The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States. With over 800,000 members and around 5,000 congregations, it is one of the largest Protestant denominations in the country.
The UCC was formed in 1957 by the union of the Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches. Both of these denominations trace their origins back to Puritan settlers in New England in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The UCC embraces a congregationalist polity, meaning each individual church is self-governing. There is no centralized authority or hierarchy that controls the churches. Each church is responsible for its own affairs and calling its own pastors.
Theology and beliefs of the UCC are rooted in Reformed/Calvinist and Lutheran traditions. They affirm the Apostles’ Creed and Nicene Creed as ecumenical expressions of the Christian faith. Some of their key beliefs include:
- The Bible is central but not the only source of God’s revelation
- Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ
- The Trinity – God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit
- Jesus Christ as head of the church
- Importance of sacraments – baptism and Holy Communion
The UCC is theologically diverse, with individual churches having freedom to shape their own theological perspectives. There is no mandatory doctrinal conformity across the denomination. They place greater emphasis on unity amidst diversity than on uniformity.
The UCC actively supports social justice causes and progressive stances on social issues. They were the first mainline denomination to ordain openly gay ministers and support same-sex marriage. The UCC has a strong focus on activism and advocacy for various causes such as racial equality, immigrant rights, environmentalism, economic justice, etc.
Church Structure and Governance
As a congregationalist denomination, the UCC does not have a centralized hierarchical authority. Each individual church is self-governing and responsible for its own affairs. They call their own pastors, own their own property, and shape their own theological perspectives.
For organizational purposes, the UCC is divided into geographical associations and conferences. There are 38 regional associations and 8 conferences in total. These bodies have no authority over member churches but provide support and fellowship opportunities.
Every two years, General Synod meets as the representative body of the entire UCC. General Synod cannot impose policies on local churches, but it is responsible for recommending overall priorities and relationships with other denominations.
The national setting of the UCC is located in Cleveland, Ohio. The Office of General Minister and President provides denominational leadership and coordination of common ministries. But again, this national body has no control over local congregations.
History
The United Church of Christ was formed in 1957 by the merger of two Protestant denominations – the Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Churches.
The Congregational Churches trace their origins back to the Puritans who settled in New England in the 1600s seeking religious freedom. They emphasized local church autonomy and rejected denominational hierarchies.
The Evangelical and Reformed Church had roots in Lutheran and Reformed immigrant groups that came to Pennsylvania in the 1700s. They united as a denomination in 1934.
After WWII, there was a push for Protestant unification and cooperation. So local congregations of the Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Churches voted to unite at the national level into the United Church of Christ in 1957.
The UCC became a leader of progressive Christianity in the mid 20th century. They were at the forefront of the civil rights movement, ordaining women and LGBT clergy, and supporting liberal social causes.
While the UCC remains a mostly white denomination, they have around 200,000 members who are African-American, Latino, Asian or other ethnicities. The UCC is committed to racial justice and diversity as part of their progressive identity.
Membership and Demographics
The United Church of Christ has just over 800,000 members spread across around 5,000 congregations.
The majority of UCC churches are located in the Northeast and Midwest. About 80% of members are white. Around 5% are African-American, 2% Hispanic, 2% Asian, and 1% Native American.
Over the past 50 years, the UCC has declined significantly in membership and number of churches. In the late 1960s it had over 2 million members but has since lost more than 60% of membership.
Factors contributing to this decline likely include theological liberalism being out of step with most evangelicals, stagnant church planting, and overall trends of secularization and people leaving mainline denominations.
In response to its declining membership, the UCC has tried to re-focus its identity and mission over the past couple decades. They are trying to find their voice and place as a progressive Christian tradition in 21st century American society.
Worship and Sacraments
Worship in the United Church of Christ is fairly diverse and varied. Individual churches have a lot of autonomy to shape their own worship style and liturgy.
In general, UCC worship tends to be fairly liturgical and traditional, with an emphasis on ritual, sermons, and the sacraments. The linguistic style used is more formal than informal. But again, specific customs and styles vary widely between congregations.
Music used in worship ranges from traditional hymns, to gospel music, to contemporary Christian songs. The UCC published its first non-gendered hymnal in 1995 focused on inclusive language.
The UCC observes the two Protestant sacraments – baptism and Holy Communion. Baptism is through sprinkling or immersion. Communion is open to all professing Christians, not just UCC members.
Compared to more evangelical denominations, UCC worship places more emphasis on structured liturgy, ritual symbolism, and historic creeds/readings. There is great freedom though for each church to shape its own worship personality and style.
Social Justice
From its origins, the UCC has emphasized social justice as a core part of its Christian mission. They were progressive leaders on abolitionism, civil rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ inclusion and other social issues.
The UCC national setting has numerous justice and advocacy ministries such as:
- Coalition for LGBTQ Concerns
- Council for American Indian Ministry
- Justice and Witness Ministries
- Ministers for Racial, Social and Economic Justice
Individual UCC congregations are also very involved in various justice causes – food pantries, elder care, affordable housing, environmental activism, advocating for marginalized groups, etc.
For many members, this progressive social advocacy is what makes the UCC distinctive and is a bigger emphasis than theology or doctrine.
Critics argue this disproportionate focus on social justice detracts from the church’s spiritual/evangelistic mission. But either way, activism for progressive causes is part of the UCC’s identity.
Interchurch Relations
The United Church of Christ has long been active in the ecumenical movement, seeking cooperation and unity across Christian denominations and traditions.
The UCC is a member of several ecumenical organizations:
- National Council of Churches
- World Council of Churches
- Churches Uniting in Christ
- Christian Churches Together
Through its predecessors, the UCC was involved in the formation of the World Council of Churches and NCCC. UCC leaders have served as presidents of the NCCC.
The UCC is also in formal partnership with the United Church of Canada and many of its member congregations are dually aligned with the UCC and other denominations.
While firmly Protestant, the diversity within the UCC allows for ecumenical cooperation. They bridge liberal and conservative Protestantism, seeking unity amidst differences.
Christian Education
Given its decentralized and non-hierarchical structure, the UCC does not operate any colleges, universities, or seminaries. Those educational institutions were historically affiliated more with the predecessor denominations.
However, the UCC does provide various Christian education resources through its publishing house, such as Sunday school curriculum, Bible studies, and Christian books.
Many individual UCC congregations offer robust Christian education programs for children, youth, and adults. These are autonomously run by each local church but resourced through denominational materials.
The United Church of Christ also offers college scholarships, leadership conferences, youth events, and officer training to invest in the spiritual growth of younger generations.
While valuing education, the focus tends more toward activism and justice rather than strictly doctrinal training. The emphasis is living out one’s faith in practical ways.
Church Planting and Revitalization
For much of its history, the UCC has struggled with stagnant church planting. As older congregations declined, not enough new congregations were started to renew its strength.
Over the past couple decades, the UCC has tried to refocus on new church development. While numbers remain small, they are actively working to plant new churches to reach more people.
Many new UCC church plants have innovative models, like pub churches, digital campuses, house churches, and missional communities designed to appeal to younger generations.
Along with church planting, the UCC is also seeking to revitalize existing congregations. Many older churches are receiving vision and training to re-focus their ministries to better reach their communities for Christ.
While denominational bodies provide resourcing, the UCC ultimately relies on local churches themselves to have the vision, initiative and drive to plant new churches and renew stagnant ones.
Key Figures
As with most Protestant denominations, the UCC does not revere or venerate “saints” in the way Catholics/Orthodox do. However, there have been some notable leaders and theologians in its history that shaped the tradition.
Key figures from Congregationalist predecessors include:
- John Cotton – leading Puritan minister in Massachusetts Bay Colony
- Jonathan Edwards – prominent preacher during the First Great Awakening
- Lyman Beecher – Co-founder of the American Temperance Society
Key figures from Reformed predecessors include:
- Heidelberg theologians – Zacharias Ursinus, Caspar Olevianus
- Frederick and William Nast – leading 19th century Lutheran ministers
- Philip Schaff – renowned Protestant historian
Prominent UCC leaders since the 1957 merger include:
- Benjamin Chavis – civil rights activist and social justice advocate
- Antonio ros Flores – Hispanic church leader and pioneer
- Andrew Young – civil rights leader and congressman
While not figures in the biblical sense, these individuals influenced the growth and shaping of what became the United Church of Christ.
Comparison to Other Denominations
The UCC is similar to mainline Protestant denominations like the Episcopal Church, ELCA, PCUSA, in terms of mostly white membership, liturgical worship, and liberal theology. These denominations cooperate in many ecumenical initiatives.
Compared to evangelical denominations, the UCC differs in not requiring strict adherence to particular doctrines or moral stances. Evangelicals have firmer boundaries, while the UCC has great diversity.
The decentralized structure of the UCC contrasts with more hierarchical groups like Methodists, Lutherans, Anglicans. Each UCC church runs itself without higher denominational control.
On social issues, the UCC is amongst the most progressive major denominations, taking activist stances on LGBTQ issues, racial justice, environmentalism and immigration unlike other traditional groups.
So the UCC is unique in combining Congregationalist polity, Reformed/Lutheran roots, mainline liberalism, and being an early leader on progressive social change.
Overview of Distinctive Beliefs
As a theologically diverse denomination, there are no official doctrines or beliefs that all UCC churches must affirm. However, some distinctive elements tend to characterize UCC theology:
- Liberal theology open to critical biblical scholarship
- Ecumenism and interfaith collaboration
- Social justice activism as faith-driven mission
- Inclusion of marginalized groups like women, minorities, LGBTQ persons
- Greater focus on Christian unity than uniformity of belief
There is wide latitude of beliefs on issues like biblical authority, Christology, atonement, eschatology, and moral theology. Diversity is embraced more than specific doctrines.
Compared to evangelicals, UCC churches tend to have more symbolic, sacramental understanding of God, flexible biblical interpretation, and greater openness to cultural adaptation over time.
So while arising from traditional Reformed roots, the modern UCC leans progressive in both its social views and general theological orientation.
Conclusion
The United Church of Christ formed in 1957 but traces spiritual roots back to Puritan settlers of New England. It embraces Protestant theology and Congregational church governance.
Progressive social activism coupled with inclusive, diverse community are major emphases of the UCC identity. Each local church has much freedom over its own affairs.
While once over 2 million members, the UCC declined significantly since the 1960s as liberal Protestantism dwindled. But its legacy and influence remain vibrant, as God calls them to new horizons.
