About Faithful and Welcoming

Who We Are

Members of FWC generally describes themselves as one or more of the following: evangelical, conservative, orthodox, or traditional (ECOT). Many FWC members disclaim one or more of these labels, because we come from different traditions and perspectives. We advocate for a point of view often underrepresented and misunderstood, and sometimes maligned within denominational life.

As Faithful and Welcoming Churches, clergy, and laity, we strive to be…

FaithfulFaithful
to God our Father and Creator, to Jesus Christ, our Lord and only Savior, and to the Holy Spirit
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to the Bible as our ultimate authority for faith and practice
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to the apostolic faith declared by the Church across the years and around the world and reaffirmed in our historic traditions
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to the preservation of the family, and to the practice and proclamation of human sexuality as God’s gift for marriage between a man and a woman
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to all, as we seek through repentance and faith to do the will of God
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to fresh insight from the Scriptures that is consistent with our commitment to biblical authority
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to new ideas of how our congregations may experience health and growth to transform our world through the gospel of Jesus Christ

Objectives

FWC is an association of UCC members who consider themselves ECOT (evangelical, conservative, orthodox, or traditional). Our aims are to…

  • arrow Call ourselves and others to the founding vision of the United Church of Christ expressed in the UCC’s 1957 Basis of Union and 1961 Preamble to the Constitution.
  • arrow Promote unity in the UCC based on Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the Word of God in Holy Scripture, and the historic and apostolic faith.
  • arrow Give congregations that have withdrawn or are considering withdrawal from the UCC a reason to return or remain.
  • arrow Form networks of churches, laity, and clergy committed to the vision of FWC.
  • arrow Seek fair treatment of ECOTs (evangelical, conservative, orthodox, or traditional) who desire to gain or retain ministerial standing in the UCC.
  • arrow Provide church leaders with sound ideas and healthy ways to engage difficult conversations over faith, ethics, and denominational relations.

Strategy

Prayer. We call the church to prayer for the purity, unity, and renewal of the church.

Presence. We commit ourselves to remaining active and visible.

Persistence. While we empathize with those who withdraw, we plan to stay.

Persuasion. We will engage in patient dialogue and loving challenge at all levels.