Our Beliefs

The Church of the Pilgrimage

The motto of the United Church of Christ is from the prayer of Jesus (Holy Bible, John 17:11) for the unity of the church: "That They May All Be One." Our theology can best be described by the preamble to the Constitution of the United Church of Christ:

"The United Church of Christ acknowledges as its sole head, Jesus Christ, Son of God and Savior. It acknowledges as kindred in Christ all who share in this confession. It looks to the Word of God in the Scriptures, and to the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, to prosper its creative and redemptive work in the world. It claims as its own the faith of the historic Church expressed in the ancient creeds and reclaimed in the basic insights of the Protestant Reformers. It affirms the responsibility of the Church in each generation to make this faith its own in reality of worship, honesty of thought and expression, and in purity of heart before God."

The Church of the Pilgrimage is united by our Covenant with each other. We also share a Statement of Faith.

---

Covenant

"We are united in striving to know the will of God, and to walk in His ways, made known or to be made known to us. We hold it to be the mission of the Church of Christ to proclaim the gospel to all mankind, laboring for the progress of knowledge, the promotion of justice, the reign of peace, and the realization of human brotherhood. And we look with faith for the triumph of righteousness and the life everlasting. Amen."

---

Statement of Faith

We believe in God, the Eternal Spirit, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and our Father, and to his deeds we testify:

He calls the worlds into being,
creates man in his own image
and sets before him the ways of life and death.

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

He judges men and nations by his righteous will
declared through prophets and apostles.

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

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

He calls us into his Church
to accept the cost and joy of discipleship,
to be his servants in the of men,
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.

He 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.

More information about the United Church of Christ and the Massachusetts Conference, United Church of Christ can be found by visiting their websites.

The 2006 Bylaws of the Church of the Pilgrimage can be found here. If you have trouble viewing this document, you need the free Adobe Acrobat reader which can be downloaded here: