Our Beliefs

The United Church of Christ was formed when the Congregational Christian Church, and the Evangelical and Reformed Church, merged in 1957. Both denominations grew out of the Protestant Reformation. The rich insights of our Calvinist and Lutheran heritage still shape and nourish our faith today. The Stow Community Church voted to join the United Church of Christ in 1961.

Each congregation of the United Church of Christ is autonomous and self-governing. The national bodies of our denomination speak to our churches, but cannot speak for them.

Our core beliefs are expressed in the Statement of Faith of the United Church of Christ:

We believe in God, the Eternal Spirit, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and our Father, and to his deeds we testify:
God calls the worlds into being,
creates humanity in his own image
and sets before us the ways of life and death.

God seeks in holy love to save all people from aimlessness and sin.

God judges all humanity by his righteous will
declared through prophets and apostles.

In Jesus Christ, the man of Nazareth, our crucified and risen Lord,
God has come to us
and shared our common lot,
conquering sin and death
and reconciling the world to himself.

God bestows upon us the Holy Spirit,
creating and renewing the Church of Jesus Christ,
binding in covenant faithful people of all ages, tongues, and races.

God calls us into the Church
to accept the cost and joy of discipleship,
to be his servants in the service of others,
to proclaim the Gospel to all the world
and resist the powers of evil,
to share in Christ's baptism and eat at his table,
to join him in his passion and victory.

God promises to all who trust him
forgiveness of sins and fullness of grace,
courage in the struggle for justice and peace,
his presence in trial and rejoicing,
and eternal life in his Kingdom which has no end.
Blessing and honor, glory and power be unto him. Amen.

The Stow Community Church seeks to be a welcoming community. We welcome all people who sincerely desire to worship God, and to follow Christ in their daily lives. And we welcome fresh insights from the Scriptures that are consistent with our commitment to the authority of the Bible.

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