Church, United Church of Christ

UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST -  The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination, with historical confessional roots in the Reformed, Congregational and Lutheran traditions, and "with over 5,000 churches and nearly one million members". The United Church of Christ is in historical continuation of the General Council of Congregational Christian churches founded under the influence of New England Puritanism. The Evangelical and Reformed Church and the General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches united in 1957 to form the UCC.  At the end of 2014, the UCC's 5,116 congregations claimed 979,239 members, primarily in the United States.  In 2015, Pew Research estimated that .4%, or 1 million adult adherents, of the U.S population self-identify with the United Church of Christ.  The World Council of Churches, to which the denomination belongs, reports that the UCC could have upwards near 1.4 million members.

The UCC maintains full communion with other mainline Protestant denominations. Many of its congregations choose to practice open communion.  The denomination places high emphasis on participation in worldwide interfaith and ecumenical efforts.  The national settings of the UCC have historically favored liberal views on social issues, such as civil rights, LGBT rights, women's rights, and abortion rights.  However, United Church of Christ congregations are independent in matters of doctrine and ministry and may not necessarily support the national body's theological or moral stances. It is self-described as "an extremely pluralistic and diverse denomination".

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.