Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practising Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs.

* The Congregational churches, a family of denominations known for a congregationalist form of governance

The body came into being in Seattle, Washington in 1931 by the merger of two American bodies that practiced congregational church governance, the General Council of Congregational Churches and the General Convention of the Christian Church.

The governance of the Congregational church made this provision unnecessary and probably impossible, as an independent vote was needed for each congregation.

The declaration endorsed the Westminster Confession -- except with regard to ecclesiastical organization, instead upholding the existing Congregational form of church governance followed by the pilgrims and Puritans.

In other traditions, such as the Baptist and other Congregational groups, local churches are free to hire ( and often ordain ) their own clergy, although the parent denominations typically maintain lists of suitable candidates seeking appointment to local church ministries and encourage local churches to consider these individuals when filling available positions.

The Congregational Nuns were the Congregation of Notre Dame, founded by Marguerite Bourgeoys, not the Sisters of Charity, as Monk stated at the beginning of her text ; the Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph, whose habits were black but who were not typically called " Black Nuns ", operated the Hotel-Dieu, where Monk claimed that she entered and suffered, and it was not founded by " Sister Bourgeoise "; and it was the Sisters of Charity who were commonly known as the Grey Nuns.

Some of the buildings designed by the Sugdens are as follows: the Congregational Church with its 130 ’ spire, ( now Trinity Church ), built in the Victorian Gothic Revival style ( 1863 ), Myatt ’ s Mill in Earl Street ( 1864 ), Mill Street Methodist Chapel and Ragged School ( 1870 ), the Cottage Hospital, in memory of silk manufacturer James Allsop ( 1871 ), their own houses in Queen Street, complete with monograms for William, Larner and for Larner ’ s French wife ( 1877 ), West Street School ( extended in 1881 ), the District Bank, which exhibits a strong Richard Norman Shaw influence ( 1882 ) and the Leonard Street Police Station in Scottish Baronial style ( 1891 ).

They were officially united into one congregation in 1986 and the present church follows the best traditions of both the Methodist Church and the Congregational Federation.

The Armenian Apostolic Church is one of a few apostolic churches in the world to have a democratic system ; the people decide if they want to keep priests in their churches and may ask for different ones, as do some other ecclesiastical constitutions, such as Baptists and other Congregational churches.

The buildings belonging to the model village are individually listed, with the highest level of protection given to the Congregational church ( since 1972 known as the United Reformed Church ) which is listed grade I.

The model of Congregational churches was carried by migrating settlers from New England into New York State and then into the " Old North West ," the North-West Territory, won in the American Revolution, now the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin ( and a small portion of Minnesota ).

The congregation was founded in 1729 as the " Church of the Presbyterian Strangers ", becoming independent in 1787, taking on a Congregational model.

Later in the century the dream again found expression in the lines of Katherine Lee Bates ( 1859-1929 ), daughter and granddaughter of New England Congregational ministers, in her widely sung hymn, written in 1893, `` America The Beautiful '', with the words `` O beautiful for pilgrim feet whose stern impassioned stress a thoroughfare for freedom beat across the wilderness.

The General Council of Congregational Christian Churches was formed from a merger between the National Council of Congregational Churches and the General Convention of the Christian Church, also known as Christian Churches or Christian Connection ( not to be confused with, although partially related to, the Disciples of Christ ).

Congregational discipline and conflict resolution are applied using various forms of consultation, mediation, and discussion, with disfellowship ( similar to excommunication ) being the final response to those with unorthodox practices or beliefs.

Abbott soon abandoned the legal profession, however, and after studying theology with his uncle, John Stevens Cabot Abbott, was ordained a minister of the Congregational Church in 1860.

Almost the entire population of the islands practises some religion, with three-quarters of the country either following the United Church of Christ – Congregational in the Marshall Islands ( UCCCMI ) or the Assemblies of God.

Major religious groups in the Republic of the Marshall Islands include the United Church of Christ ( formerly Congregational ), with 51. 5 percent of the population ; the Assemblies of God, 24. 2 percent ; and the Roman Catholic Church, 8. 4 percent.

The Methodist Church of Australasia merged with the majority of the Presbyterian Church of Australia and the Congregational Union of Australia in 1977, becoming the Uniting Church. Wesley Mission in Pitt Street Sydney is not only the largest parish in the Uniting Church but also strongly in the Wesleyan tradition.

Adams himself preferred Unitarian preachers, but he was opposed to Joseph Priestley's sympathies with the French Revolution, and would attend other churches if the only nearby Congregational / Unitarian one was composed of followers of Priestley.

A theological battle with the Congregational Churches resulted in the formation of the American Unitarian Association at Boston in 1825.

The school grappled with many financial problems and it was at this time that help was received from the China Congregational Church and the School Committee was enlarged to accept representatives from its new friend.

In 1866, however, though never dismissed by a council from his connection with that church, he gave up the active pastorate ; still, in 1868 he was president of the American Congregational Union.

He was eventually released on holiday and on 4 March 1883, he murdered his father, the Reverend Julius Benn, a Congregational church minister, by bludgeoning him to death with a chamberpot ( Worcester Spode ).

He was installed as pastor of the Second Congregational Society in January 1845 with a salary sufficient to meet his needs.

Brown withdrew his membership from the Congregational church in the 1840s and never officially joined another church, but both he and his father Owen were fairly conventional evangelicals for the period with its focus on the pursuit of personal righteousness.

* Penge Congregational Church, built 1912 to designs by P. Morley Horder with passage aisles and clerestory.

Surrounded by trees are Christ Episcopal Church pictured on the right, and First Church of Christ Congregational with carriage shed on the left.

The Redeemer Lutheran Church is located at the " Village Hill " area of town, with the Lebanon Bible Church and Goshen Congregational Church located in the " Goshen " area of town.

The Congregational Church is the second oldest church in the state still in use, with portions of the structure dating from 1754.

First Presbyterian replaced its building with a brick edifice in 1914, and the Methodist Church purchased the Congregational building and parsonage in 1920.

First Congregational Church, located near Town HallThere were 1, 575 households out of which 38. 9 % had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72. 6 % were married couples living together, 6. 5 % had a female householder with no husband present, and 17. 8 % were non-families.

* First Congregational Church, at 1009 Main Street, a brick and stone building from 1843 in Greek Revival style, with Italianate addition from later in the century

The current Congregational Leader is Sister Teresita Weind, elected in 2008.

Landes became the first woman to serve as Moderator of Washington's Conference of Congregational and Christian Churches and was also elected national president of the Soroptimists, a professional women's organization.

He was twice elected chairman of the Union of Welsh Independents ( in 1873 and 1875 ), and elected chairman of the Congregational Union of England and Wales in 1884, but died before his term of office was to begin.

Forty congregations elected not to join, and subsequently formed the Fellowship of Congregational Churches.

In 1833 he became minister at Windsor, in 1843 at Kensington ; in 1856 he was elected chairman of the Congregational Union.

The New Testament offered to the public today is the first result of the work of a joint committee made up of representatives of the Church of England, Church of Scotland, Methodist Church, Congregational Union, Baptist Union, Presbyterian Church of England, Churches in Wales, Churches in Ireland, Society of Friends, British and Foreign Bible Society and National Society of Scotland.

Appointed by the Corporation, the committee consisted on twelve advisors under the chairmanship of Charles Reed FSA ( son of the Congregational philanthropist Dr Andrew Reed ) who rose to prominence as the first MP for Hackney and Chairman of the first School Board for London before being knighted.