The General Council of Congregational Churches in 1940 established a Theological Commission. This commission was:
| entrusted with the task of studying the Congregational Christian contributions to contemporary theological thought with a view to restating the Congregational faith in the light of present issues and interpretations. |
The Theological Commission presented a Preliminary Draft to the General Council in 1944. Some revisions were made, and the Statement of Faith was resubmitted in 1946. The Title page of the 1946 version reads, “A Statement of Faith According to the Teachings of Congregational Christians. Second Draft; Subject to Further Revision.” But there were no more drafts. Following the pattern of the Theological Commission Creed of 1883, a commission created by the national body submitted its doctrinal statement directly to the churches. However, in this case, something additional was done. Pilgrim Press published an adult study guide, written by Walter M. Horton, titled Our Christian Faith.
This Statement of Faith revealed the beliefs of Congregational Christians at that point in history. However, it has never been extensively used. Union negotiations to create the United Church of Christ were moving ahead. The new church, with its new declarations of faith, superceded the 1946 Statement almost immediately.
The following text is from the pamphlet of the same title, “Printed for the Theological Commission of the General Council of Congregational Christian Churches by The Pilgrim Press. 1946" The Capital letters correspond to the sections in Our Christian Faith, and the Roman Numerals correspond to the chapters in that work.
The Theological Commission Statement of Faith
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