FCUCC-CUMC Merger Next Steps

Special Charge Conference and Congregational Meetings Sunday April 6 Following Worship

 Member Information Regarding Future Federation/Merger

The following information is designed to provide you with information pertinent to the upcoming Congregational Meeting/Charge Conference to be held on April 6.

First Congregational UCC will meet at 11:00 A.M. in the Sanctuary

Christ UMC will meet at 11:30 A.M. in the Sanctuary

Both meetings will be offered via zoom

Join Zoom Meeting : Contact Pastor Lynne for log in information

Our 18-month experiment has revealed to us:

• God has blessed us with an almost 50-year relationship
• Our unified budget is in place. 2 months in and so far, so good
• Our unified leadership (Council, boards, search and call committee) is strong
• Our unified worship services are full of joy and good energy
• Our post-worship fellowship is full and lively
• It’s time to hear from both congregations about the direction they want to go

The question before us is “Do we want to commit to formalizing our relationship into a Federated/Merged Church?” If the answer is “yes” documentation (such as articles of incorporation and/or bylaws, policies, etc.) will be drafted for approval by both congregations. The final adoption of these documents will formalize the merger/federation.

Terminology

Each denomination (UCC and United Methodist) have distinct terms for the type of union that would fit our circumstances.

United Methodist: Federation – “one congregation is related to two or more denominations, with persons choosing to hold membership in one or the other denominations.” (UM Book of Discipline Section III, Paragraph 208)

United Church of Christ: Merged Congregation – “… congregations within the UCC have merged with congregations of a different denomination. This results in a new congregation that may have standing in two or more denominations. In these cases, the congregation has the responsibility to maintain covenantal relations with each denomination to which it belongs and must fulfill the requirements to maintain good standing in those denominations.” (UCC Manual on Local Church Ministry [still in draft form], page 31)

A New Entity – both Federation and Merger would mean the creation of a new church or new entity that would serve as an umbrella organization (see graphic below). This would include a new name for the umbrella organization.

Denominational Support –Wider-church leadership from both denominations support a merger/federation.

Governing Structure – A new governing structure with representation from both congregations will be described in bylaws pertaining to the new church.

Pastoral Leadership – will be determined through the UCC tradition of search and call, engaging the UMC appointive cabinet to include their pool of available clergy. This will allow us to consider available candidates from both denominations.

Property – Work is being done to establish equal ownership of the church property and facilities to the new church. Currently, both churches own their own property. The United Methodist structure designates that the local church holds the property in trust for the United Methodist Church (denomination). There is a process through which the trust clause can be removed once there is a commitment to forming a merged/federated church. Plans are underway to engage that process. First Congregational UCC owns its property outright and can do what it wants with the property by approval of the congregation. In the Federation/Merger design, both existing churches would deed their property to the newly formed church. 

Memorial Corporation/Endowment Fund – The Memorial Corporation of First Congregational UCC and the Endowment Fund of Christ United Methodist Church would not be included in the newly formed church and would continue to relate to their respective congregations.

What if it doesn’t work? – There will be stipulations in the bylaws (and/or other governing documents) to ensure that, if for any reason the new church doesn’t succeed (closes, one congregation leaves or no longer exists, disagreement between the two congregations, etc.), property will revert to original ownership. Governing documents will stipulate how shared financial assets will be divided and returned to the individual congregations and/or denominations.

What about the current pastoral search? – The Search and Call Committee has been thorough and deliberate to ensure that information about our current process and status is included in the Local Church Profile and will be a significant part of interviews with potential candidates.

Legal Stuff – The Exploration Committee has received guidance from the Mountain Sky Conference (UM) Chancellor and is in the process of communicating with UCC General Counsel.