The Conservative Congregational Christian Conference (CCCC or 4Cs) is an

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

Christian denomination A Christian denomination is a distinct Religion, religious body within Christianity that comprises all Church (congregation), church congregations of the same kind, identifiable by traits such as a name, particular history, organization, leadersh ...

in the United States. The denomination maintains headquarters in

Lake Elmo, Minnesota Lake Elmo is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 11,335 at the 2020 census. According to 2021 census estimates, the city is estimated to have a population of 12,899. Much of the area within the city limit ...

, a suburb of St. Paul. It is a member of the World Evangelical Congregational Fellowship and the National Association of Evangelicals.

History

The CCCC has its roots in the Conservative Congregational Christian Fellowship, which was formed in 1945 within the Congregational Christian Churches by churches and ministers who disagreed with what they perceived as an unacceptable liberal direction being taken by the majority of the denomination's members and leadership. In 1948, this group established itself as the CCCC. The CCCC was one of two U.S. Congregational Christian bodies to split from the main denomination in the decade leading up to the 1957 merger of the Congregational Christian Church with the Evangelical and Reformed Church, forming the

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Calvinist, Lutheran, and Anabaptist traditions, and with approximatel ...

(UCC). The other dissenting Congregational Christian group was the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches (NACCC), which split from the main group in 1955 over concerns about maintaining

congregational polity Congregationalist polity, or congregational polity, often known as congregationalism, is a system of ecclesiastical polity in which every local church (congregation) is independent, ecclesiastically sovereign, or " autonomous". Its first articu ...

and opposition to some national CC ethical and political stances, not over theology ''per se.''

Theology/doctrine

The CCCC espouses theologically conservative views. It opposes

homosexuality Homosexuality is Romance (love), romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romant ...

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pre ...

, and non-marital sexual activity. The CCCC holds fast to orthodox Protestant

Christian faith Christianity is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism, monotheistic religion based on the Life of Jesus in the New Testament, life and Teachings of Jesus, teachings of Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth. It is the Major religious groups, world's ...

and inerrancy is a guiding principle in Biblical interpretation carried out by ministers and teachers. Some ministers have sought to revive an interest in the study and teachings of

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become more Protestant. ...

ism; however, both Reformed and Arminian emphases may be found in the CCCC, as is usually the case with larger, more broadly-based

groups.

Practices

The CCCC admits churches of any origin that operate according to

and that subscribe to the denomination's ''Statement of Faith,'' which contains most of the tenets of conservative evangelicalism as developed throughout the 20th century. Although refusing to permit critiques concerning the main points of doctrine, the CCCC does allow for local opinion and practices in matters not pertaining to those subjects addressed in the Statement. The motto “In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty, and in all things, love” is repeated freely in CCCC circles. Member churches derive not only from the founding Congregational and Christian traditions, but also Evangelical and Reformed (former UCC member congregations), Baptist, and non-denominational heritages; most churches joining the CCCC subsequent to the denomination's founding have been acquisitions, rather than new starts.

Structure

The local church is the basic unit of the CCCC, but churches and pastors nevertheless agree to voluntarily associate with other churches of like mind. To that end, regional fellowships are established across the United States, much in the same manner as the UCC and NACCC; the role of the regional body is more similar to the NACCC than the UCC, in order to restrain the tendency toward inter-congregational authority. Moderators of each area fellowship are chosen by the local fellowship (composed of representatives from area CCCC churches and nearby CCCC member ministers). Area Representatives are appointed by the Conference Minister (who functions as the Executive Director or National Pastor for the CCCC). Area Representatives serve as local CCCC contacts, to represent the Conference Minister, and to serve as a liaison between the national organization and the area fellowships.

Statistics

As of 2005, the CCCC had 42,838 members in 275 churches. Information attributed to the 2008 '' Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches'', published by The National Council of Churches. It has experienced steady growth since its founding. As of 2000, there were congregations in 30 states. Membership is concentrated primarily in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

, New York,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, and the Midwest. As of 2010, the CCCC had 42,296 members in 298 member churches.Yearbook for the CCCC

References

Sources

''Yearbook,'' Conservative Congregational Christian Conference
''Handbook of Denominations,'' 12th edition (Abingdon Press)
''Modern Day Pilgrims'' (2000: Foresee Publications, St. Paul, Minn.)
''Foresee'' (official newsletter of the Conference)

External links

CCCC WebsiteSome Statistics on the CCCCArticle about UCC Churches joining the CCCCProfile of the CCCC on the Association of Religion Data Archives website
{{Methodist Episcopal Church Christian organizations established in 1948 Reformed denominations in the United States Congregational denominations established in the 20th century 1948 establishments in the United States Members of the National Association of Evangelicals