Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations

Our commitment to the unity of Christ’s church is affirmed by the words of our symbol—”That They May All Be One.” (John 17:21). Itself a union of several Christian traditions, the United Church of Christ is actively engaged in ecumenical relationships that seek to heal the broken unity of the Body of Christ.

The division of the church is a result of human sin, and all Christians have a responsibility to work for the day when, as Jesus prayed, “they may all be one.” Ecumenical relations helps us to learn from the spiritual traditions of other churches. They help us to serve the world more effectively in God’s name. They remind us that while we are proud of the diversity of the Protestant traditions that have joined in our united church, there is an even greater diversity in the Body of Christ that can make us whole.

Our ecumenical commitments affect us no matter where we live and worship. They are as near as the neighboring church down the street and as far as the communities of Christians who live the Gospel in the poorest countries of Africa and Asia, the Pacific and the Americas. On these pages you will learn more about these commitments as well as the broader dialogue between Christians and the followers of other religions.     

Interfaith Relations

Our commitment to relationships with all the peoples of the earth has led the United Church of Christ to enter into dialogue with other faith traditions.

“What does it mean to profess Christian faith in a world of many faiths?” “How can I be fully a Christian and at the same time respect the faith of others?” “What does it mean to be ‘saved’?” “How do I interpret in an interfaith society verses the Bible that understands Jesus as ‘the way’?” These are questions with which members of our congregations wrestle every day.

General Synod’s commitment to interfaith dialogue is expressed in part through the Interfaith Relations Commission of the National Council of Churches. Through the NCC we have been able to connect with leaders of many non-Christian faiths. Other settings of the church are engaged in countless interfaith dialogues, projects and relationships. In many communities, UCC congregations join other churches in organizing coalitions with members of other faiths on issues of shared concern. Our commitment to understanding among faiths is also international: Many missionaries called by the Common Global Ministries Board are deeply involved in interfaith relationships—especially in societies where Christians are a minority.

In 1987 and 1989, General Synod adopted resolutions reinforcing our commitment to reconciliation with the Jewish and Muslim communities.

Links to Resources

Resource on Interreligious Relations
National Council of Churches Interfaith Relations Commission
General Synod: 1987 statement on Christian-Jewish relations
General Synod: 1989 statement on Christian-Muslim relations
National Council of Churches: Interfaith Relations [NCC website]
History of interfaith relations [WCC website]
Christian-Jewish relations [WCC website]
Christian-Muslim relations [WCC website]
Interfaith Toolkit
Guidance for UCC Committees on Ministry: UMC FAQ Document, 2019

Links to Websites of Other Faiths

Buddhanet: Buddhist Resources
IslamiCity: Muslim resources online
Judaism (Conservative)
Judaism (Orthodox)
Judaism (Reconstructionist)
Judaism (Reform) 

Ecumenical Councils and Agencies

The United Church of Christ is a founding member of the National Council of Churches, the World Council of Churches and many other ecumenical agencies and projects. The NCC and WCC began to take shape in the late 19th-century in response to the worldwide ecumenical movement.

The UCC is also a member of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches—the worldwide communion of churches in the Reformed, Presbyterian and Congregationalist traditions.

National Council of Churches [NCC website]
List of Ecumenical Councils state-by-state [PDF]
World Council of Churches [WCC website]
World Alliance of Reformed Churches [WARC website] 

UCC-Disciples Ecumenical Partnership

In 1989 the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) approved a historic partnership of full communion. The two churches proclaimed mutual recognition of their sacraments and ordained ministry.

Though remaining two distinct denominations, the UCC and Disciples have committed through their partnership to seek opportunities for common ministry, especially where work together will enhance the mission of the church.

The partnership is a unique experiment in U.S. ecumenism. In every setting of the two churches, UCC members and Disciples are serving Christ side by side. There are now more than 30 “federated” congregations affiliated with both denominations, and it is now common for Disciples and UCC ministers to serve congregations of the other denomination. The Common Global Ministries Board, formed by the UCC’s Wider Church Ministries and the Disciples’ Division of Overseas Ministries, unites the international mission work of the two churches.

Report from Ecumenical Partnership Committee
General Synod: 1989 vote on Partnership
Common Global Ministries Board website
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) website
Partnership Website [unofficial]