The characteristics of the United Church of Christ can be summarized in part by the key words in the names of the four denominations that formed our union: Christian, Congregational, Reformed, Evangelical.

1.       CHRISTIAN

By our very name, the United Church of Christ, we declare ourself to be a part of the body of Christ – the Christian church.  We continue the witness of the early disciples to the reality and power of the crucified and risen Christ, Jesus of Nazareth.

2.       CONGREGATIONAL

The basic unit of the United Church of Christ is the congregation.  Members of each congregation covenant with one another and with God as revealed in Jesus Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit.  These congregations, in turn, exist in covenantal relationship with one another to form larger structures for more effective work.  Our covenanting emphasizes trustful relationships rather than legal agreements.

3.       REFORMED

All four denominations arose from the tradition of the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformers:  We confess the authority of one God.  We affirm the primacy of the Scriptures, the doctrine of justification by faith, the priesthood of all believers, and the principle of Christian freedom.  We celebrate two sacraments: baptism and the Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion.

4.       EVANGELICAL

The primary task of the church is the proclamation of the gospel, or evangel – the good news of God’s love revealed with power in Jesus Christ.  We proclaim this gospel by word and deed to individual persons and to society.  This proclamation is the heart of the liturgia – the work of the people.  We gather each Sunday for the worship of God, and through each week, we engage in the service of humankind.