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Top: Society: Religion_and_Spirituality: Christianity: Denominations: United_Church_of_Christ

This category is for the United Church of Christ. Check the category description if you are uncertain as to whether this is the correct denomination for your site.

The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a denomination based in the United States, established in 1957 by the merger 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 earlier traditions, including:
* The Congregational Churches (based in Puritan tradition)
* The Reformed Church in the United States, which traced its beginnings to congregations of German settlers in Pennsylvania
* The Christian Churches that 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, which traced its beginnings to an association of German Evangelical pastors in Missouri, reflecting the 1817 union of Lutheran and Reformed churches in Germany.

The basic unit of the UCC is the congregation. The UCC follows the "covenantal" tradition, meaning there is no centralized authority or hierarchy that can impose any doctrine or form of worship on its members.


Churches

Local churches which are affiliated with the United Church of Christ.

Conferences and Associations

Communities of United Church of Christ ministers and congregations organized at the regional level are called "conferences" (generally serving an entire state or a multi-state region) and "associations" (typically serving smaller areas within a conference).

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Last update: 20:31 PT, Monday, October 30, 2006 - edit