United Church of Christ

The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States. It is a United Protestant denomination that formed as the result of a merger of the General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches, the Evangelical and Reformed Church, and the Afro-Christian Convention, denominations which were themselves the result of earlier unions of churches in the Anabaptist, Congregational, Continental Reformed, Lutheran, and Restorationist traditions. The churches that came into the UCC through the General Council of Congregational Christian Churches can trace their historic roots back to the New England Puritans. Moreover, it also subsumed the third largest Calvinist group in the country, the German Reformed.

The General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches, Evangelical and Reformed Church, and the Afro-Christian Convention, united on June 25, 1957, to form the UCC. The UCC has approximately 4,600 churches and 712,000 members. In 2025, Pew Research estimated that 0.4 percent of the U.S. population, or 1.1 million adult adherents, self-identified with the United Church of Christ.

The UCC is known for being one of the most theologically liberal denominations in the United States. Notably, the denomination takes theological and political stances which are often very different from those of its historic predecessors. The UCC maintains full communion with other mainline Protestant denominations, and many of its congregations practice open communion. The denomination emphasizes participation in worldwide interfaith and ecumenical efforts. The national leadership and General Synod of the UCC have historically favored theologically liberal positions on issues such as gender, LGBTQ affirmation, and abortion. UCC congregations are independent in matters of doctrine and ministry and may not necessarily support the national body's theological or moral stances. Common theological traditions in the UCC include Liberal, Liberation, Progressive, Reformed, and Restorationist. The UCC self-describes as "an extremely pluralistic and diverse denomination," emphasizing Christian unity.