United Church of Christ
Our church is part of the most progressive denomination in the United States, the United Church of Christ. The UCC identity is shaped by the practice of extravagant welcome and a desire to create a more just world. We boldly engage issues of civil and human rights, economic justice, environmental, racial, and worker justice and are proud to be a church of many firsts, such as the first to ordain a woman (1853) and an out gay man (1972), active in the movement for abolition (1700) and civil rights (1950’s-present). The United Church of Christ polity is covenantal in nature. Each member church has the responsibility, freedom and authority to govern itself (worship, membership, mission, leadership and finances) and is in covenantal relationships with other local churches, associations, conferences and national bodies for support, guidance and accountability. Each year the churches around our nation gather at a general synod to build bonds, adopt resolutions and empower the members of the local churches. Local churches promise to take the resolutions “in high regard” by engaging the General Synod resolutions through honest discussion, debate and action. The United Church of Christ partners with people all around the globe to build a more loving and equitable world for all.