From The Interim Pastor:

What is the Glue that Holds Us Together?

What is the glue that holds us together as a congregation? Is it because we all hold the same theological positions? No, that is not it. Creedal adherence is certainly required in some denominations but that is not true in the United Church of Christ. Abner Jones, one of the early founders of our denomination, stated, “Every Christian should be allowed to follow the dictates of their own conscience, and Christian character rather than creedal statement or baptismal mode should be the test of church membership or fellowship. We know them by their fruits, not by the doctrines they hold.” Charles E. Hambrick-Stowe and Daniel L. Johnson state in their book, Theology and Identity: Traditions, Movements and Polity in the United Church of Christ state that in the UCC the way to Christian unity was to allow any and all variations in doctrine, and to stress a more basic unity in Christian living. Unanimity on theology is not the glue that holds either the UCC or our local congregation together.

Ethnic heritage sometimes acts as glue for a congregation, but not this one. Socio-economic dynamics can be a cohesive factor in some congregations. That is somewhat true in our congregation but it doesn’t really get to the heart of our unity.

Our unity comes as a result of a conscious decision that we have all made. When we united with this congregation we chose to enter into covenant with one another to be the church in this place. We believe that God calls us to live in a loving covenantal relationship. Within that relationship we are granted freedom and responsibility. “Each member has the freedom and responsibility, with the leading of God’s Spirit, the use of one’s mind, the devotion of one’s heart, and the guidance of the historic traditions of the universal church, to work out a faith that is meaningful to her or him.” (The United Church of Christ: A Family of Faith for a Global Community. UCC website)