We are thrilled that you and your congregation are curious about becoming a part of the United Church of Christ! The purpose of this document is to introduce you to the process that will guide you, your local church and the members and friends of the UCC Association in your area and the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference in deciding if our coming together will be a blessing to God and to everyone involved. One hope and expectation of this process is the formulation of a “mutual affirmation of covenant” (don’t worry, we’ll help with that!). Our UCC is grounded in the Biblical covenants and covenantal theology that gives shape to the relationships we have with all people, the earth and with God. So, this process includes a time for Exploring, Developing, and Affirming Covenant.
This might seem a bit intimidating and overwhelming but fear not! There are several process steps but all of them are designed to create and deepen new friendships. We also want to name as many hopes, dreams, and expectations for our coming together so that the only thing that surprises us is the movement of the Holy Spirit. You will soon meet some of those new friends who will explore with you what joining the UCC entails.
We recommend that you start with the small step of checking out the United Church of Christ via the National Church website (www.ucc.org), and our Pennsylvania Southeast Conference website (www.psec.org). Then continue reading through these documents:
