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An investigation into the phenomena and practices of spiritual ...

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umbrella <strong>of</strong> churches. The leaders continued to express a deep commitment to <strong>the</strong> visibleunity <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> whole church in subsequent unions in 1981 with <strong>the</strong> Reformed Churches <strong>of</strong>Christ <strong>and</strong> in 2000 with <strong>the</strong> Congregational Union <strong>of</strong> Scotl<strong>and</strong>. Talks have continued witho<strong>the</strong>r traditions <strong>and</strong> have united with o<strong>the</strong>r denominations in more than 400 locations.(Cormick 1998). Cormick also claim that it is hard to write <strong>the</strong> history <strong>of</strong> a church that hasonly been in existence for sixteen years <strong>and</strong> make a few claims questioning <strong>the</strong> originality<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> history <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> URC as he has had to consider <strong>the</strong> three denominations that merged t<strong>of</strong>orm <strong>the</strong> United Church.The 1960s had been a period <strong>of</strong> idealistic striving towards Christian unity, seen as moreimportant than historic <strong>the</strong>ological differences. Individual congregations from a number <strong>of</strong>o<strong>the</strong>r denominations such as <strong>the</strong> Baptists, Methodists <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Church <strong>of</strong> Engl<strong>and</strong> alsoparticipated in forming joint congregations at local level, <strong>and</strong> many people hoped that <strong>the</strong>formation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> URC would encourage a progressive organisational uniting (or re-uniting)<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> fractured body <strong>of</strong> Christ. There were, however, those on both sides who saw <strong>the</strong>formation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> URC as a surrender <strong>of</strong> principle.It is impossible to underst<strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> URC, without realising that <strong>the</strong> majority <strong>of</strong> itscongregation were previously members <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Congregational Union, which dissolveditself <strong>into</strong> <strong>the</strong> new URC in 1972. This body had been founded in 1831, drawing toge<strong>the</strong>rvarious connexions <strong>of</strong> independent federations <strong>of</strong> autonomous congregations which hadbeen started after <strong>the</strong> ejection <strong>of</strong> around 2000 <strong>An</strong>glican incumbents who would not agree to<strong>the</strong> re-imposition <strong>of</strong> Episcopal authority in 1662. As its name indicates, one <strong>of</strong> its mainprinciples was congregational self-government. Each congregation determined its ownrules <strong>and</strong> membership, joined <strong>the</strong> Union voluntarily, <strong>and</strong> could secede (or in extreme cases,104

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