Congregationalism
Congregationalism came to America in the Mayflower with the Pilgrims of Thanksgiving fame. They came searching for the freedom to worship God as conscience dictated.
Congregationalism is a covenantal and not a creedal church. The basis of church membership is the commitment each member makes to learn of and follow Jesus, not the doctrinal detail of what you believe about Jesus. Jesus is the head of the church according to Congregationalism and when Jesus is in the midst of His people and people have made a commitment to follow Jesus, there the church is. We covenant with God and each other to be Christ’s Church in the world.
We believe in the freedom and responsibility of each person to work out their beliefs in a serious manner. Our freedom of conscience is for the development of personal theology and not the avoidance of that development. Congregationalists affirm the place of a “learned” ministry as our ministers are called to be Pastors and Teachers within a given congregation.
Ultimately, Congregationalists are people of Spirit who rely upon the Holy Spirit to make Jesus Christ real in the personal and church life.