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UCC History

The United Church of Christ (UCC) was formed by a merger of the Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church.   Although formation of the UCC became official in 1957, our denominational roots and milestones predate the United States itself.  Consider these UCC firsts:

  • 1620: Forebears of the United Church of Christ prepare to leave England on the Mayflower in search of religious freedom.
  • 1700: Congregationalists take a stand against slavery, publishing the first anti-slavery phamplet in the new world.
  • 1785:  Lemuel Haynes becomes the first African American ordained pastor in a Protestant denomination.
  • 1853: Antoinette Brown becomes the first woman in history elected to serve a Christian congregation as pastor.
  • 1959: At the request of Martin Luther King, Jr., the UCC intervenes to stop a news blackout in the south during the growing civil rights stuggle.
  • 1972:  Rev. William R. Johnson becomes the first openly gay person ordained as a minister in an historic Protestant denomination.
  • 1995: The UCC publishes the New Century Hymnal, the only hymnbook released by a Christian church that honors in equal measure both male and female images of God.
  • 2005:  The UCC General Synod overwhelmingly approves a resolution in support of same-gender marriage equality.

For more information about our denomination visit www.ucc.org.