The Congregational Federation is a small Christian denomination in Great Britain comprising 235 congregations,[1] down from 294 in April 2014. The Federation brings together Congregational churches, and provides support and guidance to member churches both financially and otherwise.
History
The Federation was formed in 1972 from those Congregational churches which did not enter the union of the Presbyterian Church of England with the Congregational Church in England and Wales to form the United Reformed Church. The leaders at the time were Reginald Cleaves, Margaret, Viscountess Stansgate, John Wilcox and Elsie Chamberlain.[2] Margaret, Viscountess Stansgate became the Federation's first President.
The Federation was expanded in 2000 by member churches of the Congregational Union of Scotland that chose not to join their merger with the United Reformed Church.[3]
It is a member of the International Congregational Fellowship,[4] an international network of Congregational churches and their national associations. Some of its churches are also in membership of the Evangelical Fellowship of Congregational Churches.
The offices of the Congregational Federation are in Nottingham, England.
Ecumenical relations
The Congregational Federation is a member of:[5]
- Action of Churches Together in Scotland
- Churches Together in Britain and Ireland
- Churches Together in England
- Cytûn
Churches
The churches are organised into 10 geographical regions. CC stands for Congregational Church/Chapel.
Eastern
| Church | Location | Founded |
|---|---|---|
| Battlesbridge Free Church | Battlesbridge, Essex | 1836 |
| Braintree CC | Braintree, Essex | 1699 |
| Cowper Memorial CC, Dereham | Dereham, Norfolk | 1873 |
| East Bergholt CC | East Bergholt, Suffolk | 1672 |
| Guilden Morden CC | Guilden Morden, Cambridgeshire | 1841 |
| West End CC, Haverhill | Haverhill, Suffolk | 1836 |
| Hutton Free Church | Hutton, Essex | 1850 |
| Hatfield Road CC, Ipswich | Ipswich, Suffolk | 1957 |
| Worship Jesus Ministries, Ipswich | Ipswich, Suffolk | |
| Litlington CC | Litlington, Cambridgeshire | 1815 |
| Long Stratton CC | Long Stratton, Norfolk | 1821 |
| Nordelph CC | Nordelph, Norfolk | |
| North Walsham CC | North Walsham, Norfolk | 1657 |
| Old Meeting House, Norwich | Norwich, Norfolk | 1643 |
| Orsett Community Church | Orsett, Essex | 1842 |
| Ridgewell CC | Ridgewell, Essex | 1662 |
| Silver End CC | Silver End, Essex | 1929 |
| Stambourne CC | Stambourne, Essex | 1662 |
| Steeple Bumpstead CC | Steeple Bumpstead, Essex | 1760 |
| Thundersley CC (The Beacon) | Thundersley, Essex | 1908 |
| Tollesbury CC | Tollesbury, Essex | |
| Wivenhoe CC | Wivenhoe, Essex | 1672 |
| Woodham Ferrers Chapel | Woodham Ferrers, Essex | 1835 |
References
- ^ a b "Find a Church". www.congregational.org.uk. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
- ^ Team, CWM Communications (11 December 2017). "Member Church feature: Congregational Federation". Council for World Mission. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
- ^ "Introduction". The Congregational Federation. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
- ^ "International Congregational Fellowship". The Congregational Federation. Archived from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
- ^ "Who we work with". The Congregational Federation. Archived from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
External links
