Our Church History
and Denominational Information
The Church Bell Tower
We are a member congregation of the United Church of
Christ, formed in 1957 by the union of the Congregational
Christian Churches of the United States of America
and the Evangelical Reformed Church. As a denomina-
tion, we include people of many nationalities, cultures,
languages, and heritages. Each autonomous local U.C.C.
congregation structures itself in the way that best
ministers to its particular community and to the world.
We respect the right of the individual believer's
conscience in matters of faith and witness. Our unity
comes from our covenant to work together as Christ's
body, trusting that our differences are gifts from God
which enrich and strengthen our lives and our ministry.
We covenant with other UCC congregations to work together in Associations,
Conferences, and through our national General Synod for common mission and
mutual support. The Grinnell UCC-Congregational is a part o f the Iowa Conference
of the UCC and its Central Association.
Our Church Council is the coordinating body of our local church. The program
is coordinated by five boards: Parish Life, Worship, Christian Education, Outreach,
and Trustees. All confirmed members of the Church, in good standing, have the
right to vote in congregational meetings an to be elected as officers of this church.
Our church was organized April 8, 1855, under the leadership of the Rev. Josiah
Bushnell Grinnell, a Congregational minister who was also the founder of the city
of Grinnell and Grinnell College.