THE CONGREGATIONAL FEDERATION

The Congregational Federation is the largest group of English speaking Congregational churches in Britain today. The Federation has churches as far north as Shetland and as far south as the Isle of Wight. The Federation was formed in 1972 following the formation of the United Reformed Church. In recent years the Federation has welcomed churches into its fellowship which were formally affiliated to the Congregational Union of Scotland. The Congregational Federation is an association of 312 independent churches with 11,771 members and 188 ministers and pastors.

AN EVANGELICAL FELLOWSHIP OF CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHES

Two Congregational ministers, Gilbert Kirby and Harland Brine, became concerned at the apparent spiritual decline of English Congregationalism and this led to the formation of the Congregational Evangelical Revival Fellowship in 1947. In 1967 with the Congregational Union of England and Wales forming itself into a national Church, An Evangelical Fellowship of Congregational Churches was formed. A statement of Evangelical doctrines was agreed and member churches of this fellowship are asked at give their assent to this Basis of Fellowship.

The Fellowship has 128 affiliated churches in all across the United Kingdom. A number of these churches have joint affiliation with the Congregational Union of Ireland or the Congregational Federation.

UNAFFILIATED CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHES CHARITIES

When the United Reformed Church was created by the union of the majority of the Congregational churches in England and Wales with the Presbyterian Church of England, about six hundred Congregational churches remained Congregational. Most of these churches affiliated to the Congregational Federation and to an Evangelical Fellowship of Congregational Churches. But with each Congregational church being independent, a number of churches did not affiliate to any continuing Congregational body. As these churches were formally in membership of the Congregational Union of England and Wales it seemed right that they should have a share in the assets of the old Union. So today a body of nine trustees administer the funds held for these churches and help the churches with grants and loans towards their work and witness. There are 68 Unaffiliated Congregational churches.

UNION OF WELSH INDEPENDENTS

The largest group of Congregational churches is the Undeb yr Annibynwyr Cymraeg or the Union of Welsh Independents. The Welsh Union has 535 member churches and 39,174 members with 270 ministers and pastors. All of these churches worship through the medium of Welsh, although some churches in Anglicised parts of Wales now use English in some of their services. The Union is currently taking part in negotiations with the other Free Church denominations in Wales to consider forming a united Free Church in Wales.

SCOTTISH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

Congregationalism emerged in Scotland at the end of the eighteenth century as the result of a revival of religion and as a protest against the formalism and authority of the general assembly of the Church of Scotland. The Congregational Union was founded in 1813.

In the 1840s a number of churches came into being in response to the preaching of James Morrison, in which he challenged the Calvinist beliefs of the Church of Scotland. These churches formed the Evangelical Union and adopted the Congregational form of church order. In 1897 the Evangelical Union and the Congregational Union merged in the first church union of modern times.

In the 20th century, moves towards organic union with other denominations increased in Scotland as they had done in England and Wales. In 1993, the Congregational Union of Scotland became the Scottish Congregational Church. As the concept of a national Congregational church is a contradiction in terms, Congregationalism being the belief that each individual church is a church in its own right, independent of other churches, about a third of the Congregational churches left the Scottish Congregational Church and became members of the Congregational Federation. In recent years since this initial group of churches joined the Federation, there have been a steady stream of Scottish Congregational churches moving their affiliation to the Congregational Federation.

In April 2000 50 of the churches in membership with the Scottish Congregational Church became the Scottish Synod of the United Reformed Church.

CONGREGATIONAL UNION OF IRELAND

The Congregational Union of Ireland consists of 32 churches, all except one, in Northern Ireland. A number of these churches are in joint membership with an Evangelical Fellowship of Congregational Churches.

INTERNATIONAL CONGREGATIONAL FELLOWSHIP

Today there are Congregational churches across the world. In many countries, Congregationalism is expanding as people come to discover the freedom and liberty which Christ offers, and express this same freedom through their churchmanship. In Canada, the United States, Argentina, Brazil and Guyana there are many thousands of Congregational churches. In Bulgaria, Greece and Portugal,there are a number of churches. The Congregational churches are growing in Korea, whilst our churches can be found in Australia, New Zealand, India, and much of Africa. The International Congregational Fellowship exists to bring together Congregationalists from all corners of the world. An international conference is held every four years. The last conference was held in York, England, in 1997, when over 250 Congregationalists from across the world met together.

THE CONGREGATIONAL LIBRARY

The Congregational Library was opened in Bloomfield Street, London in May 1831. It served as a meeting place for the Congregational Union. The Library was later moved to the Memorial Hall in Farringdon Street, and is today housed at 15, Gordon Square, London, next to the Dr. William's Library. The Library is rich in Dissenting literature and the history of Congregationalism. The Library hopes to widen its sphere of influence in the next few years through a research programme, a bulletin and seminars on Congregationalism and its contribution to the wider church.The Library currently holds an annual lecture.