed by the merging of two previously existing denominations, viz., the Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church. The Congregational Christian Churches trace their roots to the following:
The Evangelical and Reformed Church hails from two distinct yet related waves of immigrant German Protestantism, as follows:
Doctrine and BeliefsThe UCC uses four words to describe itself: Christian, Reformed, Congregational and Evangelical. The church's diversity and adherence to covenantal polity (rather than Presbyterian or Episcopal) give individual congregations a great deal of freedom in the areas of worship, congregational life, and doctrine. The motto of the United Church of Christ comes from John 17:21: "That they may all be one." The UCC uses broad doctrinal parameters, honoring creeds and confessions as "testimonies of faith" rather than "tests of faith," and emphasizes freedom of individual conscience and local church autonomy. Indeed, the relationship between local congregations and the denomination's national headquarters is covenantal rather than hierarchical: local churches have complete control of their finances, hiring and firing of clergy and other staff, and theological and political stands. In the United Church of Christ, creeds, confessions, and affirmations of faith function as "testimonies to faith" around which the church gathers rather than as "tests of faith" rigidly proscribing required doctrinal consent. As expressed on the United Church of Christ website, "The United Church of Christ embraces a theological heritage that affirms the Bible as the authoritative witness to the Word of God, the creeds of the ecumenical councils, and the confessions of the Reformation." The denomination therefore looks to a number of historic confessions as expressing the common faith around which the church gathers, including the Apostles' and Nicene creeds, the Reformation-era Heidelberg Catechism and Luther's Small Catechism, American confessions such as the Congregationalist Kansas City Statement of Faith and the Evangelical Synod's Evangelical Catechism and, of course, the current Statement of Faith of the United Church of Christ. The current hymnal endorsed by the denomiation is The New Century Hymnal, released at General Synod XX in 1995. Other hymnals that sometimes complement use of The New Century Hymnal in UCC congregations include the Pilgim Hymnal (from the Congregational Christian churches, first published in 1912 with two republications in 1931 and 1955), the 1941 Hymnal of the Evangelical and Reformed Church, and the 1973 Hymnal of the United Church of Christ. Following the controversy over language revision in The New Century Hymnal (see "Inclusive Language and The New Century Hymnal"), some congregations have instead adopted the 1995 Chalice Hymnal, by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), or "ecumenical" versons of either the 1990 The Presbyterian Hymnal or the 1989 United Methodist Hymnal. Polity/Organizational StructureTo quote the United Church of Christ Constitution, "The basic unit of the life and organization of the United Church of Christ is the local church." The ethos of local autonomy within wider interdependence characterizes the organization of the UCC. Each "setting" of the United Church of Christ relates covenantally with other settings, their actions speaking "to but not for" each other. While the ethos of UCC organization is considered "covenantal," the structure of UCC organization is a mixture of the congregational and presbyterian polities of its predecessor denominations. Local churches are gathered together in regional bodies called Associations. Local churches often give financial support to the association to support its activities. Local churches send delegates, ordained and lay, to their associations. In the UCC the association provides primary oversight and authorization of ordained and other authorized ministries. The association ordains new ministers, holds ministers' standing in covenant with local churches, and is responsible for disciplinary action. Local churches also are members of larger Conferences, of which there are 39 in the United Church of Christ. Typically, a conference comprises multiple associations (although a few conferences contain only one association). Conferences are supported financially by a portion of each local church's denominational support money (know as "Our Church's Wider Mission"). Conferences are the primary support for the search-and-call process by which churches select ordained leadership and also typically provide significant programmatic resources for their constituent churches. Conferences, like associations, are congregationally representative bodies, with each local church sending ordained and lay delegates. Each conference sends delegates to the denomination-wide General Synod, which meets every two years. General Synod considers both organizational legislation and resolutions on social witness. While General Synod provides the most visible voice of the stance of the denomination on any particular issue, the covenantal polity of the denomination means that General Synod speaks to, but not for, local churches, associations, and conferences; these settings are therefore not bound to agree with or follow General Synod stances. As agents of the General Synod, the denomination maintains national offices comprised of four "covenanted ministries": the Office of General Ministries, Local Church Ministries, Wider Church Ministries, and Justice and Witness Ministries. These structures carry out the work of the General Synod and support the local churches, associations, and conferences. The head executives of these ministries comprise the Collegium of Officers (the Office of General Ministries is represented by both the General Minister, who serves as President of the denomination, and the Associate General minister). Current issues in the United Church of Christ"God Is Still Speaking" Identity CampaignIn 2004 the United Church of Christ began using paid commercial advertising to reach potential members, joining the United Methodist Church and others who have also begun such efforts. The multi-year "God Is Still Speaking" identity initiative was themed around a quote by Gracie Allen warning, "Never place a period where God has placed a comma." Campaign materials, including print and broadcast advertising as well as merchandise, featured the quote and a large "comma," with a visual theme in red and black. United Church of Christ congregations were asked to "opt in" to the campaign, signifiying their support as well as their willingness to receive training on hospitality and evangelism.The first television advertisement in the campaign, , showed bouncers allowing a white, well-dressed family comprised of a different-gender couple and two children into a church building while rejecting a number of other people, including an African American female, a Latino male, two men holding hands, and a person using a wheelchair. The text displayed on the screen says "Jesus didn't turn people away. Neither do we." In the initial December 2004 run, the NBC and CBS television networks refused to air an advertisement by the UCC, deeming it too controversial. The United Church of Christ intended to run a new television commercial during the December 2005 period, as a continuance of the campaign. At General Synod XV in July 2005, Ron Buford, coordinator of the UCC's Stillspeaking Initiative, made a plug for raising $3 million and promised the new ad would be just as provocative as the "bouncer" ad that made national headlines the previous December. "It is going to be edgy again and it will create a buzz," Buford said. When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in late summer, the UCC challenged UCC congregations to raise one million dollars for their "Hope Shall Bloom" hurricane relief campaign, which was raised to three million dollars five days later when the enormity of the crisis was realized. Given the confluence of financial demands on congregations, an October 14 press release from the UCC indicated that only $400,000 had been raised for the advertising. Because of a lack of funds, the UCC's 80-member Executive Council had approved a Lent (March-April 2006) ad buy rathern than an Advent (December 2005) one. Equal Marriage Rights controversyOn July 4, 2005, the United Church of Christ General Synod XV endorsed an "Equal Marriage Rights For All" resolution, with an estimated 80% of the 884 delegates voting in favor of the resolution. With the resolution the UCC General Synod became the first major Christian deliberative body in the U.S. to make a statement of support for equal marriage rights for all people, regardless of gender, and is hitherto the largest Christian denominational entity in the U.S. supporting equal marriage rights (although other denominations have affirmed committed relationships for LGBT people in other forms). The resolution's primary focus is on calling for equal access to civil marriage regardless of gender; however, the resolution does call upon local congregations and other settings of the United Church of Christ to discussion and discernment around marriage equality and encourages congregations "to consider adopting Wedding Policies that do not discriminate against couples based on gender." As noted in the Polity section above, the General Synod cannot enforce positions on local congregations, speaking "to, but not for" them. . Responses in support of the resolutionSome in the United Church of Christ have heralded the resolution as furthering the prophetic witness of the United Church of Christ to both church and society. The , whose Open and Affirming Congregation program includes over 500 UCC congregations, vigorously supported the resolution during the Synod and rejoiced at its passage. Several prominent congregations outside the UCC have made movement toward joining the denomination following the adoption of this resolution. These prominent congregations include:the formerly Metropolitan Community Church affiliated in Dallas, TX, (NACCC) in Minneapolis, and the charismatic megachurch in Tulsa, OK. There is no official indication from of most of these churches (Cathedral of Hope being an exception) that the EMRFA was necessarily the reason for considering the UCC. Responses in objection to the resolutionThis decision was viewed unfavorably by some other local congregations, though, because the General Synod's highly publicized endorsement may or may not reflect the actual theological opinions of these congregations. The language used that asserts no distinction between same sex marriage and different sex marriage ("Therefore, theologically and biblically, there is neither justification for denying any couple, regardless of gender, the blessings of the church nor for denying equal protection under the law in the granting of a civil marriage license, recognized and respected by all civil entities.") has been considered by some to be an overstepping the Synod's role in asserting theological positions. In response certain conservative "renewal movements" within the denomination made various responses to distance themselves from the resolution. The Biblical Witness Fellowship issued press releases questioning the legitimacy of the UCC as a Christian denomination , and churches in the Southern Renewal Conference signed onto the Lexington Confession , listing several points of dissent, but calling on UCC congregations to remain in dialogue with the UCC. There is not uniform data available as to how many congregations have withdrawn from the denomination since the actions of General Synod 25. According to a January 19, 2006, article by United Church News, "Since July, about 49 churches — or less than one percent of the UCC’s 5,725 churches — have voted to disaffiliate, according to the denomination’s research office." On the other hand, the conservative group lists 87 churches having decided to leave the denomination as of February 22, 2006. . Middle East policy and economic leverage resolutionsUnited Church of Christ General Synod XV also passed two resolutions concerning the conflict between Israel and Palestinians in the Middle East. One calls for the use of economic leverage to promote peace in the Middle East. "Economic leverage" can include measures such as government lobbying, selective investment, shareholder lobbying, and selective divestment from companies which profit from the continuing Israel-Palestine conflict. The other resolution, named "Tear Down the Wall", calls upon Israel to remove the separation barrier between Israel and the West Bank. Responses to the Middle East policy and ecnomic leverage resolutionsOpponents of the "Tear Down the Wall" resolution were quick to note that the resolution does not specifically call upon the Palestinians to stop the terror attacks that Israel claims the wall was built to prevent. The Simon Wiesenthal Center stated that July 2005 UCC resolutions on divestment from Israel are "functionally anti-Semitic." The Anti-Defamation League found that those same resolutions are "disappointing and disturbing" and "deeply troubling." . At a UCC sponsored event in Minnesota, Jonathan Kutab, a prominent Palestinian human rights lawyer, advocated for the UCC resolutions on behalf of the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center, an organization that supports economic divestment from Israel. . In addition to the concerns raised about the merits of the resolution, additional concerns were raised about the process in which the General Synod approved the resolution. Michael Downs of the United Church of Christ Pension Boards (who would be charged with implementing any divestment of the UCC's Pension Board investments) wrote a letter to UCC President John Thomas expressing concern "with the precedent setting implications of voted actions, integrity of process and trust." Ecumenical relationsThe United Church of Christ is in a relationship of full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the Reformed Church in America through a formal declaration known as the Formula of Agreement, with the Union Evangelischer Kirchen (Union of Protestant Churches) in Germany, and with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) through an ecumenical partnership. The church is a founding member of Churches Uniting in Christ and is in dialogue about deeper relations with the Alliance of Baptists. It is a member of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC), the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC), and the World Council of Churches. The UCC also allies with other congregations in support of Church World Service efforts in domestic and foreign development and relief efforts. United Church of Christ InstitutionsOfficially related Educational InstitutionsSeminaries
Colleges & UniversitiesThese 19 schools have affirmed the purposes of the United Church of Christ Council for Higher Education by official action and are full members of the Council.
Secondary Academies
Historically Related Educational InstitutionsHistorically Related Seminaries
Historically Related Colleges and Universities (Council for Higher Education)"These colleges continue to relate to the United Church of Christ through the Council for Higher Education, but chose not to affirm the purposes of the Council. Though in many respects similar to the colleges and universities that have full membership in the Council, these institutions tend to be less intentional about their relationships with the United Church of Christ." (from the United Church of Christ website)
Other Historical Colleges and Universities (Unrelated)These colleges and universities no longer maintain any relationship to the United Church of Christ, but were founded by or otherwise related historically to the denomination or its predecessors.
List of famous UCCersThis section lists notable people known to have been raised in or current members of the United Church of Christ or its predecessor denominations.
See also
References
Websites of groups/caucuses with Executive Council Seats: Websites of other UCC related groups (including professional associations, dissent groups, other caucuses, etc):
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