What We Believe
Our Mission
To know and share God’s love within us
A simple statement with far-reaching implications. We seek to understand God’s love through study and prayer. That may involve reading scripture to deepen our understanding of both its historical and contemporary applications, or it may include exploring theology or watching contemporary films.
Sharing God’s love calls us to be the hands and voices of our still-speaking God in the wider community. We are a church of action, working in the world to bring love, dignity and justice to all people.
God is Still Speaking
"Stillspeaking"
It’s the shorter form of “God Is Still Speaking,” a campaign by the United Church of Christ to remind us that God still has a lot more to say. Since 2004, "Stillspeaking" has worked with thousands of UCC churches and individuals across the country to make religion relevant and to extend an extravagant welcome to all—because no matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey,
you’re welcome here.
Why the Comma?
Did you see the Comma?
There’s a lot to the UCC Comma (our logo). It was inspired by the Gracie Allen quote, “Never place a period where God has placed a comma.”
For UCC, the Comma is a new way to proclaim, “Our Faith is 2,000 years old, our thinking is not.” The Comma invites us to believe that God speaks through other people, nature, music, art, a theorem, the Bible, and in so many other ways. The Comma reminds us to balance our rich religious past with openness to new ideas, new people, and new possibilities of the future.
Open & Affirming
Declaration of Openness and Affirmation
First Congregational United Church of Christ
Brainerd, Minnesota
Adopted by Congregational Vote on November 19, 2000
Jesus welcomed all people; so do we. In fact, that’s why, many years ago, we adopted a statement saying so:
As a congregation we seek to know and share God’s love within us. We believe that each of us has a right and responsibility to seek our own Spirit-guided understanding of the Holy Scriptures. We acknowledge that our understandings are incomplete. We respect those whose prayerful consideration of scripture and tradition led them to conclusions other than those in this declaration. We trust that by grace, God grants us all a growing understanding of God’s universal truth. Despite our differences, we affirm the good news proclaimed by Jesus Christ, that God’s love is an inclusive love for all creation and all people.
We declare ourselves to be an Open and Affirming Congregation in response to the resolution adopted by the 15th General Synod of the United Church of Christ in July 1985. We welcome all persons seeking to know and share God’s love in a Christian community without discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, marital status, economic class, physical condition or mental ability. We seek to be a uniting church, encouraging all people – including those who have difficulty accepting all of this declaration – to experience the costs and joys of discipleship as members and leaders of this community of faith.
We celebrate the diversity of human nature and human relationships. We recognize sexuality and sexual orientation as gifts of God. We seek to support relationships and families based on the Christian principles of love, justice, fidelity, trust and mutual care.
We acknowledge that in history the Christian Church has often condemned or excluded gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender individuals. We commit ourselves to oppose discrimination and prejudice in our attitudes, our personal relationships and our congregation. We will seek justice and advocate redress of the wrongs committed against sexual minorities in our local community and in society at large.
Be the church.
Care for the poor.
Protect the environment.
Forgive often. Reject racism.
Fight for the powerless.
Share earthly and spiritual resources.
Embrace diversity.
Love God. Enjoy this life.
United Church of Christ
We are a church of firsts!
In 1785 we were the first Protestant denomination to ordain an African American pastor, Rev. Lemuel Haynes. 1853 brought about the first ordination of a woman as a Christian minister since New Testament times when Antoinette Brown chose to serve her congregation as their pastor. In 1972, Rev. William R. Johnson became the first openly gay minister to be ordained in an historic Protestant denomination. The General Synod of the UCC went on, in 2005 to become the first leadership body of a large US denomination to support equal marriage rights for all couples regardless of orientation.
We are a church of extravagant welcome!
No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here! The United Church of Christ is changing lives here in the United States and across the globe. We are a church that strives to open doors for all people, to practice radical hospitality in the many and varied ways that presents in itself.
We are a church of deep history!
In 1620, the early forebears of the United Church of Christ, the Pilgrims came to the New World looking for religious freedom. The early 1700s saw the Congregationalists taking one of the first stands against slavery, and the 1730s saw the predecessors of the UCC taking a large role in the Great Awakening. One June 25, 1957 in Cleveland, Ohio, the Evangelical and Reformed Church joined with the Congregational Christian Churches to create the United Church of Christ.
We are a church of an imaginative future!
Through our partnerships with the Center for Progressive Renewal and Vibrant Faith Ministries, through our commitment to innovation and bold public action, and our listening ear for still speaking God, we are leaping forward into the future.
Proud to be UCC! Learn more about our UCC roots at UCC.org
Minnesota Conference
The Minnesota Conference United Church of Christ (UCC) is the body of the UCC composed of all UCC churches within Minnesota and the ministers it recognizes with standing. The Conference supports congregations, equips pastors for leadership, engages in transformative mission and witness and guides youth and adults on their faith journeys.