United In Christ's Love, A Just World For All- We're the United Church of Christ, AMA!

Introduction and Brief History:

The United Church of Christ is a progressive, mainline, Protestant, Christian denomination located primarily in the United States. Our historical roots cover the broad history of Protestantism, from the the German Lutheran and Reformed traditions through the Evangelical and Reformed Church, and the Congregational Christian Church, which was made up of Congregationalist Churches and some churches from the Stone-Campbell movement. Also worth noting is that we have a small but strong black church tradition, of which the flagship church is Trinity Chicago, most famous for being Obama's church while he was living in Chicago, pastored at the time by Rev. Jeremiah Wright. In Hawaii, we have a strong community of churches identified with native Hawaiians.

Polity:

The United Church of Christ has a (mostly) Congregationalist polity; we have no bishops or church overseers. Each local church is in a covenant relationship with the local churches around it, bound into an association, a conference, and the National Setting. Associations are the bodies, through a group of ordained clergy and lay folks usually called a "Committees on Ministry", that guide folks through the path to ordained ministry. Conferences have staff that consult with churches and help arrange educational, spiritual, and other opportunities for local churches. The national setting (HQ), is our most vocal presence on social media and in public witness, but its good to remember that local churches have the final say in all matters of doctrine.

Ideological diversity in the UCC:

As you can guess from such an arrangement, our churches vary wildly. Although many of our churches and congregants are progressive, many are not. About 25%~ of our churches are officially designated as "Open and Affirming", our official designation for churches that fully welcome LGBTQ individuals into the life of our congregations. This process is an intense one, and many other churches might lean that way, but don't have the resources to undergo the "ONA" process.

Smaller than this on the "other side" is The Faithful and Welcoming movement, a group of churches that self-identify as “Evangelical, Conservative, Orthodox, or Traditional”. With our congregational polity, it’s ok! They tend to roll their eyes at the national setting (although most of us do this at some time or another), and get on with the business of local church ministry while appreciating the support they get in other ways from the denomination. This groups is focused in the Southeast, and especially in North Carolina.

Theology:

I put theology here purposefully because understanding our polity and our diversity will help you to understand why it is hard for me (at least) to make broad theological statements about the church, but I'll try.

The first thing to note about Theology in the UCC is that it can vary wildly from congregation to congregation. The UCC is the product of many of the strains of Protestantism in the United States, with various strains stronger than others in different parts of the United States. Congregationalism is particularly strong, for example in New England, Kansas, and Nebraska, the Christian (Stone-Cambell) in the Southeast, while the Evangelical (Lutheran) strain is strong in Pennsylvania and Mississippi, and the Reformed strain in Ohio.

Some churches have "traditional" theology depending on their particular history. One of my seminary classmates, for example recalls learning the Heidelberg Catechism in Sunday School at her church growing up. Many of our progressive congregations tend to include elements of Liberation theology, Liberal theology, Feminist Theology etc., which are incorporated into the congregations' theological orientation in one way or another.

As for some nuts and bolts:

Here's a link to our statement of faith as a denomination, which some churches will put on their orders of service or on their websites, and others never use at all.

I find more useful in describing our theology broadly part of the preamble to our bylaws:

The United Church of Christ acknowledges as its sole Head, Jesus Christ, Son of God and Savior. It acknowledges as kindred in Christ all who share in this confession. It looks to the Word of God in the Scriptures, and to the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, to prosper its creative and redemptive work in the world. It claims as its own the faith of the historic Church expressed in the ancient creeds and reclaimed in the basic insights of the Protestant Reformers. It affirms the responsibility of the Church in each generation to make this faith its own in reality of worship, in honesty of thought and expression, and in purity of heart before God. In accordance with the teaching of our Lord and the practice prevailing among evangelical Christians, it recognizes two sacraments: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion.

Worship:

Worship in the UCC can also vary wildly; churches that come from the “E&R” tradition, that is, have their roots in the Evangelical and Reformed Church, can have very high liturgy worship services. One professor of mine reported presiding over communion facing away from the congregation and toward the altar. (Ad Orientem?)

Most of our churches, however, worship in a moderate to low church Protestant fashion, with 2 Bible Readings, 3 hymns, usually a corporate confession/assurance of pardon, a sermon, and communion once a month.

As noted above, we are sacramental in our beliefs about Communion and Baptism. What exactly that means from church to churchcan vary depending on geography, history, and theology.

Mission and Justice Work:

This is where we're probably most (in)famous as a denomination. We have a (usually well deserved) reputation for being the most politically and socially progressive churches in the United States, with our members and ministers at the forefront of social and political change and liberation from the 1960s onward. We've been involved in civil rights for People of Color, including the Civil Rights Movements, immigration rights, and LGBT rights. If you'd like to learn a little bit about why the UCC has taken the positions it has, I'll direct you to our Publications and Resources on our Advocacy for Justice page.

Personal thoughts/conclusions:

In many ways, the United Church of Christ is a living paradox.

We ordained the first female (mainstream) Protestant minister in Antoinette Brown Blackwell, and today there are more women than men in our ministry. Our national settings and public witness have been vocal for LGBT rights, yet only about 25% of our churches are Open and Affirming,our designation for a church that fully embraces LGBT people in its life and ministry. Yet many of our congregations have struggled to become ethnically diverse, and some tensions about the "whiteness" of the UCC have been bubbling for years.

To be clear, I love the UCC. I love its ecumenical focus, and how its traditional without being traditionalist. I love its passion for justice and witness. I love its strong sense of history, its protestant and always reforming character. Are there things I think we can do better? Sure! I wish we had a little bit tighter/more explicit theological focus, and that our national setting brought a more biblical focus to its mission and justice activities but that's the grumbling of a young cranky person.

As for me, I'm an ordained pastor and am happy to answer any questions you might have. Ask us anything!