The Search for Peace in Times of Chaos—Volume t was abolished in New Hampshire in 1819 and in Massachusetts in 1833 Congregationalism participated in the organization of the in 1908 In the United States, the Congregational Christians made several overtures to other Protestant groups toward federative unions and/or organic mergers in the years before World War II In 1931, the denomination merged with a similar body, also congregational in polity, known simply as “Christians.” The Christian churches comprised a number of frontier movements that broke away from more established Anglo-Saxon denominations (namely Presbyterian, Methodist, and Baptist) because they desired less rigid requirements of doctrine and church polity/organization Adherents declared the Bible (especially the New Testament) as the sole doctrinal guide and claimed “no creed but Christ.” The Christian Church movement was part of the family of similar movements, which severed largely along liberal-conservative lines, such as the Christian Church ( ) denomination and the separatist As suggested above, confusion of the UCC with the Churches of Christ has caused substantial identity problems for both groups in some parts of the United States That being said, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) maintains full communion with the UCC In the midst of all the political involvement, Congregationalists held firmly to the notion that each local church was ruled directly by Jesus Christ as testified to in the Bible and preached to those convicted by the Holy Spirit and, thus, constituted a spiritual republic unto itself, needing no authorization from outside ecclesiastical forces Over time, this rigorous independence softened somewhat in order to facilitate a qualified and credentialed ordained ministry and to provide avenues for interchurch fellowship, as well as to enable the development of domestic and foreign mission work These developments and others led to the founding of the in 1948, of which the Congregational Christian Churches was a charter member In the 1950s, a merger with the Evangelical and Reformed Church was initiated; the resulting denomination would be called the Ǥ Since the Evangelical and Reformed Church was 101 ... qualified and credentialed ordained ministry and to provide avenues for interchurch fellowship, as well as to enable the development of domestic and foreign mission work These developments and others... movements that broke away from more established Anglo-Saxon denominations (namely Presbyterian, Methodist, and Baptist) because they desired less rigid requirements of doctrine and church polity/organization... church was ruled directly by Jesus Christ as testified to in the Bible and preached to those convicted by the Holy Spirit and, thus, constituted a spiritual republic unto itself, needing no authorization