Congregationalists trace our history back to the Pilgrims (yes those Pilgrims). We commonly express the core of Congregationalism as Faith, Freedom and Fellowship.
Faith is the foundation of the Christian life and our walk with God. God has saved us from our sins, redeemed us and called us His own. By faith, we take hold of these truths and claim the promises of Scripture as our own. “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all” (Isaiah 7:9).
The Freedom of each individual and each church to follow Christ is the distinctive part of Congregationalism. Every follower of Christ must take ownership of their own faith and follow Christ where He is leading them through His Word and His Spirit. In addition, each church is independent, self-directed and self-governing. Every Christian has been given direct access to God through the Holy Spirit, which means that the best group of people to make decisions on behalf of a local church is the members of that church.
Fellowship is essential in the Christian life. From the very beginning of the church, the fellowship of believers has been instrumental. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). No believer was ever meant to walk alone. The church is the gathered community of Christians.
