Proposal of a Constitutional Amendment
by way of a Preamble to the Statement of Faith
of the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference
We propose that the Constitution of the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference be amended by inserting the following words (cf. World Evangelical Congregational Fellowship Constitution, Article 4) as a preamble to the CCCC Statement of Faith:
Though we acknowledge the Savoy Declaration of Faith and Order to be the classical expression of historic Congregationalism and, therefore, a valuable guideline for Congregational churches, we affirm the following statement of faith as an adequate basis for fellowship among evangelical Congregationalists:
Rationale for the Proposal:
- The World Evangelical Congregational Fellowship, of which the CCCC is a member, identifies the WECF as “a fellowship of national associations of evangelical Congregational churches of the historic and biblical persuasion” —Article 2 (-Nature);
- The opening paragraph of the Constitution of the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference identifies constituent churches as “congregationally governed churches of historic Biblical persuasion”;
- The WECF Constitution acknowledges “the Savoy Declaration of Faith and Order to be the classical expression of historic Congregationalism and, therefore, a valuable guideline for Congregational churches” —Article 4, (Statement of Faith);
- WECF President, the Reverend A. Barry Jones, who is also a past President of the CCCC, in a feature article in Our Congregational World (November 2004) entitled “What’s in a Name?”, and under the rubric of “Evangelical,” stated the following:
This defines our theological position, in that we hold to “the faith once delivered unto the saints” (Jude v. 3), a truly apostolic faith and doctrine. As evangelicals we believe in a fixed body of truth enshrined in the Holy Scriptures and enunciated in the historic creeds and reformed declarations of the fathers (e.g. The Savoy Declaration);
- WECF President A. Barry Jones in that same article under the rubric of “Congregational” stated, "Congregationalism is a set of principles which are New Testament in origin and which re-emerged in the Protestant Reformation";
- The New Testament apostle Paul expressed his desire to hear that the Christians of Philippi were “standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel” (Phil. 1:27).
- Article 3 of the WECF Constitution affirms part of the WECF “Purpose” as “to present to the world a witness to our oneness in Christ as evangelical Congregationalists”;
- Since the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference is a national association member of the World Evangelical Congregational Fellowship, it is fitting that it echo the WECF’s constitutional witness to our Congregational heritage and the Savoy Declaration of Faith and Order in particular.
January 17, 2006
Signatures ( ):
| Rev. David A. Brand, Ohio Rev. Barry Jones, California David Williams, Texas Rev. Phillip A. Ross, Ohio Rev. Jan Kirk van der Swaagh, New York David Mckinley, Pennsylvania Rev. S. Dennis Kletzing, Pennsylvania |
Herbert Anderson, Pennsylvania Dr. Milton Reimer, North Dakota Rev. David Green, Massachusetts Rev. Edward G. Gospodinsky, Pennsylvania Rev. Mark Alvis, Illinois Rev. Gary Moore from Massachusetts |
Note: The proposal failed at the 2007 CCCC Annual Meeting.
