The United Church of Christ is often noted for many “progressive” positions taken at General Synod and by the National Ministries of the UCC. As a denomination, the UCC national setting nor the General Synod speaks “for” the local congregations and other UCC settings, it speaks “to” our churches. At the last General Synod, I was able to attend a luncheon by the Faith & Welcoming Churches (FWC) of the UCC that represent the Evangelical, Conservative, Orthodox or Traditional (ECOT) UCC’s in the denomination. In my travels and visits to many of our UCC congregations in South Dakota Nebraska Iowa UCC Conferences, I find a substantial number of the churches would classify themselves as ECOT. I have invited my friend, the Rev Bob Thompson, President for FWC, and I am grateful he agreed, to share a Fast Five reflection to share the work the FWC does within the UCC. Gracias Pastor Bob for sharing your reflection this week to Nebraska Iowa South Dakota Conferences of the UCC. – Bendiciones y Paz, Rev. Roberto.
“Fast Five”
by Bob Thompson
“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scripturesregarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in powerby his resurrection from the dead….To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 1:1-4, 6-7)
Bob, retired UCC pastor and President of Faithful and Welcoming Churches, to all in the UCC’s Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota Conferences who are loved by God and called to be his holy people: grace and peace to you.
My “fast five” feels a little like the Apostle Paul writing to Rome. I’m no apostle, but as was true for Paul and Rome, I have never visited your part of the country and I only know a few of you by name. One of those I know with fondness and appreciation is your Conference Minister, Rev. Roberto Ochoa, who has asked me to tell you about Faithful and Welcoming Churches (FWC) of the United Church of Christ.
FWC is a network of UCC congregations, clergy, and laity who consider themselves “ECOT” – Evangelical, Conservative, Orthodox, or Traditional. The “or” is important. One of our General Synod FWC booth staffers told me, “I’m aught but not eke.” (It took me a minute: OT, but not EC.) These four words are used differently in various contexts, so they need definition.
Evangelical. In Nebraska, Iowa, or South Dakota, you might think first of the UCC’s German Evangelical stream. When FWC uses “evangelical,” we’re using it in the popular sense that emerged in 20th century America. Think Billy Graham. To borrow from Paul in the opening verses of Romans, Evangelicals stress the centrality of “the Holy Scriptures” and of proclaiming “the gospel of God,” which we understand as a personal and saving faith in Jesus, fully God (“Son of God”) and fully man (“earthly life”).
Conservative. In his introduction to Romans, Paul notes the continuity of his gospel with what was “promised beforehand through his prophets.” Conservatives in the church believe God is still speaking, but we must assess what we think we hear God speaking now with what God has already said in Scripture. For many people connected to FWC, “conservative” is about the desire to conserve what they believe is a biblical understanding of the worth of human life from womb to tomb and of sexuality and marriage.
Orthodox. In FWC usage, it’s not about the Greek Orthodox church. “Orthodox” refers to the historic consensus of Christianity’s most central tenets, including (but not limited to) what Paul says is critical to his gospel: Jesus’ “resurrection from the dead.” In the words of the UCC Constitution, we believe in “the faith of the historic Church expressed in the ancient creeds and reclaimed in the basic insights of the Protestant Reformers.”
Traditional. Paul calls God “Father” and “Lord,” words not as commonly used for God in progressive churches. Traditional worshipers love liturgy, hymns, and customs that reflect both the language of the Bible and their own historic practices.
Because FWC was formed in the aftermath of the UCC’s 2005 marriage equality resolution, it’s often assumed that our primary mission is opposition to the Open and Affirming movement. Not true. Nor is it true that we exist to convince everyone else to be E, C, O, or T. We organized primarily because ECOT churches, clergy, and members were at that time disaffiliating from the UCC at an alarming rate, and we wanted to give them a reason to stay. Many churches, including the one I was serving at the time, were more comfortable remaining in the denomination if they could say, “We are a Faithful and Welcoming congregation of the United Church of Christ.”
We want to give ECOTs a visible presence and positive voice in the life of the church. ECOTs are in every UCC conference and probably every UCC congregation. More UCC members (34%) choose “conservative” as their political preference than “liberal” (28%), while 32% choose “moderate.” FWC reminds us all that when we say, “No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here,” ECOTs are included in the “you” because ECOTs are already “us.”
For more, visit faithfulandwelcoming.org find us at Facebook.com/FaithfulandWelcoming or email faithfulandwelcoming@gmail.com.
Bob Thompson served as pastor of Corinth Reformed Church (UCC) in Hickory, NC, for 30 years prior to his retirement in 2023. He has served as Secretary of the Southern Conference (UCC) Board of Directors for a decade, and as President of Faithful and Welcoming Churches since its founding in 2007. He has been married to his college sweetheart, Linda, since 1978. Their three children and four grandchildren live in Hawaii and North Carolina.