North Dakota Congregational Church Collection

The first annual meeting of the Congregational Conference of North Dakota was held in Fargo on October 16, 1882. The expressed purpose of the Congregational Conference was to promote the practical union of all connected churches; to gather and disseminate information and to provide for a strong administration for common work; to establish qualifications for the ministry; to administer trust funds; and to be an instrument of Congregational Churches in North Dakota for religious, benevolent, educational, and philanthropic activities. Statewide, membership in the Congregational Church remained static from the beginning of the twentieth century through the 1960s. In June 1957, the (national) Congregational Church merged with the Evangelical and Reformed Church to form the United Church of Christ. A new constitution and by-laws were approved in 1960. The process of uniting the two churches on the state and local level then began. On October 11, 1963, the North Dakota Congregational Conference officially became a part of the North Dakota Conference United Church of Christ. Sources: Minutes of the Congregational Conference of North Dakota: 1911 History of North Dakota by Elwyn Robinson: 1966 “The Creation of the United Church of Christ in North Dakota” by Charles Maxfield http://www.maxfieldbooks.com/UCCinND.html

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