WHAT ARE CONGREGATIONALISTS?

Congregationalists trace their roots to the time when the Bible was translated into English and the Reformation. This fostered a desire for freedom to worship and preach as the Spirit leads. Elizabeth I of England clamped down on those known as Separatists, who came to be known as Congregationalists and Baptists.

Some Separatists went to the Netherlands to be able to live and worship in freedom. Eventually, they went as the Pilgrims on the Mayflower to settle in America.

In the seventeenth century, Congregationalists were pivotal in shaping parliamentary democracy with its freedom of speech and tolerance of other faiths.

Following the Restoration, King Charles II signed The Bill of Uniformity in 1662. Ministers were required to conform to using the Book of Common Prayer. Those who refused were deprived of their churches and incomes and went on to lead gathered congregations.

In the early 1800’s there was a passion to spread the gospel. This led to the formation of Highbury in 1827 and was at the forefront of social reform in Cheltenham.

In 1972, most Congregational churches joined with the Presbyterian Church of England to form the United Reformed Church. Highbury Church decided to continue as a Congregational church as part of the Congregational Federation. It was decided that the independence of the Congregational Way was something to continue to practise.

The Congregational Way understands that all are equal in seeking the mind of Christ under the guidance of the Spirit. In this way, the local church takes decisions about how to faithfully witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ. We are committed to Church unity through mutual sharing rather than by becoming a single institution. We are one in our differences.