UCC and Disciples
Hope Church is a member congregation of both the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), two diverse, mainline Protestant Christian denominations. Our connection to both denominations goes back to our founding in 2002. The two organizations worked together to create and support a new church in the Boston area, an act of ecumenical unity and cooperation among Christians.
The UCC and the Disciples have much in common. Jesus' prayer "that we all be one" is the founding prayer of both denominations. Though local congregations have autonomy on matters of faith and practice, both denominations are mostly considered progressive. Together the two denominations constitute the core of liberal Christianity in the United States.
Both denominations practice freedom of belief, strong lay participation, involvement in community needs, and voluntary fellowship with all other expressions of Christian faith. On a national level, the UCC and the Disciples have been "ecumenical partners" since 1989. This partnership includes ongoing cooperation and dialogue, mutual recognition of clergy, and a shared Global Ministries organization.
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The United Church of Christ has 1.2 million members in 5600 congregations nationally, about 400 of them in Massachusetts. It was founded in 1957 through a merger of four Christian denominations, but its predecessors extend back in history to the first churches founded by the Pilgrims. One of the UCC's distinguishing characteristics is the belief "God is still speaking," which has often put it on the forefront of movements to fully include people of every race, gender, and orientation. |
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The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has about 750,000 members in 3750 congregations, mostly in other regions of the country -- Hope Church is its only sizeable church in Massachusetts. Its history extends back to reform Christianity on the American frontier in the early 19th century. The Disciples' identity is that of "a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world." Distinctive practices of the Disciples include weekly celebration of Communion that is open to all, and an emphasis on the "ministry of all believers." |
Hope Church's association with both the UCC and the Disciples brings together the values and strengths of each denomination in an ongoing manifestation of Christian unity through faith, ministry, service, and worship