The Congregational Way

What holds Congregationalists together?

Faith, Freedom and Fellowship are the three tenets of Congregationalism.  As an autonomous, local church, the members of The First Congregational Church of Ann Arbor share “a common dedication to the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free.”  It is our common commitment to each other and to our ideals, not to sameness of thinking, that holds us together and makes us one.

The individual’s relationship with God

We believe in the sanctity and responsibility of each person’s individual relationship with God. No institution, not even a church, stands between God and us as individuals. To help us strengthen our relationship with God, we have God’s grace, the Bible, prayer, worship, the accumulated wisdom of the ages, and a supportive connection with one another.

A church based upon a covenant with God and each other

From its inception, Congregationalism was based upon belief in a covenant (contract or compact) between God and people. The ancient concept is illustrated in the Book of Matthew wherein Christ says, “For when two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”  When people make a covenant together before God, they agree to form a church and provide for its faith, order, and practice. Jesus Christ is the head of the Church and a leading light in our lives. The Church has no higher human authority than this gathered community. We are locally autonomous: We govern our own ministry, hire our own clergy, and own our own property.

A church bound together by love rather than by ecclesiastical authority

A source of authority within the Congregational tradition is the Bible as interpreted by men and women of reason. As seekers, not holders, of truth, we agree to honor each other’s interpretation of the Bible. As we take individual and collective responsibility for our lives, freedom becomes a necessary precondition for religious growth and maturity.  Unconditional love binds us together.