What We Believe
OUR BELIEFS
If you are unfamiliar with the United Church of Christ or new to the Christian faith, please feel free to contact us with questions. We would love to help you discover the love that God and the call that Jesus Christ has for you.
St. John’s belongs to the United Church of Christ denomination (UCC). The UCC is part of the Reformed Theology faith tradition. This tradition includes all United Church of Christ congregations and others such as Presbyterians, the Reformed Church in America and the Christian Reformed Church among others.
Reformed theology traces its roots back to the Protestant Reformation of the 16th Century. The Reformers themselves based their beliefs upon the authority of scripture alone, and not the decrees of the church.
Generally, Reformed theology holds to the authority of Scripture, the sovereignty of God, the observance of two sacraments (The Lord’s Supper and Baptism) and salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. It is sometimes called Covenant theology because of its emphases on the covenant God made with Adam and Abraham and the new covenant which came through Jesus Christ (Luke 22:20).
The United Church of Christ is “Congregational” in its polity. This means that the denomination allows the individual congregation freedom to govern itself. The highest level of decision making resides with the local congregation rather than with a Bishop or Regional Council. The United Church of Christ fully allows its congregations freedom to disagree with the policies and non-foundational stances of the denomination. The end result is a great diverse group of theology within each congregation.
If you are unfamiliar with the United Church of Christ or new to the Christian faith, please feel free to contact us with questions. We would love to help you discover the love that God and the call that Jesus Christ has for you.
St. John’s belongs to the United Church of Christ denomination (UCC). The UCC is part of the Reformed Theology faith tradition. This tradition includes all United Church of Christ congregations and others such as Presbyterians, the Reformed Church in America and the Christian Reformed Church among others.
Reformed theology traces its roots back to the Protestant Reformation of the 16th Century. The Reformers themselves based their beliefs upon the authority of scripture alone, and not the decrees of the church.
Generally, Reformed theology holds to the authority of Scripture, the sovereignty of God, the observance of two sacraments (The Lord’s Supper and Baptism) and salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. It is sometimes called Covenant theology because of its emphases on the covenant God made with Adam and Abraham and the new covenant which came through Jesus Christ (Luke 22:20).
The United Church of Christ is “Congregational” in its polity. This means that the denomination allows the individual congregation freedom to govern itself. The highest level of decision making resides with the local congregation rather than with a Bishop or Regional Council. The United Church of Christ fully allows its congregations freedom to disagree with the policies and non-foundational stances of the denomination. The end result is a great diverse group of theology within each congregation.