Denomination History

Separate churches, spanning six centuries have come together to create the United Church of Christ. Congregational Churches, which combined Calvinist and Puritan beliefs and a commitment to a convenantal, non-hierarchical fellowship first came to America on the Mayflower in the 1620s. Congregational Methodists joined that group in 1892, followed by Evangelical Protestants in 1925 and German Congregational in 1927.

The Reformed Church of the United States began to establish congregations in 1725. It had its roots in the Swiss and German reformation of the 16th century and focused on faith as the basis for communion with Christ. It developed, for the most part, in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. It also included Swiss immigrants, many of whom came to Wisconsin - as well as later immigrants from Hungary. This denomination established many schools, two seminars to train ministers, and a board of foreign missions. Many of the churches it established on the West Coast included members with an Asian heritage.

The Christian Churches began in the 1770's and early 1800s as three separate movements: one in North Carolina, one in Kentucky, and a third in Vermont. Each of these refused to be known by any other name than "Christian". They believed in a simple church structure, believed that a Christian character was the only requirement for church membership and taught that Jesus Christ was the only head of the church. Each was concerned to have educated clergy and laity and started colleges for both women and men. The three groups united in 1810.

The Evangelical Synod of North America had its roots in Germany. In 1817, the King of Prussia imposed a kind of union on the two major kinds of Protestant churches in his land: those who followed the teachings of Martin Luther and those who followed the ways of Swiss reformers. When unrest among these German Protestants (called "Evangelical") over the government's control of the church paired with economic hard times in the 1830s, many began to emigrate to The United States settling in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin. This church was known for its development of hospitals, homes for orphans and the aged, and care for the underprivileged. In many communities, Evangelical churches began their own schools because no public schools existed. By the 1900s, the Synod began to stress Christian education, evangelism, and social action. It also sent missionaries to other lands and was known for its co-operative work with other denominations.

In 1931, the Congregational Churches and the Christian Churches merged to become The Congregational Christian Church. In 1934 the Reformed Church and the Evangelical Synod merged to become The Evangelical and Reformed Church. In 1957 these churches merged to become The United Church of Christ. The United Church of Christ continues to explore ways of working with/uniting with other denominations with similar beliefs.