Frequently
Asked Questions
History
Organization
Ministries
Other Committees
Groups in Congregation
Role of Congregation
Members
Community Outreach
The Unique Church Family
that is United Christian Church
Relationship with
Christian Tradition
Where did the Christian
Church, Disciples of Christ come from? What is its history?
The Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ) grew out of religious movements that began on the American
frontier in
the early 1800s. These movements tried to find ways to establish
churches on
the frontier despite obstacles by denominational churches. At that
time,
denominational churches had strict guidelines for who could join their
churches
and who could serve as a minister in these churches , but these rules
did not
work well on the sparsely populated frontier. Some people, including a
number
of ministers, believed that congregations were still needed by the
settlers on
the frontier. They believed that formal education and church doctrine
were less
important than worshiping together, reading the Bible, and celebrating
Communion. Eventually two of these larger movements, led by Barton
Stone and
Alexander Campbell, merged into one movement. The congregations in the
Stone-Campbell
movement referred to themselves simply as
“Christians.” And even though they
retained their congregational autonomy, gradually these congregations
saw
themselves as part of a larger movement to unite the Christian church.
They
began to refer to their many churches as “The
Brotherhood.” Other
people referred to them as “Christians,”
“Campbellites,” or “The
Brethren.” (All of these names pop up in books and
articles about the history of the Disciples.) Over time, these
“Christian
Churches”
began organizing regional and
national meetings, sponsoring mission efforts overseas, and publishing
magazines.
In the early 1900s, representatives
of The Brotherhood were instrumental in helping to establish the
Federal
Council of Churches, even though they did not believe themselves to be
a
denominational church! This ambiguity was finally resolved in 1967,
when the Christian
Churches
met and approved a plan for
Restructure. Under this, the churches recognized three manifestations
of the
church -- congregational, regional, and general -- but they were
careful to not
create a hierarchy. They also finally established an official listing
of member
churches under a new official name: The Christian Church, Disciples of
Christ
(DOC).
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What
is the history of this congregation?
Briefly please!
This
congregation is actually a merged congregation formed from two others. The older part of the
building (the large and
small fellowship halls) was the meeting place for the original United
Christian
Church which was a
new church
established in 1957 as a development project of the Church Federation
of
Greater Chicago. The
Church Federation was
a group which took responsibility for the organized establishing of
churches in
new communities. Country
Club Hills was
designated as a “Christian Church” (now known as
Christian Church, Disciples of
Christ) area of development and as one of the earliest churches
established in
Country Club Hills served largely as a “community”
church.
The First
Christian Church of Harvey (FCC) was founded in 1892.
After a long period of service to the Harvey
community, the
members of FCC decided that their property could better serve the
community in
the hands of another organization.
In
1989, United Christian Church and First Christian Church merged and we
truly
became a “United” church.
For four
years, the congregation worshiped in the larger of the two fellowship
halls. The
pastor’s office was in the
northwest room of the building and the church office and secretary were
in the
northeast corner room. The
baptistry was
in the space between the two rooms.
In 1990,
plans were developed for the new space which contains the library, a
classroom,
the office, the cry room, a restroom, and the sanctuary. A building pledge campaign
was underwritten
and in the fall of 1993, we moved into our new building.
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Many
denominations have a hierarchy in which
some “higher up” structure has
“control.”
Is United Christian
Church (UCC) like that?
No! There is no
authoritative group which exerts
any control (decision making or otherwise) over our activities. We are completely
“congregationally governed.”
That means that we
make all of
the decisions, hopefully in prayer and with God’s guidance,
that shape the
future of UCC.
We are
completely responsible for maintaining our
building, our staff, our program, and our funding.
We, alone, are responsible for the employment
of our ministers and for the program decisions that facilitate our
Christian
service in this community.
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Sometimes
I hear reference to the Regional
and/or the General organizations of the Christian Church,
Disciples of
Christ. What are
these groups?
These are groups which provide
support to local Christian Churches
in areas of
programming and outreach. A
portion of
the money received by UCC in
tithes and
offerings is sent to these organizations to facilitate their operation. The amount of financial
support is not an
assessment nor is it a “dues” arrangement.
Our financial support of the Regional and General
ministries is
completely self-determined.
The Regional organization has as its
focus, the Christian
Churches in
Illinois
and Wisconsin. The staff of the Regional
office is available
to local congregations for consultation on various matters of interest
to the
local church. Resource
people can be
provided by the Regional office in areas such as evangelism, youth
work, men’s
work, and youth camp programs. The
Regional office coordinates the planning and facilitation of a biannual
assembly of congregations in the region for the purpose of worshiping
with
other Disciples of Christ from across the region, disseminating
information of
interest to local congregations, and to coordinating regional
activities.
The General organization coordinates
activities that
are important to Christian Churches (DOC) across the nation and from Canada. Local congregations have
agreed that there
are some programs and issues which can be best approached by the
combined
efforts of local churches. One
such
program is the missionary outreach program of Christian Churches (DOC). Another example
is the providing of health
insurance and retirement benefits for DOC ministers from around the
country and
Canada. The General organization
plans a biennial
(every two years) convention of members.
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Who
makes the decisions about the way we
function here at United Christian Church if no other group makes
decisions for us?
The group charged with decision
making at UCC is the Board. This
Board
has officers who are elected by the congregation at an Annual Meeting
in
December and serve for the next calendar year.
The officers of the Board are the Chairperson,
Vice-Chairperson,
Secretary, Treasurer, Financial Secretary, and Clerk.
These individuals are all elected for a
one-year term.
Additionally, the congregation elects
from its membership individuals to serve as Elders, Diaconate, and
Trustees. These
individuals serve for
three-year terms and elect individuals from their respective groups to
serve on
the Board.
The Board
Chairperson selects from
the congregation, members who will serve as Ministry Chairs. The eight Ministries are
Education,
Evangelism, Finance, Membership, Property, Stewardship, World Outreach,
and
Worship. The chairs
of these ministries
also are members of the Board.
Typically the Board consists of
approximately twenty-five members but the number varies from year to
year.
Decisions
that require approval by
the entire congregation in addition to the elections mentioned above
are the
calling of a minister, the annual budget, and any substantial financial
commitments or other very important decisions.
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What
do Elders, Diaconate, and Trustees do?
The most obvious duty of the Elders
is presiding at the Communion table each Sunday morning at Worship. This duty is more a matter
of tradition than
requirement. Because
we, as Disciples of
Christ, believe in the “priesthood of all
believers”, any member of the church
can preside at the Table, offer prayer for the Communion elements, and
distribute the elements.
The
Elders also have a ministry to
hospitalized and shut-in members of the congregation.
For members who have long-term
incapacitation, the Elders will take Communion to the individual. The Elders attempt to take
seriously their
charge to be the spiritual “shepherds” of the
congregation.
The
Diaconate are those individuals
who collect the tithes and offerings and who prepare, distribute, and
clean-up
the Communion elements. They
also act as
ushers at worship services, and collect visitor information sheets
following
worship services.
The
Trustees are charged with
handling the legal matters that involve the church.
Each
of these groups - Elders, Diaconate, and Trustees
- perform other duties and functions as the need arises.
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Where
do plans and programs of the church
originate and take shape?
Plans
and programs generally come from one or a
combination of the Ministries.
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What
issues does each Ministry address?
In other words, what do the Ministries do?
In the interest of brevity, only a very short synopsis of areas of
concern will be mentioned here. For more detailed
information,
just ask!
- Education
- makes plans and provides teachers for the religious education of the
members
of the church. This
ministry is most involved with the
children and youth programs of the church. The two adult
classes determine
their own direction and materials.
- Evangelism
- plans and implements programs to promote church growth through
increasing
membership.
- Finance -
supervises the collection and expenditure of funds for the church
including
program expenses and building expenses.
- Membership
- plans activities for the active engagement of the church in the lives
of its
members.
- Property -
maintains the physical structure of the church through its building and
grounds.
- Stewardship
- seeks to challenge and educate the congregation in the growth of its
financial commitment to the work of the church.
This Ministry also conducts the annual campaign to
underwrite the budget
of the church.
- World
Outreach - provides education to the congregation in areas of service,
both in
activities and financial
support of
local organizations which provide services to the community.
- Worship -
plans the order and execution of Sunday morning worship services
including
music and facilitates worship services for special days during the
church year
such as Christmas, Easter, and World
Communion Sunday.
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How are these Ministry groups
organized? How do I join one (or more) of them? Do
I have to have any special skills?
Members of the congregation, just like you, make up the membership
on these ministries. Without
you, the
work of these ministries will be nothing more than unfulfilled ideas.
Ministry
chairs are thrilled to have volunteers.
If you see a Ministry that seems especially
interesting, don’t wait for an invitation - just tell the
chair that you’d like
to help. Guaranteed! You will be welcomed with
open arms.
And no,
you don’t need any special skills.
God will provide the skills.
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Are
there other committees that perform
functions for the church? For
example, I
sometimes hear about
a Nominating Committee.
There are several groups that are formed for more specific
functions such as the Nominating Committee, Pastoral Support Committee,
Personnel Committee, and Memorial Fund Committee.
The makeup of each of these committees is
specified in our constitution. Decisions
made by any of these groups are subject to the approval of the Board.
The
Nominating Committee has the sole responsibility of
selecting and securing candidates for Board offices and expiring Elder,
Diaconate, and Trustee positions.
Final
selection of these positions is made by congregational vote at the
annual
congregational meeting in December.
The
Board has the responsibility of approving individuals to fill vacancies
in
these positions that may occur during the year.
The Nominating Committee is selected each year by the
Board Chair, and
approved by the Board. This
committee
serves a term of only one year.
The
Personnel Committee handles any issues that may arise about
contracts, contractual interpretations, and other personnel concerns
such as
salary adjustments that may occur.
Evaluations of employee performance are a responsibility
of this
committee as are issues of filling vacated paid positions of our church
staff
(except the pastor) in conjunction with the appropriate Ministry. All
decisions
of the Personnel Committee are subject to Board approval.
Another
committee, the Pastoral Search Committee, is formed
when there is a vacancy in the Pastor’s position. When such a vacancy
occurs, this congregation
is solely responsible for securing a replacement.
The Regional office of Illinois-Wisconsin
will, at our request, provide
counsel in
the pastoral selection process as well as providing names and
credential
information of potential candidates.
The
final selection and negotiating process in calling a pastor is in the
hands of
the Pastoral Search Committee. When
a
final decision has been made, the pastoral selection is presented to
the
congregation for its approval.
The
Memorial Fund Committee is responsible for acknowledging
the receipt of gifts given in memory of an individual (usually a member
or
former member of the church). The
committee also accepts requests for expenditures from that fund and
makes
recommendations to the Board for fund dispersals.
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Are
there other groups in the church that aren’t
so “task oriented”?
Yes! Indeed there
are! Several of
these groups are loosely
based on age or gender. Any
of these
groups welcome and encourage new members.
CWF, or Christian
Women’s Fellowship, has existed in our
denomination since its early years as has our local CWF. This group of women meets
in groups called
Circles with different meeting days and times to facilitate
participation by
any woman in the church. The
primary
function of each Circle is education on issues of concern to the women
of the
church and fellowship.
DMF, or
Disciples Men’s Fellowship is a group of men whose main
activity currently is two Pancake Days during the year.
The proceeds from the pancake sales are used
primarily to support work done at the Regional level for youth programs.
The Youth
program is organized to provide our youth with
activities centered on Christian education and work with charitable
organizations. The
Youth program is a
part of the Christian Education Ministry.
We also
have Sunday School classes for people of all ages from
our very young children to adults.
The
children’s classes are age specific while the adult classes
are open to all.
The
Pastoral Support Group provides support for the pastor and
serves as an advocate for the pastor.
The
Needles Etc. program provides a time for expert
instruction in various forms of needlework as well as a time of
fellowship for
the participants.
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I
like to sing, what options are available to
me? Do I have to be
a trained musician?
Second question first: emphatically NO!, you don’t have to be
a
trained musician to participate in any of the choirs.
One of
the challenges we face at United Christian Church is
that of providing music that appeals and adds to the worship experience
of each
and every person in the congregation.
That is a tall order and one that is under constant
consideration. To
that end, however, there are several
groups for voices of all ages.
The
Chancel Choir is that group which regularly provides choral
music at Sunday morning worship. This
group presents a varied repertoire which includes classical,
contemporary, and
spiritual choral music.
The Ensemble presents music on a less scheduled
basis with a
stronger emphasis on contemporary music.
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Besides
Sunday School, is there any other group
that focuses on the Bible?
Yes, there is a Bible study group which meets on a regular
(usually weekly) basis. This
group is
typically led by our pastor. The
decision on material to be considered is made by those in the group.
Occasionally,
another individual will volunteer to
provide leadership for a Bible study on a particular topic of interest.
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What
part does a member of the congregation play
aside from work as an officer or as a Ministry member?
As has already been explained (see Question 3), we are
congregationally governed which means that each member should express
concerns,
share ideas, make suggestions about congregational activities and,
generally
take part in the development of the vision and mission of the church. The minister, officers and
Ministry chairs
need the input of each and every member of the congregation so that the
program
of the church can provide meaning and purpose in the life of each
individual. Attitudes
and opinions will
vary considerably, but the intent of our church body is to provide the
most
meaningful and spiritual experience possible for each of its members.
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How
does this congregation raise money to pay
its staff and for programs?
The
vast majority of the funding of United Christian Church comes from its
members. Each year
the Stewardship
Ministry conducts a campaign to underwrite the expenditures of UCC. During this campaign,
members are challenged
to prayerfully consider their financial commitment to God’s
work through this
congregation. The
tradition of Christian
Churches
(Disciples of Christ) is to promote tithing (giving ten percent of
one’s
income). While some
members are not yet
to the point of tithing, we urge continued growth in this area. Making an estimate of
one’s financial support
to the church for the year is helpful in program planning and
facilitation. Additionally,
a pledge
represents a covenant that is more than just “what I can
afford this week”
attitude of support. We
recognize that
there are some individuals who are not comfortable with making a pledge
commitment and prefer to simply give money as they are able.
In
general, it has been the policy of this congregation to not to raise
money for
program and staff support through other organized
fund raising efforts.
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Besides
staff and program, does this
congregation distribute money in any other ways?
Yes,
any member can designate money to be spent for a particular need or
activity. This is
called “Designated
Giving” and is not used in a “General”
way toward staff salaries and program
needs.
There
are special offerings throughout the year which are collected for
specific
purposes such a Week of Compassion, Blanket and Tools Sunday, Pentecost
offering, Reconciliation, and others.
Specific information on each of these offerings is
available during the
appropriate time period.
Additionally, thirteen percent of our general giving
is used for local and world outreach programs.
Some of this money (4%) is distributed by the World
Outreach Ministry to
local organizations and the remainder (9%) is sent to our international
organization called Global Mission Finance for support of national and
international programs such as missionary efforts.
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Are
there any outreach programs through which I can
be physically involved?
Yes,
indeed! For a
number of years, our
congregation has actively supported the PADS (Public Action to Deliver
Shelter)
program in the area. This
is a program
which provides dinner, sleeping facilities, and breakfast for
individuals who are
homeless. UCC has
been designated as a site for women
(including moms with minor children).
Our church is a PADS site each Wednesday night and
Thursday morning from
middle October through middle April.
We
have on occasion had as many as thirty-five guests for the night.
Volunteers
are needed to staff four shifts from 6:00 pm to 7:00 am. Typically sixteen to
eighteen volunteers are
needed during the thirteen hours for which we provide shelter. While our church offers
shelter only on
Wednesday evening to Thursday early morning, the PADS program provides
shelter
every day of the week at other churches in the area.
Every other church in the program would be
happy to have your participation if our times do not fit your schedule. If you are interested in
joining our PADS
team, almost any congregation member can direct you to a person in PADS
leadership.
Additionally, our church also provides meeting space
for Boy Scout and Cub Scout programs.
These programs are always happy to
welcome volunteers.
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How
is this congregation “unique” or different
from other congregations?
This
is a difficult question to answer comprehensively, but let’s
mention a few
areas of “uniqueness.”
Some
of our uniqueness derives from our affiliation with the Christian
Church,
Disciples of Christ denomination.
For
example, we are entirely congregationally governed.
We have no structure above us which in any
way determines our mission, our direction, or our policies. We alone are responsible
for prayerfully
deciding the direction in which we believe God is leading us. We are responsible for the
relationship we
have with our pastor. The
pastor
initiates his time with us at our calling and departs at the time of
his (or
her) or the church’s choosing.
We
observe “believers baptism” by immersion.
We observe communion weekly at each worship service.
One
of our early Disciple founders said “no book but the Bible,
no creed but
Christ.” That
statement still describes
our belief in ultimate authority over our congregation.
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Aside
from denominational “uniqueness,” how is
this congregation different?
Perhaps
the first thing that a visitor to our church would observe is the
multi-ethnic
makeup of our congregation. There
is a
very special bond that exists between people who consciously choose to
form a
covenant relationship with those of differing ethnicities. We make a conscientious
effort to adapt our
style of worship to create a meaningful experience for all.
We
are a caring community of God’s people who respect individual
differences in
the faith journeys of our members.
We
are not threatened by questions of Bible interpretation and other faith
issues. In fact, we
welcome anyone who is seeking to
define and deepen his or her relationship with God.
We
are a congregation who cares about each and every member and attempts
to
provide counsel and support during times of personal change - both the
good
(example, graduation, marriage, and births) and the bad (example,
bereavement,
illness, and other emotional stress) times.
When a member is unable to participate in worship services
due to
illness or hospitalization, we take the worship service, particularly
communion
and scripture, to that member.
We value
our relationships with the larger church
which include the regional and national level of our own denomination
as well
as associations with congregations of other denominations.
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What
is the role of the minister at United
Christian Church?
The
minister is the primary spiritual leader of
the congregation. His
(or her)
leadership is subject to the approval of the congregation. The minister is neither a
demagogue nor a
president. The
congregation entrusts to
the minister the spiritual care and nurture of its members. The congregation looks to
its minister for
guidance and vision in areas of program development and spiritual
growth. The
minister’s service can be terminated at
either his or the congregation’s request.
The minister provides family and individual counsel to
members at times
of spiritual and emotional need. The
minister is a liaison with other churches and denominations as well as
a
representative of our church on the regional and national levels.
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Why
does United Christian Church observe weekly
communion?
As
mentioned previously, this is one of the practices of our denomination. More personally, we feel
that the sacrament
of communion is a service of remembrance and that we are requested by
Jesus in
the New Testament to remember Him each and every time we meet in
worship. It is a
personal challenge for each member to
find, each week, a changed and deepening faith to bring to the
Communion
table. We are not
the same individuals
that meet at the Table this week as those who met here last week. New experiences, new
possibilities of showing
God’s love make us different people each week -
that’s what we bring to the
Table every time we observe Communion.
It
should also be mentioned that we celebrate an
“open” Table.
That is, one need not be a
member of our church or even our denomination to share the elements at
the
Table. We believe
that the host at the
Communion Table is Jesus the Christ and as such, Jesus is the one who
invites
his believers to share the Table together.
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What
is baptism by immersion?
The
interpretation of Scripture practiced by our denomination in regard to
baptism
is that of immersion or complete covering of the entire body by water.
We
recognize any form of baptism from any Christian tradition. We ask all believers who
have not been
baptized who wish to join our congregation to be baptized by immersion. Once an individual has
been so baptized, we
do not suggest “rebaptism”.
So, if an
individual has been baptized in another congregation, we do not require
a “do
over”. Our
congregation does not
practice either “sprinkling” or infant baptism.
At the request of parents, a very young child may have a
“dedication”
service.
If
you have specific questions regarding baptism or immersion, please
speak to the
pastor.
Any
person who desires to recommit his/her life to Christ may request a
service of
rededication which may, if desired, include a service of baptism.
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What
is the role of the Bible at United
Christian Church?
Our
church does not demand that its members take
any specific stance as to the validity of the Bible.
We all believe that it is through the Bible
that we learn most about God, humanity’s relationship with
God, and Jesus. That
said, however, there are members who
accept the Bible as the inspired, inerrant Word of God (that is,
absolutely
true and not subject to any question).
And there are members who look to the Bible not as the
absolute truth,
but look for the truth in the Bible.
There are often lively discussions between these two
points of view, but
our congregation does not dictate which view its members must hold.
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How
does United Christian Church feel about
leadership roles for women and youth?
There is not a single position, elected or
appointed, that cannot be filled by any member of the church,
regardless of age
or gender (except Trustee, who for legal reasons must be at least 21
years
old). There are a
few positions, like
Disciples Women’s Fellowship officers or youth group officers
which are more
appropriately filled by women or youth but that would seem to be rather
obvious. Women have
held every elected
position and every appointed position that is available in our church
structure. And
while the merged church
(since 1989) has not had a woman minister (though we have had several
women
student ministers), there is nothing that prevents such an occurrence.
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Are
there some responsibilities that only the
minister is allowed to fulfill?
Only
the minister can perform marriage
ceremonies (a legal issue). As
far as
church functions are concerned, there is nothing that any layperson
cannot
do. Traditionally,
the Elders preside at
the Communion Table but that is only tradition, any church member can
do
it. And typically,
the Diaconate serve
the communion elements but again, tradition.
Any person in our congregation can pray in public, can
read scripture,
preach, and perform baptisms. We
believe
in the “priesthood of all believers” which holds
that it is no longer necessary
for the religious functions of the church to be performed only by the
priests
(those specifically trained and appointed by the church) but by the
laity as
well.
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What
is the role of music at United Christian
Church?
We
are a singing church and we are not timid about it.
We may not all have perfect pitch nor always
sing on key, but we all value the role of music and singing in our
worship
services. That
said, one of the
challenges we face is the incorporation of different styles of music in
our
worship services. We
are trying to find
that combination of styles which while not necessarily embraced by all
members,
is acceptable in the total worship experience. This
is an ongoing process. It
requires a spirit of acceptance
and cooperation on the part of
each member of United Christian Church.
This is a
question of ethnic significance and of age significance. Its solution will not be
easy, it will
involve struggle and acceptance of differences.
But we know that across the ages, the people of God have
always found an
appropriate way to worship God. We
must
be willing to accept and embrace changes in the way we glorify and
praise God.
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