The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination principally in the United States, generally considered within the Reformed tradition. The UCC formed in 1957 with the union of the Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches. These churches in turn arose from the merger of various Protestant churches in the United States, tracing their roots back to Switzerland, John Calvin, and the Protestant Reformation.
According to the 2007 yearbook, the United Church of Christ has approximately 1.2 million members and is composed of approximately 5,518 local congregations.
The UCC maintains full communion with several other mainline Protestant denominations and participates in worldwide ecumenical efforts. The UCC has historically favored progressive, or liberal, views on civil rights, gay rights, women’s rights, abortion, and other issues. Congregations have extensive, perhaps definitive, authority over matters of doctrine and ministry, though, and may or may not support the national body’s theological or moral stances.