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What We Believe
The
right of every individual to have immediate access to God is one of
the fundamental precepts of Congregationalism. Our adherents believe
that Jesus Christ alone is the head of His Church; that His Holy
Spirit can speak directly to and can act through each member and
each congregation without the benefit of bishops, hierarchies, or
presbyteries. A church exists based on the teachings of Jesus from
Matthew 18:20, “for where two or three come together in my name, I
am there with them.”
A
Congregational Christian believes in God as revealed in the life and
teachings of Jesus.
A Congregational Christian
believes in God as revealed in the life and teachings of Jesus. God
is one whose unity is often expressed in the Trinitarian formula of
the early Church - God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. The unity
of Christendom is not established, but rather recognized, and the
unity to be sought is a oneness with Christ.
Congregationalism provides a free and simple way to salvation but it
has never been known to be easy or cheap.
Congregationalism provides a
free and simple way to salvation but it has never been known to be
easy or cheap. The freedom offered is not to be construed as
freedom to do or to believe whatever one wishes, but rather as the
opportunity to be the kind of person God intended one to be.
Congregational Christians believe that
the human soul is eternal and that our human destiny lies in the
choices we make and in our participation in the building of the
kingdom of God.
St. Paul states that one who adheres to the
Christian faith looks upon the Church universal as the mystical Body
of Christ, of which Christ is the Head.
Sacraments and Rites
Most
Congregational Churches observe two sacraments - Baptism and the
Lord’s Supper. You will also find that most of our member churches
practice what is called “open communion” which means that all who
love Jesus Christ and seek forgiveness for their sins, are welcome
to the Lord’s table.
Like many other Christian bodies,
Congregational Christian Churches practice at least three
traditional rites - funerals and memorial services, marriages, and
Confirmation.
Membership in a Congregational
Church
Board
of Deacons/Deaconesses, although this is not always the case. Upon
the Board’s recommendation, they are publicly received at a regular
Church service in one of three ways: by confession of faith if they
are uniting with a Church for the first time; by reaffirmation of
faith if they were a member of another congregation but without a
letter of transfer; or by letter of transfer from another church.
In uniting with a Congregational Church, the
individual makes a declaration of faith, acknowledging Jesus
Christ as Savior, and promising to follow
Him as the Lord of their life. The seal of this promise is the
covenant by which a local congregation binds itself together.
The new member accepts responsibility by
faithfully attending and participating in worship services, by
sharing in the ministries and missions of the local Church, and by
contributing regularly to the financial support of the Church.
Naturally, he/she will be expected to pray for the church and for
others and to conduct a personal life in keeping with Christ’s
teachings.
Our Way of Life
Members speak of their own local Congregational Church as the
“gathered”
church, made up of individual Christians in a given geographical
area assembled by Christ through their common love for Him. This is
a covenantal relationship-that of Christians bound together, not by
law, but freely and in a mutually agreeable bond of love, as in the
following historical covenant: “We covenant with the Lord, and one
with another, and do bind ourselves in the presence of God, to walk
together in all God’s ways, as the Almighty is pleased to reveal the
word of truth to us (Salem Covenant of 1629).”
Congregationalism
derives its name from the prominence it gives to its local body of
Christian believers. Each church or congregation is a
self-governing unit, with duties and responsibilities shared equally
by all members.
These self-governing Churches work together in
local, state and national associations; meeting for fellowship and
for consideration of matters of general interest and common
responsibility. Such associations, however, have no jurisdiction
over the individual Churches or their members. Their greatest
blessing is the shared knowledge that they can do much more together
in the Spirit of Christian love than they can alone.
Our History
Modern Congregational Churches originated in England in the 16th
Century, although they were not called Congregational until the 18th
Century. Spiritually minded members of the state-controlled Church
sought to cleanse it by restoring simplicity, purity of doctrine,
and freedom of worship. Some of these reformers left the established
Church and came to be known as Separatists. Those who chose to make
the desired change within the framework of the Church were call
Puritans.
To escape persecution, several congregations of
Separatists went to Holland. In 1620 a group of these exiles set
sail for America in the historic Mayflower. They became the Pilgrims
of the Plymouth Colony. In time, Puritans arrived
from England to found the
Massachusetts Bay Colony. There Puritans gave up trying to keep
their Episcopal ties with the Church back in England and on
congregational principles, joined forces with the Separatists. This
laid the groundwork for the founding of many Congregational Churches
in the land. The effect of these Churches on American life is
incalculable.
About the Author
The
Rev. Phil
Jackson was a pastor of several NA Churches before serving as the
NACCC’s Associate Executive Secretary (Dean of CFTS and Ministry
Services). His experience as a support and counsel to seminary
students and clergy, along with his deep and abiding faith, gives
him an awareness of the diverse theological perspectives represented
in our Association. This piece is being published as he leaves his
national position to serve, again, as a Congregational pastor.
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