Conservative Congregational Christian Conference

Congregationalist denomination in the United States

Conservative Congregational Christian Conference

Abbreviation| CCCC, 4Cs
Classification| Evangelical Protestant
Orientation| Congregationalist
Polity| Congregational
President| The Rev. Scott Nice[1]
Conference Minister| The Rev. Dr. Ron Hamilton[2]
Associations| World Evangelical Congregational Fellowship;
National Association of Evangelicals
Region| United States
Headquarters| Lake Elmo, Minnesota
Origin| 1948
Branched from| Congregational Christian Churches
Congregations| 301 (2023)
Members| 42,296 (2010)
Official website| www.ccccusa.com

The Conservative Congregational Christian Conference is a Congregationalist denomination in the United States.[3] It is the most conservative and oldest Congregationalist denomination in America following the dissolution of the Congregational Christian Churches.[4] It is a member of the World Evangelical Congregational Fellowship and the National Association of Evangelicals.[5]

## History

[edit]

### Background

[edit]

Further information: Congregationalism in the United States

The Mayflower began the Great Migration to New England. The CCCC describes themselves as "Modern Day Pilgrims."[6]

The congregationalist tradition traces itself to English and American Puritanism. Presbyterians and Congregationalists both opposed certain practices and liturgical requirements of the Church of England, including its episcopal polity. Presbyterians desired a system where a body of elders (presbytery) would govern the churches, while congregationalists asserted that the local church (congregation), with its officers, was to govern itself. As early as the 16th century, the Brownists would advocate for independent congregations. New England ministers formalized the congregationalist system with the Cambridge Platform of 1648, and those in England with the Savoy Declaration of 1658.

Jonathan Edwards, Congregationalist theologian and influential figure in the First Great Awakening.

Congregationalists enjoyed the dominant position in early New England: theirs was the established church of several states, even into the 19th century. Congregationalists founded several prominent universities, including Harvard and Yale. They were key players in the First and Second Great Awakening and in the modern mission movement, establishing the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions.

After the Civil War, the American denominational mainline formed the National Council of the Congregational Churches of the United States, which in 1931 merged with the restorationist Christian Connection and became the Congregational Christian Churches (CCC).

### Denominational Origins

[edit]

The CCCC has its roots in the Conservative Congregational Christian Fellowship, formed in 1945 by conservative members of the CCC concerned about the dominance of liberalism in their denomination. Due to the decentralized nature of congregational polity, a denominational split was not first seen as necessary.[7] Soon, conservatives became concerned with a proposed merger with the Evangelical and Reformed (E&R) church, fearing it would compromise their polity. Additionally, the terms of the proposed merger first required a 75% affirmative vote from all churches, but only received 53%.[8] In 1948, the Fellowship established itself as the CCCC.[5]

Brooklyn's Cadman Memorial Church (NACCC) sued to stop the formation of the United Church of Christ.

Concerned parties sued the General Council of the CCC in New York, Judge Steinbrink halting the merger in 1950. The New York Court of Appeals would reverse this judgment in 1953,[9] allowing the CCC and E&R to ultimately form the United Church of Christ in 1957.

The CCCC was not the only Congregationalist denomination to oppose merger. Other churches left the CCC to become independent, or joined the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches (NACCC) which formed in 1955 over the same polity concerns, without concerns over liberal theology.

#### Genealogy

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National Council of the Congregational Churches of the United States| | Christian Connection| | Evangelical Synod of North America| | Reformed Church in the United States|

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| | Congregational Christian Churches| | | | | | Evangelical and Reformed Church|
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Conservative Congregational Christian Conference| | National Association of Congregational Christian Churches| | United Church of Christ| | Evangelical Association of Reformed and Congregational Christian Churches

## Theology

[edit]

See also: Evangelical theology and Reformed theology

The CCCC is theologically conservative and evangelical. It opposes homosexuality, abortion, and non-marital sexual activity while promoting evangelism, missions and orthodox theology. Congregationalism is historically Reformed (Calvinist), and some ministers have an interest in the study and teachings of Puritanism, especially those in the Reformed Congregational Fellowship.[10][11] However, both Reformed and Arminian emphases may be found in the CCCC, as is usually the case with larger, more broadly-based evangelical groups.

The CCCC reprints[12] a collection of classical reformed documents, including the Savoy Declaration.

The CCCC Statement of Faith is short, just seven points, and contains most of the tenets of 20th century evangelicalism. These cover:[13]

1. The inspiration, infallibility and inerrancy of the Bible.
2. The doctrine of the trinity.
3. The deity, virgin birth, sinlessness, miracles, atonement, resurrection, ascension and return of Christ.
4. The regeneration of sinful man.
5. The indwelling and ministry of the Holy Spirit.
6. The resurrection of the dead.
7. The unity of believers.

The Statement almost identical to that of the National Association of Evangelicals. Harold Ockenga, a founder of the NAE, was a prominent pastor in the early years of the CCCC.[14]

The conference does not govern the doctrine of its constituent churches, but it does occasionally produce position papers stating the denomination's view on various issues. These include statements on biblical marriage, the ministerial standing of women, racial reconciliation, the charismatic movement, homosexuality, abortion and euthanasia.[15]

## Practices

[edit]

Park Street Church in Boston is a notable member church of the CCCC.

The CCCC admits churches of any origin that operate according to congregational polity, subscribe to the Statement of Faith, and support the activity of the conference.[16]

Although committed to common points of faith, the CCCC does allow room for disagreement in matters not pertaining to those subjects addressed in the Statement.

> We are a Conference that “majors in the majors”, i.e. clings to the non-negotiables of the historic, orthodox faith, while allowing freedom of form and expression of the great faith passed on to us. Our members have different evangelical theological traditions and perspectives. We allow for diversity of beliefs in secondary issues. Our churches are large and small, with worship that is traditional, contemporary, or blended.[17]

Member churches derive not only from the founding Congregational and Christian Connection traditions, but also Evangelical and Reformed, independent Community churches,[18] and Baptists.[19] Most joining the CCCC have been existing churches rather than new church plants.

## Structure

[edit]

See also: Congregational polity

Goffstown Congregational Church, established 1768.

Conference membership is voluntary and afforded to churches, ministers, Consecrated Laborers, and individual laymen.[20] The CCCC is divided into regions (Northeast, Mideast, Mid Atlantic, Southeast, North Central and West),[21] with regional pastors, area pastors, and local fellowships. Moderators of each area fellowship are chosen by the local fellowship (composed of representatives from area CCCC churches and nearby CCCC member ministers). Area Representatives are appointed by the Conference Minister (who functions as the Executive Director or National Pastor for the CCCC). Area Representatives serve as local CCCC contacts, to represent the Conference Minister, and to serve as a liaison between the national organization and the area fellowships.

The Conference is governed by an elected board of directors of twelve to thirty people for established terms. The board is responsible for Conference business, the appointment of a Chaplaincy Endorsing Agent, and the denominational publication arm (the FORESEE).[22]

Like other decentralized denominations (cf. the Friends' Yearly Meeting or Southern Baptist Convention), much of the denominational activity happens at an annual event, called the "Annual Gathering."

## Growth

[edit]

Staub Memorial Congregational Church in Portland, Oregon joined in 1958.

Over a quarter million members of Congregational Christian Churches opposed or abstained from the vote to form the UCC.[23] Despite the scale of concern, the conference started very small, having only sixteen churches in 1959.[8] It has experienced steady growth since its founding, with 34 churches in 1961, 132 in 1980, 256 in 2001,[24] and 301 by 2023.

Membership is concentrated in the Northeast and Midwest.[25] As of 2010, the CCCC had 42,296 members.[26]

Church multiplication is a "ministry priority" of the CCCC, and the denomination operates a church planting arm called Nineveh Network.[27]

## See also

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* Congregational Library
* Congregationalism
* National Association of Congregational Christian Churches
* Evangelical Association of Reformed and Congregational Christian Churches

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Welcome From CCCC President". Conservative Congregational Christian Conference. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
2. ^ "Welcome From CCCC Conference Minister". Conservative Congregational Christian Conference. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
3. ^ "Conservative Congregational Christian Conference (CCCC) | Description & History | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
4. ^ "Researching the Congregational Story | Congregational Library & Archives". www.congregationallibrary.org. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
5. ^ a b Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. National Council of Churches. 2010. p. 103.
6. ^ "Modern Day Pilgrims: The History of the CCCC". The FORESEE. November 2023. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
7. ^ Blood, Wesley D. "Birth of the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference". The FORESEE. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
8. ^ a b Modern Day Pilgrims: A Proud Heritage The History of the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference (75th Anniversary ed.). pp. 14, 27.
9. ^ "CADMAN MEM'L CONG. SOC. OF BROOKLYN v. Kenyon". Justia Law. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
10. ^ "What Do You Believe?". Reformed Congregational Fellowship. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
11. ^ Wanamaker, Paul; Van der Swaagh, Kirk (February 2018). "Reformed Congregational Fellowship Conference". The FORESEE. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
12. ^ "Historic Documents of Congregationalism". NextStep Resources. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
13. ^ "Statement of Faith". Conservative Congregational Christian Conference. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
14. ^ Wetzig, Rod (April 2023). "The Early Years of the CCCC". The FORESEE. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
15. ^ "CCCC Position Papers". Conservative Congregational Christian Conference. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
16. ^ "CCCC Constitution". Conservative Congregational Christian Conference. 2015. Retrieved 2024-03-28. "Churches are not necessarily barred from membership because of other affiliations so long as they adhere to the Statement of Faith and the Statement of Polity and the workings of the Conference."
17. ^ "Welcome From CCCC President". Conservative Congregational Christian Conference. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
18. ^ "About Us". Conservative Congregational Christian Conference. Retrieved 2024-03-29. "Our member churches include those who are Congregational, Christian, and Evangelical and Reformed in their background, as well as independent Community churches. Our member ministers also come from diverse backgrounds."
19. ^ "Churches". The Nineveh Network. Retrieved 2024-03-29. "First Baptist Church Salem"
20. ^ "CCCC Constitution". Conservative Congregational Christian Conference. 2015. V.1. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
21. ^ "CCCC Area Pastors". Conservative Congregational Christian Conference. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
22. ^ "CCCC Constitution". Conservative Congregational Christian Conference. VIII. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
23. ^ "United Church Declares Constitution in Force". ChristianityToday.com. 1961-07-17. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
24. ^ "Groups - Religious Profiles | US Religion". www.thearda.com. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
25. ^ "2000 Religious Congregations and Membership Study". Glenmary Research Center. Retrieved 2009-12-17.
26. ^ "2015-16 Yearbook for the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-03-28.Yearbook for the CCCC
27. ^ "Church Multiplication". Conservative Congregational Christian Conference. Retrieved 2024-03-28.

## Sources

[edit]

Yearbook, Conservative Congregational Christian Conference
Handbook of Denominations, 12th edition (Abingdon Press)
Modern Day Pilgrims (2000: Foresee Publications, St. Paul, Minn.)
Foresee (official newsletter of the Conference)

## External links

[edit]

* Statement of Faith
* Article about UCC Churches joining the CCCC
* Profile of the CCCC on the Association of Religion Data Archives

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Presbyterian and Reformed denominations in the United States

Main article

United|

* United Church of Christ[a]

Continental
Reformed|

| Dutch[b]|

* Alliance of Reformed Churches
* Canadian and American Reformed Churches[c]
* Christian Reformed Church in North America
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* Heritage Reformed Congregations[c]
* Netherlands Reformed Congregations
* Protestant Reformed Churches in America
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* United Reformed Churches in North America[c]

|

German[b]|

* Reformed Church in the United States[c]

French[b]|

* Huguenot Church

Hungarian[b]|

* Calvin Synod (United Church of Christ)[d]
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Presbyterian
(Main article)|

* Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church[c]
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| Fundamentalist[e]|

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|

Black|

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Scottish[f]|

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Korean[b]|

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Congregationalist
(Main article)|

* Conservative Congregational Christian Conference
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Baptist|

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Other|

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Any of the above[g]|

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1. ^ This denomination is the result of a merger between Lutheran, German Reformed, Congregational and Restorationist churches and is such considered by some to no longer be a "Reformed denomination".
2. ^ a b c d e This refers to the denomination's heritage and not necessarily to the language in which the services are conducted in.
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Member of the NAPARC.
4. ^ This is a reformed synod within the United Church of Christ that is distinct in heritage, doctrine and practice from the rest of the denomination.
5. ^ Those are denominations spawned by the Fundamentalist–modernist controversy of the 1920s.
6. ^ Although Presbyterianism itself originated in Scotland, those denominations stand out as having a more prominent Scottish heritage and/or connection with Scottish Presbyterian denominations.
7. ^ Those denominations allow member churches to be more diverse as regards the reformed tradition that they adhere to.

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Methodist Episcopal Church

History|

* Anglican Church (in North America)
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Derivatives|

* Evangelical Association (1800)
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* Church of the Nazarene (1895)
* Pilgrim Holiness Church (1897)
* Pentecostal Holiness Church of North Carolina (1897)
* Lumber River Conference of the Holiness Methodist Church (1900)
* Kentucky Mountain Holiness Association (1925)

| Republican Methodist Church
(1792)|

* Christian Connection (1810)
* Congregational Christian Churches (1931)
* Conservative Congregational Christian Conference (1948)
* National Association of Congregational Christian Churches (1955)
* United Church of Christ (1957)

|

Wesleyan Methodist Church
(1841)|

* Church of Daniel's Band (1893)
* Fire-Baptized Holiness Church (1896)
* Missionary Methodist Church (1913)
* Bible Methodist Connection of Churches (1967)
* Bible Methodist Connection of Tennessee (1968)
* Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection (1968)

Methodist Episcopal Church, South
(1844)|

* Congregational Methodist Church (1852)
* Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (1870)
* New Congregational Methodist Church (1881)
* People's Methodist Church (1938)
* Southern Methodist Church (1940)

Free Methodist Church
(1860)|

* Reformed Free Methodist Church (1932)
* United Holiness Church (1955)
* Evangelical Wesleyan Church (1963)

* Category

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Evangelicalism in the United States

Churches|

| Baptist Family|

* Southern Baptist Convention
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|

Lutheran Family|

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Presbyterian Family|

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Pentecostal Family|

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Restorationist Family|

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Congregationalist Family|

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Holiness Family|

* Church of the Nazarene
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Keswickian Family|

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Reformed Family|

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Adventist Family|

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Nondenominational Family|

* Association of Vineyard Churches
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History|

* Azusa Street Revival
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* Fundamentalist–modernist controversy
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* Second Great Awakening
* Cane Ridge Revival
* Third Great Awakening
* Fourth Great Awakening
* Healing revival
* Los Angeles Crusade (1949)
* Revival of 1800

Thought|

* Baptism by fire
* Baptism with the Holy Spirit
* Believers' Church
* Biblical literalism
* Biblical inerrancy
* Biblical patriarchy
* Biblical womanhood
* Born again
* Christianity and abortion
* Christian Zionism
* Decision theology
* Evangelical theology
* Full Gospel
* Kingdom theology
* Quiverfull
* Second work of grace

Practices|

* Altar call
* Contemporary worship
* Contemporary worship music
* Mourner's bench
* Prayer warrior
* Revival meeting
* Camp meeting
* Tent revival
* Sinner's prayer

Forms|

* Bible church
* Megachurch
* Televangelism

Movements|

* Apostolic-Prophetic Movement
* Bapticostal movement
* Christian fundamentalism
* Evangelical left
* Exvangelical
* Jesus movement
* Post-evangelicalism
* New Apostolic Reformation
* Neo-charismatic movement
* Red-Letter Christians
* Seven Mountain Mandate
* Transformational Christianity

Institutions|

* Christianity Today International
* Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
* Evangelical Climate Initiative
* Evangelical and Ecumenical Women's Caucus
* Fuller Theological Seminary
* Moody Bible Institute
* National Association of Evangelicals
* National Religious Broadcasters
* Promise Keepers
* World Vision United States
* Youth for Christ

Major figures|

* Aimee Semple McPherson
* Billy Graham
* Billy Sunday
* C. I. Scofield
* Charles Grandison Finney
* Dwight L. Moody
* Franklin Graham
* Jerry Falwell
* Jonathan Edwards

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National Association of Evangelicals (NAE)

Member
churches|

| Anabaptist|

* Brethren Church
* Brethren in Christ Church
* Fellowship of Evangelical Bible Churches
* Fellowship of Evangelical Churches
* Missionary Church, Inc.
* Church of the United Brethren in Christ
* U.S. Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches

|

Baptist|

* Converge Worldwide
* North American Baptist Conference
* Seventh Day Baptist General Conference of the USA & Canada
* Transformation Ministries

Reformed|

* Christian Reformed Church in North America
* Conservative Congregational Christian Conference
* ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians
* Evangelical Congregational Church
* Evangelical Free Church of America
* Evangelical Presbyterian Church

Methodism|

* Christian and Missionary Alliance
* Christian Union
* Church of the Nazarene
* Free Methodist Church of North America
* Primitive Methodist Church USA
* Salvation Army
* Wesleyan Church

Adventist|

* Advent Christian Church
* Grace Communion International

Pentecostal|

* Assemblies of God USA
* Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee)
* Elim Fellowship
* International Church of the Foursquare Gospel
* International Pentecostal Church of Christ
* International Pentecostal Holiness Church
* Open Bible Churches
* Pentecostal Free Will Baptist Church
* Royalhouse Chapel International

Charismatic|

* Every Nation Churches & Ministries
* Association of Vineyard Churches

Other|

* Aspire Network
* Church of God (Anderson, Indiana)
* The Evangelical Church
* Evangelical Friends Church International
* Great Commission Churches

Other|

* World Relief
* National Religious Broadcasters
* New International Version

World Evangelical Alliance
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