What We Believe

Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ is a part of the United Church of Christ denomination.

We are a believing people.
Before it is anything else, the United Church of Christ is a proclaimer of the gospel, the good news of the love of God made plain in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The task of the UCC is to be a teller of the Christian story to people, not to persuade them to accept correct doctrine.

Because faith can be expressed in many different ways, the United Church of Christ has no formula or creed that is a test of faith.

The beliefs of the UCC are summed up in The Statement of Faith. The Statement of Faith is a testimony of faith. At times we say together the Statement of Faith, never as a test of the correctness of our faith, but as a living, eloquent testimony to it.

The United Church of Christ Statement of Faith

We believe in God, the Eternal Spirit, who is made known to us in Jesus our brother, and to whose deeds we testify:

God calls the worlds into being, creates humankind in the divine image, and sets before us the ways of life and death.

God seeks in holy love to save all people from aimlessness and sin.

God judges all humanity and all nations by that will of righteousness declared through prophets and apostles.

In Jesus Christ, the man of Nazareth, our crucified and risen Lord, God has come to us and shared our common lot, conquering sin and death and reconciling the whole creation to its Creator.

God bestows upon us the Holy Spirit, creating and renewing the church of Jesus Christ, binding in covenant faithful people of all ages, tongues, and races.

God calls us into the church to accept the cost and joy of discipleship, to be servants in the service of the whole human family, to proclaim the gospel to all the world and resist the powers of evil, to share in Christ's baptism and eat at his table, to join him in his passion and victory.

God promises to all who trust in the gospel forgiveness of sins and fullness of grace, courage in the struggle for justice and peace, the presence of the Holy Spirit in trial and rejoicing, and eternal life in that kingdom which has no end.

Blessing and honor, glory and power be unto God.

Amen.

If you hang out in the United Church of Christ long enough you are bound to hear the beloved phrase “In essentials unity, in non-essentials diversity, in all things charity.”

The unity that we seek requires neither an uncritical acceptance of any point of view, nor a rigid formulation of doctrine. It does require mutual understanding and agreement as to which aspects of the Christian faith and life are essential.

There is yet more light and truth to break forth from God’s holy word.
This classic statement assumes the primacy of the Bible as a source for understanding the good news. It recognizes that the Bible, though written in specific historical times and places, still speaks to us in our present condition. It declares that the study of the scriptures is not limited by past interpretations, but it is to be pursued with expectancy for new insights and help for living today. God is indeed still speaking! Each generation is responsible for re-thinking its beliefs, as God’s word unfolds and conditions change.

Our faith is more about how we act toward one another than about a rigid set of beliefs. We recognize and respect the faithfulness of other people who have other names for God and God’s realm. We understand the pursuit of social justice to be integral to Christianity, not merely a by-product. We seek to form a community dedicated to equipping one another for the work Christians are called to do: striving for peace and justice, restoring the integrity of creation, bringing hope to those Jesus called the least of these.