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What is the United Church of Christ?

The United Church of Christ is the result of a merger in 1957 of denominations who decided that what we have in common in Christ is greater than what keeps us in part. The major denominations that are part of this merger are Congregational, Reformed, Christian, and Evangelical. You can find out about UCC history by clicking here which includes links to Reformed histories and hidden histories of the UCC.

What We Believe

That’s actually a hard question for us to answer. One of the hallmarks of the UCC is its great diversity in membership and a philosophy that encourages each person to study, think, and question for themselves. Even in our local congregation, you’ll find a great difference of opinion.

A quote we often use to explain our beliefs is “In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, diversity. In all things, charity.”

We believe that all Christian churches are united through the body of Christ. This unity is not of our own making, or even by our own desire. It was a gift of Christ through the Holy Spirit on that first Pentecost. (See Acts 2)

We believe that God spoke through the prophets, through Jesus Christ, through the apostles, and continues to speak to us today. God speaks to us through scripture, service, and prayer. Study of scriptures is not limited to historical insights. We expect new light to dawn, and new understanding to emerge in our age and every age.

We believe in the priesthood of all believers. All of us, by virtue of our baptism, are called to minister to one another in the church, and to spread the good news of the gospel through word and deed. When someone is “set apart” for ordination, we view that person as a servant of the church, not someone with complete authority over the church. All major decisions within a local congregation are made by its members, not the pastors. Read the UCC Statement of Faith

How We’re Organized

Local congregations have full autonomy to make decisions regarding the life of the church, including calling pastors, determining format for worship, buying and selling property, etc. There is a great diversity of opinion and practices across the UCC. Yet, we see ourselves as one church, part of the larger Church, the Body of Christ. Our logo “That they may all be One” reflects our commitment to unity within diversity.

Local congregations covenant with Associations and Conferences to work together in a geographic area. Trinity is a member of the Ursinus Association in the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference www.psec.org Together we care for each other in times of crisis and transition, provide resources and education to member churches, and engage in a common mission.

Each conference elects delegates every two years to attend the General Synod. At General Synod we consider the business of the Church and its relationship to the wider world. General Synod speaks “to” not “for” the member churches of the United Church of Christ. The 25th General Synod will meet in Atlanta, GA July 1-5, 2005.

Between sessions of General Synod, business is carried out by the national offices located in Cleveland, which can be contacted through www.ucc.org.

More Information

We in the United Church of Christ have covenanted to be the Church together with the understanding that we do not need to agree on every point of doctrine to be One in the Body of Christ.

Three great videos explaining the UCC are available on line at UCC About Us

Testimonials of people who have found a home in the UCC are available at www.stillspeaking.com