Christianity • Protestantism
102-446: Thomas Binney (1798–1874) was an English Congregationalist divine of the 19th century, popularly known as the "Archbishop of Nonconformity". He was noted for sermons and writings in defence of the principles of Nonconformity , for devotional verse, and for involvement in the cause of anti-slavery . Binney was born of Presbyterian parents at Newcastle upon Tyne in 1798, and educated at an ordinary day school. He spent seven years in
204-562: A Bible College was opened in Ruse, Bulgaria for people wanting to become pastors. At the 1876 annual conference of missionaries, the beginning of organizational activity in the country was established. The evangelical churches of Bulgaria formed a united association in 1909. The missionaries played a significant role in assisting the Bulgarians throw off "the Turkish Yoke", which included publishing
306-758: A Higher Biblical Institute that offers an official degree: "Profesorado en Ciencias Sagradas". In 1977, most congregations of the Congregational Union of Australia merged with all Churches of the Methodist Church of Australasia and a majority of Churches of the Presbyterian Church of Australia to form the Uniting Church in Australia . Those congregations that did not join the Uniting Church formed
408-683: A group of these believers adopted the name of "Congregation of Evangelical Brothers" and when they began the process of registration in the National Register of Cults, they became aware of the Evangelical Congregational Church, decided to join it, and in 1935 the North American missionary, Pastor Federico Gross visited them for an Extraordinary Assembly, where they approved their statutes with the name of "Evangelical Lutheran Congregational Church". This consolidated their union with
510-475: A missionary work started in 1995. In the first 100 years, it has spread from Entre Ríos to several provinces: Misiones, Corrientes, Chaco, Formosa, Córdoba, Santa Fe, Buenos Aires and CABA. It has spread to southern Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. It is currently present in more than 150 towns and cities in Argentina. It has a social commitment, working among the most vulnerable, deprived and marginalised. It serves in
612-463: A modern theologian" he held to be "to study the Bible, not for the sake of making or defending systems out of it, but for the sake of discovering what it actually contains." To this study he looked for the best hope of such a progressive development of Christian theology as should avert the danger arising from "the apparently increasing divergence between the intelligence and the faith of our time." He enforced
714-796: A primary school for girls in Stara Zagora . In 1871 the two schools were moved to Samokov and merged as the American College, now considered the oldest American educational institution outside the US. In 1928, new facilities were constructed in Sofia, and the Samokov operation transferred to the American College of Sofia (ACS), now operated at a very high level by the Sofia American Schools, Inc. In 1874,
816-563: A result of the migration of congregational members from the interior of the country, it was started in Rivadavia 6001 in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, in 1937 by the missionary Federico Gross. From that moment on they received pastoral care from Entre Ríos. In 1946 the missionary Otto Tiede organised the first board of directors in the Colegiales neighbourhood, when the congregation met in
918-559: A result, the number of Congregationalists is small and estimated by Paul Mojzes in 1982 to number about 5,000, in 20 churches. (Total Protestants in Bulgaria were estimated in 1965 to have been between 10,000 and 20,000.) More recent estimates indicate enrollment in Protestant ("Evangelical" or "Gospel") churches of between 100,000 and 200,000, presumably reflecting the success of more recent missionary efforts of evangelical groups. In Canada,
1020-564: A tall pink granite obelisk, can still be seen near to that of William Booth , close to Church Street. Among his many books and numerous collections of sermons, published throughout his life, are: Attribution: Congregational church Congregationalism (also Congregationalist churches or Congregational churches ) is a Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government . Each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs. These principles are enshrined in
1122-650: A third volume of his History of the Jewish Church , a volume on the Church of Scotland , another of Addresses and Sermons preached in America , "Essays Chiefly on Questions of Church and State from 1850 to 1870 (1870) and Christian Institutions : Essays on Ecclesiastical Subjects (1881), the last two collections some would consider still very relevant today. He was continually engaged in theological controversy, although courteously, and, by his advocacy of all efforts to promote
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#17328557247341224-670: Is a Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity that enjoins a church polity in which congregations are self-governing (cf. congregational polity ). Through the years, Congregationalists have adopted various confessional statements , including the Savoy Declaration , the Cambridge Platform and the Kansas City Statement of Faith . Unlike Presbyterians, Congregationalists practise congregational polity (from which they derive their name), which holds that
1326-506: Is a priest and ... every seeking child of God is given directly wisdom, guidance, power". Consequently, there is an absence of godparents , since the whole congregation is the godparent to all the children in the church. Congregationalists have two sacraments: baptism and the Lord's Supper . Congregationalists practise infant baptism , but hold that ".. there is no distinction between "infant baptism" and "believer's baptism"." The Lord's Supper
1428-638: Is normally celebrated once or twice a month. Congregationalists do not invoke the intercession of saints . Certain Congregationalist hymns that have become popular across Christendom include When I Survey the Wondrous Cross and Hark the Glad Sound . The origins of Congregationalism are found in 16th-century Puritanism , a movement that sought to complete the English Reformation begun with
1530-727: The Mayflower , establishing the Plymouth Colony and bringing the Congregational tradition to America. In 1639 William Wroth , then Rector of the parish church at Llanvaches in Monmouthshire , established the first Independent Church in Wales "according to the New England pattern", i.e. Congregational. The Tabernacle United Reformed Church at Llanvaches survives to this day. During
1632-673: The Anti-slavery Society of Canada , a time when there was a vast influx of escaped slaves from the United States seeking refuge in the British colony, he brought letters of introduction to Binney, planning to seek help initially from fellow Congregationalists in London such as Binney, James Sherman and Josiah Conder. Binney later became the biographer of Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton , a leading parliamentary abolitionist . He continued to discharge
1734-636: The Cambridge Platform (1648) and the Savoy Declaration (1658), Congregationalist confessions of faith . The Congregationalist Churches are a continuity of the theological tradition upheld by the Puritans . Their genesis was through the work of Congregationalist divines Robert Browne , Henry Barrowe , and John Greenwood . In the United Kingdom, the Puritan Reformation of the Church of England laid
1836-592: The Cape Colony by British settlers. The Congregational Union of England and Wales was established in 1831. It had no authority over the affiliated churches, but instead aimed to advise and support them. In 1972, about three-quarters of English Congregational churches merged with the Presbyterian Church of England to form the United Reformed Church (URC). However, about 600 Congregational churches have continued in their historic independent tradition. Under
1938-639: The English Civil War , those who supported the Parliamentary cause were invited by Parliament to discuss religious matters. The Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) was officially claimed to be the statement of faith for both the Church of England (Anglican/Episcopal) and Church of Scotland (Presbyterian), which was politically expedient for those in the Presbyterian dominated English Parliament who approved of
2040-638: The Evangelical Fellowship of Congregational Churches , which has offices in Beverley, and about 100 Congregational churches that are loosely federated with other congregations in the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches , or are unaffiliated. The unaffiliated churches' share of the assets of the Congregational Union/Church of England and Wales is administered by a registered charity ,
2142-634: The Fellowship of Congregational Churches or continued as Presbyterians. Some more ecumenically minded Congregationalists left the Fellowship of Congregational Churches in 1995 and formed the Congregational Federation of Australia . Congregationalists (called "Evangelicals" in Bulgaria ; the word "Protestant" is not used ) were among the first Protestant missionaries to the Ottoman Empire and to
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#17328557247342244-483: The Miss Stone Affair when missionary Ellen Maria Stone, of Roxbury, Massachusetts, and her pregnant fellow missionary friend Macedonian-Bulgarian Katerina Stefanova–Tsilka, wife of an Albanian Protestant minister, were kidnapped while traveling between Bansko and Gorna Dzhumaya (now Blagoevgrad ), by an Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization detachment led by the voivoda Yane Sandanski and
2346-583: The Newdigate Prize for an English poem ( The Gypsies ), he was in 1839 elected a Fellow of University College and the same year took holy orders . In 1840 he travelled in Greece and Italy and on his return settled at Oxford , where for ten years, he was tutor of his college and an influential element in university life. His relationship with his pupils was close and affectionate, and the charm of his character won him friends on all sides. His literary reputation
2448-655: The Solemn League and Covenant (1643). After the Second Civil War , the New Model Army which was dominated by Congregationalists (or Independents ) seized control of the parliament with Pride's purge (1648), arranged for the trial and execution of Charles I in January 1649 and subsequently introduced a republican Commonwealth dominated by Independents such as Oliver Cromwell . This government lasted until 1660 when
2550-655: The United Reformed Church Act 1972 (c. xviii), which dealt with the financial and property issues arising from the merger between what had become by then the Congregational Church of England and Wales and the Presbyterian Church of England , certain assets were divided between the various parties. In England, there are three main groups of continuing Congregationalists. These are the Congregational Federation , which has offices in Nottingham and Manchester,
2652-632: The monarch was restored and Episcopalism was re-established (see the Penal Laws and Great Ejection ). In 1662, two years after the Restoration, two thousand Independent, Presbyterian, and congregational ministers were evicted from their parishes as dissenters and not being in Holy Orders conferred by bishops. In 1658 (during the interregnum ) the Congregationalists created their own version of
2754-413: The "essential and supernatural" elements of religion, he reserved for its moral and spiritual truths, "its chief evidence and chief essence," "the truths to be drawn from the teaching and from the life of Christ," in whose character he did not hesitate to recognise "the greatest of all miracles." He insisted on the essential points of union between various denominations of Christians. He was an advocate of
2856-818: The Act of Uniformity and carrying out in some degree Stanley's proposals was passed in the year 1865. In 1862, Stanley, at Queen Victoria 's wish, accompanied the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII ) on a tour in Egypt and Palestine. The following year, the Queen appointed him Deputy Clerk of the Closet . In June 1863, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society as The Author of – Life of Doctor Arnold – Historical Memorials of Canterbury – Syria and Palestine in connexion with their History – Lectures on
2958-501: The Church of England and outside of it. Puritans who left the established church were known as Separatists . Congregationalism may have first developed in the London Underground Church under Richard Fitz in the late 1560s and 1570s. The Congregational historian Albert Peel argued that it was accepted that the evidence for a fully thought out congregational ecclesiology is not overwhelming. Robert Browne (1550–1633)
3060-430: The Church of England, by the very condition of its being, was not High or Low, but Broad, and had always included and been meant to include, opposite and contradictory opinions on points even more important than those at present under discussion". It was not only in theoretical but also in academic matters that his sympathies were on the liberal side. He was greatly interested in university reform and acted as secretary to
3162-705: The Congregational Federation. Wales traditionally is the part which has the largest share of Congregationalists among the population, most Congregationalists being members of Undeb yr Annibynwyr Cymraeg (the Union of Welsh Independents ), which is particularly important in Carmarthenshire and Brecknockshire . The London Missionary Society was effectively the world mission arm of British Congregationalists, sponsoring missionaries including Eric Liddell and David Livingstone . After mergers and changes of name,
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3264-620: The Eastern Churches – and Lectures on the Jewish Churches The collected Works of Dean Stanley take up 32 bound volumes. Stanley was a candidate to succeed as Archbishop of Dublin following the death of Richard Whately in October 1863, but was rejected by the Church of Ireland . Richard Chenevix Trench , the Dean of Westminster, was appointed instead, and towards the close of 1863, Stanley
3366-796: The Epistles to the Corinthians (1855). In the winter and the spring of 1852–1853, he made a tour in Egypt and the Holy Land , the result of which was his well-known volume on Sinai and Palestine (1856). In 1857, he travelled in Russia and collected much of the materials for his Lectures on the Eastern Orthodox Church (1861). The book of the lectures, "History of the Eastern Church", contained an argument for
3468-434: The IEC of Argentina. In other cities of Misiones the Congregational work began in Oberá in the 1930s, in San Francisco de Asís a work began with believers from Brazil in 1935, in Dos de Mayo since 1945, in Valle Hermoso a group of Lutheran origin joined the Evangelical Congregational Church in 1949, in El Soberbio since 1950, in San Vicente since 1966, in Posadas since 1970 and later many more congregations. In Buenos Aires, as
3570-478: The Methodist Church on the region north of the Balkan Mountains (Stara Planina, or "Old Mountains"). In 1857, Cyrus Hamlin and Charles Morse established three missionary centres in southern Bulgaria – in Odrin ( Edirne , former capital city of the Ottoman Empire, in Turkey), Plovdiv and Stara Zagora . They were joined in 1859 by Russian-born naturalized America Frederic Flocken in 1859. American Presbyterian minister Elias Riggs commissioned, supported and edited
3672-411: The National level. The Congregational Union of Ireland was founded in 1829 and currently has around 26 member churches. In 1899 it absorbed the Irish Evangelical Society. The Congregational Christian Church of Samoa is one of the largest group of churches throughout the Pacific Region. It was founded in 1830 by the London Missionary Society missionary John Williams on the island of Savai'i in
3774-448: The Northwestern part of the European Ottoman Empire which is now Bulgaria, where their work to convert these Orthodox Christians was unhampered by the death penalty imposed by the Ottomans on Muslim converts to Christianity. These missionaries were significant contributors to the Bulgarian National Revival movement. Today, Protestantism in Bulgaria represents the third largest religious group, behind Orthodox and Muslim. Missionaries from
3876-420: The Pacific region. It has been introduced either by immigrant dissenters or by missionary organizations such as the London Missionary Society . A number of evangelical Congregational churches are members of the World Evangelical Congregational Fellowship . Congregationalism, as defined by the Pew Research Center , is estimated to represent 0.5 percent of the worldwide Protestant population. Congregationalism
3978-508: The Puritans of New England , who wrote the Cambridge Platform of 1648 to describe the autonomy of the church and its association with others. Within the United States, the model of Congregational churches was carried by migrating settlers from New England into New York , then into the Old Northwest , and further. The Congregationalist tradition has a presence in the United States, the United Kingdom, Argentina, Ireland, Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and various island nations in
4080-463: The Society was succeeded in 1977 by the worldwide Council for World Mission . In the United States, the Congregational tradition traces its origins mainly to Puritan settlers of colonial New England . Congregational churches have had an important role in the political, religious and cultural history of the United States. Their practices concerning church governance influenced the early development of democratic institutions in New England, and some of
4182-461: The Sovereign, by other members of the Royal Family, by representatives of the three Estates of the Realm, of the Cabinet Ministers, the literature, arts, science, and religion of the country, and by a large concourse of the working-men of Westminster—the majority mourning for one who had been their personal friend. The coffin was covered with memorials and expressions of regret from high and low in England, Scotland, France, Germany, and America, and from
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4284-450: The Unaffiliated Congregational Churches Charities, which supports the unaffiliated churches and their retired ministers. In 1981, the United Reformed Church merged with the re-formed Association of Churches of Christ and, in 2000, just over half of the churches in the Congregational Union of Scotland also joined the United Reformed Church (via the United Reformed Church Act 2000 ). The remainder of Congregational churches in Scotland joined
4386-461: The United States and in Canada. The South American Germans from Russia had learned about Congregationalism in letters from relatives in the United States. In 1924 general missionary John Hoelzer, while in Argentina for a brief visit, organised six churches. In the province of Entre Ríos , congregations began to join the Evangelical Congregational Church in Crespo . Information indicates that since 1923 there were activities in private homes and in 1928
4488-436: The United States first arrived in 1857–58, sent to Istanbul by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM). The ABCFM was proposed in 1810 by the Congregationalist graduates of Williams College, MA, and was chartered in 1812 to support missions by Congregationalists, Presbyterian (1812–1870), Dutch-Reformed (1819–1857) and other denominational members. The ABCFM focused its efforts on southern Bulgaria and
4590-690: The West and hence more politically dangerous than traditional Orthodox Christianity. This prompted repressive legislation in the form of "Regulations for the Organization and Administration of the Evangelical Churches in the People's Republic of Bulgaria" and resulted in the harshest government repression, possibly the worst in the entire Eastern Bloc , intended to extinguish Protestantism altogether. Mass arrests of pastors (and often their families), torture, long prison sentences (including four life sentences) and even disappearance were common. Similar tactics were used on parishioners. In fifteen highly publicized mock show-trials between 8 February and 8 March 1949, all
4692-501: The Westminster Confession, called the Savoy Declaration , which remains the principal subordinate standard of Congregationalism. The mission to Argentina was the second foreign field tended by German Congregationalists. The work in South America began in 1921 when four Argentine churches urgently requested that denominational recognition be given to George Geier, serving them. The Illinois Conference licensed Geier, who worked among Germans from Russia who were very similar to their kin in
4794-413: The abbey pulpit, especially to the evening services in the nave. His personal influence, already unique, was much increased by his removal to London. His circle of friends included men of every denomination, every class and almost of every nation. He was untiring in literary work, and though that consisted very largely of occasional papers, lectures, articles in reviews, addresses, and sermons, it included
4896-430: The accused pastors confessed to a range of charges against them, including treason, spying (for both the US and Yugoslavia), black marketing, and various immoral acts. State appointed pastors were foisted on surviving congregations. As late as the 1980s, imprisonment and exile were still employed to destroy the remaining Protestant churches. The Congregationalist magazine "Zornitsa" was banned; Bibles became unobtainable. As
4998-435: The agitation led by the High Church Party in 1836 against the appointment of R. D. Hampden to the Regius professorship of divinity. During the long controversy that followed the publication in 1841 of Tract 90 and ended in the withdrawal of John Henry Newman from the Church of England , he used all his influence to protect from formal condemnation the leaders and tenets of the "Tractarian" party. In 1847, he resisted
5100-470: The aid of others, and threw himself with characteristic energy and entire success into the task of rescuing from neglect and preserving from decay the treasure of historic monuments in which Westminster Abbey is so rich. In 1865, he published his Memorials of Westminster Abbey , a work which, despite occasional inaccuracies, is a mine of information. He was a constant preacher and gave a great impulse to Trench 's practice of inviting distinguished preachers to
5202-459: The apostolic claims of the Church of Abyssinia. His Memorials of Canterbury (1855), displayed the full maturity of his power of dealing with historical events and characters. He was also examining chaplain to Bishop A. C. Tait , his former tutor. At the close of 1856 Stanley was appointed Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Oxford, a post that, with the attached canonry at Christ Church , he held until 1863. He began his treatment of
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#17328557247345304-411: The bookseller, he entered the theological school of Wymondley College , Hertfordshire. In 1829, after short pastorates at Bedford (New Meeting) and Newport, Isle of Wight , he accepted a call to the historic King's Weigh House Chapel, London in succession to the elder John Clayton . Here he became very popular, and it was found necessary to build a much larger chapel on Fish Street Hill, to which
5406-502: The church "El Buen Pastor", which was lent to them by the Disciples of Christ. In 1947, Pastor Ludwig Serfas became the first local pastor, with residence in Olivos, and it was decided to build the first church in Villa Ballester, which was inaugurated in 1950. The Evangelical Congregational Church spread to Córdoba in 1972, with itinerant missionary work from Basavilbaso (Entre Ríos). In the province of Santa Fe from 1980, from Paraná (Entre Ríos). In Corrientes (capital) from 1982 and in CABA
5508-592: The church by abolishing all remaining Catholic practices, such as clerical vestments, wedding rings, organ music in church, kneeling at Holy Communion , using the term priest for a minister, bowing at the name of Jesus, and making the sign of the cross in baptism and communion. Many Puritans believed the Church of England should follow the example of Reformed churches in other parts of Europe and adopt presbyterian polity , in which an egalitarian network of local ministers cooperated through regional synods . Other Puritans experimented with congregational polity both within
5610-968: The congregation as a whole should govern the church: "The meetings together… of every whole church, and of the elders therein, is above the apostle, above the prophet, the evangelist, the pastor, the teacher, and every particular elder" and "The voice of the whole people, guided by the elders and the forwardest, is said [in Scripture] to be the voice of God". While each church would be independent, separate churches would still come together to discuss matters of common concern. Short lifespans were typical of Separatist churches (also known as Brownist congregations). These were small congregations who met in secret and faced persecution. They were often forced to go into exile in Holland and tended to disintegrate quickly. Notable Separatists who faced exile or death included Henry Barrow ( c. 1550 –1593), John Greenwood (died 1593), John Penry (1559–1593), Francis Johnson (1563–1618), and Henry Ainsworth (1571–1622). In
5712-445: The congregation removed. Its eminent members included Samuel Morley MP as well as William Hone and members of his family. Binney laid the foundation stone of the new chapel himself, in 1834. An address delivered on the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone, published with an appendix containing a strong attack on the influence of the Church of England , gave rise to a long and bitter controversy. Throughout his career Binney
5814-412: The connection between Church and State. By this he understood: (1) "the recognition and support on the part of the state of the religious expression of the faith of the community," and (2) "that this religious expression of the faith of the community on the most sacred and most vital of all its interests should be controlled and guided by the whole community through the supremacy of law." At the same time he
5916-543: The containment of families in the most varied contexts. With specific programmes for children, adolescents, young people, married couples and the elderly. With presence in formal and informal education, training and instructing people of all ages, in arts and crafts, in values and principles that make solidarity, human rights, and a better quality of life for all, according to the possibilities and opportunities. With canteens and picnic areas, with an integral pastoral care, which includes accompaniment in hospitals and prisons. It has
6018-443: The duties of the ministry until 1869, when he resigned. In 1845 he paid a visit to Canada and the United States, and in 1857–1859 to the Australian colonies. The University of Aberdeen conferred the LL.D. degree on him in 1852, and he was twice chairman of the Congregational Union of England and Wales . Binney pioneered changes to the forms of service in Nonconformist churches, and gave a special impulse to congregational psalmody by
6120-447: The duty "of placing in the background whatever was accidental, temporary or secondary, and of bringing into due prominence what was primary and essential." In the former group Stanley would have placed all questions connected with Episcopal or Presbyterian orders, or that deal only with the outward forms or ceremonies of religion, or with the authorship or age of the books of the Old Testament . The foremost and highest place, that of
6222-416: The early 1600s, a Separatist congregation in Scrooby was founded through the efforts of John Smyth (who later rejected infant baptism and became a founder of the Baptist movement). John Robinson was the congregation's pastor and William Brewster was an elder . In 1607, the congregation moved to Holland fleeing persecution. In 1620, the group (known in history as the Pilgrims ) sailed to North America on
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#17328557247346324-405: The employment of George Angus , bookseller and printer of The Side, Newcastle. A fellow apprentice, Robert Emery wrote his song about "The Great Frost on the River Tyne" which had caused the River Tyne to freeze over during January and February 1814; Binney is credited by Thomas Allan , in his Illustrated Edition of Tyneside Songs and Readings with finishing off the song. After his time with
6426-417: The essential features of Congregationalism. Browne argued for a church only of genuine, regenerate believers and criticized the Anglicans for including all English people within their church. The congregation should choose its own leaders, and the ministers should be ordained by the congregation itself not by bishops or fellow ministers. Each congregation should be founded on a written church covenant , and
6528-406: The existence of the Evangelical Congregational Church, they contacted and invited the North American missionary Guillermo Strauch to visit them. This took place on August 25, 1928, when the first service was held and as a result of the meeting they decided to join the I. E. C. The following year, their first church was inaugurated. Due to a great drought, in 1945 this church had to close its doors, and
6630-622: The families emigrated to Villa Ángela, Coronel Du Graty or Santa Sylvina, in the province of Chaco, or to El Colorado, in Formosa. In each of these places, new faith communities emerged from the relocation of members of Colonia Palmar. In Villa Ángela, the first church was actually established in Colonia Juan José Paso in 1947, and two years later the first church was inaugurated. In Coronel Du Graty, it originated from prayer meetings in 1947 (with those who came from Colonia Palmar) in "Campo Ugarte" and "Campo Ñandubay". Later they joined together to build their own place for worship, which happened in 1954. In
6732-426: The first foreign field, thirty-one churches that had been affiliated with the General Conference became part of the United Church of Canada when that denomination was founded in 1925 by the merger of the Canadian Congregationalist and Methodist churches, and two-thirds of the congregations of the Presbyterian Church in Canada . In 1988, a number of UCC congregations separated from the national church, which they felt
6834-428: The first pastoral house was inaugurated, in San Salvador from 1928, in Concordia, from 1929–1930, in Federal from 1934, in Paraná since the 1940's. In Concepción del Uruguay since 1942. Basavilbaso from 1944. Gualeguaychú from 1950. And then many more followed. In the province of Chaco, immigrants from Germany, Russia and neighbouring areas settled in Colonia Palmar, between Charata and General Pinedo. When they heard about
6936-619: The first two weeks. Congregational churches were established in Bansko , Veliko Turnovo , and Svishtov between 1840 and 1878, followed by Sofia in 1899. By 1909, there were 19 Congregational churches, with a total congregation of 1,456 in southern Bulgaria offering normal Sunday services, Sunday schools for children, biblical instruction for adults; as well as women's groups and youth groups. Summer Bible schools were held annually from 1896 to 1948. Congregationalists led by James F. Clarke opened Bulgaria's first Protestant primary school for boys in Plovdiv in 1860, followed three years later by
7038-415: The foundation for these churches. In England , the early Congregationalists were called Separatists or Independents to distinguish them from the similarly Calvinistic Presbyterians , whose churches embrace a polity based on the governance of elders ; this commitment to self-governing congregations was codified in the Savoy Declaration. Congregationalism in the United States traces its origins to
7140-464: The magazine Zornitsa (Зорница, "Dawn"), founded in 1864 by the initiative of Riggs and Long. Zornitsa became the most powerful and most widespread newspaper of the Bulgarian Renaissance. A small roadside marker on Bulgarian Highway 19 in the Rila Mountains, close to Gradevo commemorates the support given the Bulgarian Resistance by these early Congregationalist missionaries. On 3 September 1901 Congregationalist missionaries came to world attention in
7242-438: The media at the time, the event has been often dubbed "America's first modern hostage crisis". The Bulgarian royal house, of Catholic German extraction, was unsympathetic to the American inspired Protestants, and this mood became worse when Bulgaria sided with Germany in WWI and WWII. Matters became much worse when the Bulgarian Communist Party took power in 1944. Like the royal family, it too saw Protestantism closely linked to
7344-427: The members of a local church have the right to decide their church's forms of worship and confessional statements, choose their own officers and administer their own affairs without any outside interference. Congregationalist polity is rooted in a foundational tenet of Congregationalism: the priesthood of all believers . According to Congregationalist minister Charles Edward Jefferson , this means that "Every believer
7446-574: The members of the Armenian Church. He rests in the same grave with his beloved wife, in the Abbey which he loved so dearly, which he cherished as 'the likeness of the whole English Constitution,' for the care and illustration of which he laboured unceasingly, and with which his name will always be associated." Stanley, Arthur Penrhyn (1815–1881). Historical memorials of Westminster Abbey ; with illustrations , London : John Murray, 1886. Stanley
7548-431: The most essential of all—the universality of the divine love, the supreme importance of the moral and spiritual elements of religion, the supremacy of conscience, the sense of the central citadel of Christianity as being contained in the character, the history, the spirit of its divine Founder—have impressed themselves more and more on the teaching and the preaching in the Church. According to William Archer , Dean Stanley
7650-572: The movement set on foot at Oxford against Hampden's appointment to the bishopric of Hereford . Finally, in 1850, in an article published in the Edinburgh Review in defence of the Gorham judgment , he asserted two principles that he maintained to the end of his life: first, "that the so-called supremacy of the Crown in religious matters was in reality nothing else than the supremacy of law, and, secondly, that
7752-858: The nation's oldest educational institutions, such as Harvard and Yale University , were founded to train Congregational clergy. In the 21st century, the Congregational tradition is represented by the United Church of Christ , the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches , Conservative Congregational Christian Conference , the Evangelical Association and many unaffiliated local churches. Some congregations and denominations are conservative on social issues, (e.g. CCCC ) while others are liberal (e.g. UCC ). Arthur Penrhyn Stanley Arthur Penrhyn Stanley , FRS (13 December 1815 – 18 July 1881) known as Dean Stanley ,
7854-606: The opening of college fellowships and scholarships to competition by the removal of local and other restrictions, the non-enforcement at matriculation of subscription to the Thirty-nine Articles and various steps for increasing the usefulness and influence of the professorship. Before the report was issued, Stanley was appointed to a canonry in Canterbury Cathedral . During his residence there, he published his Memoir of his father (1851), and completed his Commentary on
7956-530: The province of Misiones, in Leandro N. Alem and the surrounding area, immigrants from Poland, Germany and Brazil began to arrive between 1929 and 1938. Although their economic condition was precarious, they were rich in their desire to work, to progress and in their spirituality. They began to hold prayer meetings, and faith communities were formed in Alem Sud, Picada Almafuerte and Picada Flor (Colonia El Chatón). In 1932
8058-969: The publication of a book entitled The Service of Song in the House of the Lord . Of numerous other works the best-known is his Is it Possible to Make the Best of Both Worlds? , an expansion of a lecture delivered to young men in Exeter Hall, which attained a circulation of 30,000 copies within a year of its publication. He wrote much devotional verse, including the well-known hymn "Eternal Light! Eternal Light!" Binney preached his last sermon in November 1873. After some months of suffering, he died on 24 February 1874. Arthur Penrhyn Stanley assisted at his funeral service in Abney Park Cemetery , Stoke Newington , London, where his monument,
8160-553: The revisers of the translation of the Bible, including a Unitarian among other Nonconformists . Still stronger was the feeling caused by his efforts to make the recital of the Athanasian Creed optional instead of imperative in the Church of England. In 1874 he spent part of the winter in Russia, where he went to take part in the marriage of Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and the Grand Duchess Marie. Stanley lost his wife in
8262-403: The royal commission appointed in 1850. Of the important changes in administration and education which were ultimately carried out, Stanley, who took the principal share in drafting the report printed in 1852, was a strenuous advocate. The changes included the transference of the initiative in university legislation from the sole authority of the heads of houses to an elected and representative body,
8364-702: The second and third of his Essays on Church and State (1870). The result of his action was to alienate the leaders of the High Church party, who had endeavoured to procure the formal condemnation of the views advanced in Essays and Reviews . In 1863, he published a Letter to the Bishop of London , advocating a relaxation of the terms of clerical subscription to the Thirty-nine Articles and the Book of Common Prayer . An act amending
8466-648: The separation of the Church of England from the Catholic Church during the reign of Henry VIII (1509–47). During the reign of Elizabeth I (1558–1603), the Church of England was considered a Reformed or Calvinist church, but it also preserved certain characteristics of medieval Catholicism, such as cathedrals , church choirs , a formal liturgy contained in the Book of Common Prayer , traditional clerical vestments and episcopal polity (government by bishops ). The Puritans were Calvinists who wanted to further reform
8568-464: The social, moral and religious amelioration of the poorer classes and his chivalrous courage in defending those whom he held to be unjustly denounced, undoubtedly incurred opposition from some in influential circles. Among the causes of offence might be enumerated not only his vigorous defence of one from whom he differed to some extent, Bishop Colenso , but his invitation to the Holy Communion of all
8670-485: The spot, and the windows (destroyed 1939–45) in the chapter-house of the abbey, one of them a gift from Queen Victoria, were a tribute to his memory from friends of every class in England and America. A description of his funeral service, on 25 July, is given in a footnote to Historical memorials of Westminster Abbey : "Arthur Penrhyn Stanley (author of this volume) ... was followed by the Prince of Wales, as representative of
8772-507: The spring of 1876, a blow from which he never entirely recovered. In 1878, he became interested by a tour in America and in the following autumn visited for the last time northern Italy and Venice . In the spring of 1881 he preached funeral sermons in the abbey on Thomas Carlyle and Benjamin Disraeli and concluded with the latter a series of sermons preached on public occasions. In the summer, he
8874-566: The sub-voivodas Hristo Chernopeev and Krǎstyo Asenov and ransomed to provide funds for revolutionary activities. Eventually, a heavy ransom (14,000 Ottoman lira (about US$ 62,000 at 1902 gold prices or $ 5 million at 2012 gold prices) raised by public subscription in the USA was paid on 18 January 1902 in Bansko and the hostages (now including a newborn baby) were released on 2 February near Strumica —a full five months after being kidnapped. Widely covered by
8976-526: The subject with "the first dawn of the history of the church", the call of Abraham , and published the first two volumes of his History of the Jewish Church in 1863 and 1865. From 1860 to 1864 academic and clerical circles were agitated by the storm which followed the publication of Essays and Reviews , a volume to which two of his most valued friends, Benjamin Jowett and Frederick Temple , had been contributors. Stanley's part in this controversy may be studied in
9078-547: The village of Sapapali'i. As the church grew it established and continues to support theological colleges in Samoa and Fiji. There are over 100,000 members attending over 2,000 congregations throughout the world, most of which are located in Samoa, American Samoa, New Zealand, Australia and America. The Christian Congregational Church of Jamaica falls under the constitution of the Samoan Church. Congregational churches were brought to
9180-451: The work of Bulgarian monk Neofit Rilski to create a Bible translations into Bulgarian which was then distributed widely in Bulgaria in 1871 and thereafter. This effort was supported by Congregationalist missionary Albert Long, Konstantin Fotinov , Hristodul Sechan-Nikolov and Petko Slaveikov . Reportedly, 2,000 copies of the newly translated Bulgarian language New Testament were sold within
9282-432: The world"; that "the belief of each successive age of Christendom had as a matter of fact varied enormously from the belief of its predecessor"; that "all confessions and similar documents are, if taken as final expressions of absolute truth, misleading"; and that "there still remained, behind all the controversies of the past, a higher Christianity which neither assailants nor defenders had fully exhausted." "The first duty of
9384-529: Was Owen Stanley , and his sister was Mary Stanley . The middle-name 'Penrhyn' suggests Welsh lineage. He was educated at Rugby School under Thomas Arnold and in 1834 went up to Balliol College, Oxford . He is generally considered to be the source for the character of George Arthur in Thomas Hughes 's well-known book Tom Brown's Schooldays , which is based on Rugby. After winning the Ireland scholarship and
9486-649: Was a vigorous opponent of the state church principle, though he maintained friendly relations with many of the dignitaries of the Established Church. From 1865 to 1869, Llewelyn David Bevan assisted Binney at the King's Weigh House. His liberality of view and breadth of ecclesiastical sympathy entitle him to rank, on questions of Nonconformity , among the most distinguished of the school of Richard Baxter . Indeed, he became known as "the Archbishop of Nonconformity". Binney
9588-600: Was an English Anglican priest and ecclesiastical historian . He was Dean of Westminster from 1864 to 1881. His position was that of a Broad Churchman and he was the author of a number of works on Church History . He was a co-founder of the Palestine Exploration Fund . Stanley was born in Alderley Edge , in Cheshire , where his father, Edward Stanley , later Bishop of Norwich , was then rector . A brother
9690-609: Was an active member of the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society , formed in 1839. A painting at the National Portrait Gallery in London, The Anti-slavery Convention, 1840 , depicts many of the key participants of the first World Anti-Slavery Convention , with Thomas Clarkson introducing the event chaired by Binney. In 1853, when the African-American abolitionist Samuel Ringgold Ward came to Britain to raise funds for
9792-408: Was appointed by the Crown to the newly-vacated deanery. In December, he married Lady Augusta Bruce , sister of Lord Elgin , then governor-general of India . His tenure of the deanery of Westminster was memorable in many ways. He recognised from the first two important disqualifications: his indifference to music and his slight knowledge of architecture. On both subjects, he availed himself, largely of
9894-571: Was early established by his Life of Arnold , published in 1844. In 1845 he was appointed select preacher, and published in 1847 a volume of Sermons and Essays on the Apostolic Age , which not only laid the foundation of his fame as a preacher but also marked his future position as a theologian. In university politics, which at the time wore mainly the form of theological controversy, he was a strong advocate of comprehension and toleration. As an undergraduate, he had sympathised with Arnold in resenting
9996-563: Was in favour of making the creed of the Church as wide as possible—"not narrower than that which is even now the test of its membership, the Apostles' Creed"—and of throwing down all barriers which could be wisely dispensed with to admission to its ministry. As an immediate step he even advocated the admission under due restrictions of English Nonconformists and Scottish Presbyterians, to preach in Anglican pulpits. The subjects to which he looked as,
10098-788: Was moving away theologically and in practice from Biblical Christianity. Many of the former UCC congregations banded together as the new Congregational Christian Churches in Canada . The Congregational Christian Churches in Canada (or 4Cs) is an evangelical, Protestant, Christian denomination, headquartered in Brantford, Ontario, and a member of the World Evangelical Congregational Fellowship . The name "congregational" generally describes its preferred organizational style, which promotes local church autonomy and ownership, while fostering fellowship and accountability between churches at
10200-715: Was preparing a paper on the Westminster Confession and preaching in the abbey a course of Saturday Lectures on the Beatitudes . He died in the Deanery on 18 July 1881. He was buried in Henry VII 's chapel in the same grave as his wife. His pallbearers comprised representatives of literature, of science, of both Houses of Parliament , of theology, Anglican and Nonconformist, and of the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. The recumbent monument, by Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm placed upon
10302-512: Was the first person to set out explicit congregational principles and is considered the founder of Congregationalism. While studying for ordination , Browne became convinced that the Church of England was a false church. He moved to Norwich and together with Robert Harrison formed an illegal Separatist congregation. In 1581, Browne and his followers moved to Holland in order to worship freely. While in Holland, Browne wrote treatises that laid out
10404-537: Was the leading liberal theologian of his time in England. His writings reveal his special views, aims and aspirations. He regarded the age in which he lived as a period of transition, to be followed either by an "eclipse of faith" or by a "revival of Christianity in a wider aspect," a "catholic, comprehensive, all-embracing Christianity" that "might yet overcome the world". He believed that the Christian Church had not yet presented "its final or its most perfect aspect to
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