Federal Council of Churches
The Federal Council of Churches, officially the Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America, was an ecumenical association of Protestant denominations in the United States in the early twentieth century. It merged with other ecumenical bodies in 1950 to form the present day National Council of Churches.
History
The Federal Council of Churches was founded at a convention that met at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia in May 1908.[1] Originally the Council consisted of thirty-two denominations. By 1923, it maintained central offices at 105 East 22nd Street, New York City. It also had offices at the Woodward Building, Washington, D.C. and at 19 South La Salle Street, Chicago.[2]
Member denominations
By 1923 the member denominations were as follows:[3]
- Methodist Episcopal Church
- Methodist Episcopal Church, South
- Methodist Protestant Church
- Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in America
- African Methodist Episcopal Church
- African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
- Primitive Methodist Church
- National Baptist Convention
- Baptist Churches, North
- Free Baptist Church
- Christian Church
- Christian Reformed Church in North America
- Churches of God in North America (General Eldership)
- National Council of Congregational Churches
- Disciples of Christ
- Friends
- Evangelical Synod of North America
- Evangelical Association
- Moravian Church
- Presbyterian Church in the United States of America
- Presbyterian Church in the United States
- Reformed Church in America
- Reformed Church in the United States
- Reformed Episcopal Church
- Reformed Presbyterian Church, General Synod
- Seventh Day Baptist Church
- United Brethren Church
- United Evangelical Church
- United Presbyterian Church
- United Lutheran Church (consultative)
Commissions
The FCC worked through a number of Commission which addressed various social issues of the day. These included the Commission on the Church and Social Service which carried out research and education on industrial problems, the Commission on International Justice and Goodwill which stressed "Christian internationalism" and campaigned for the reduction of armaments and the Commission on Councils of Churches which worked on organizing local federations of churches in larger communities so they could be a more effect force in their neighborhoods. Other commissions included the Commission on Negro Churches and Race Relations, Commission on Evangelism, Commission on Education, Commission on Temperance, Commission on Relations with Religious Bodies in Europe and the Commission on Community Relations, which was founded in May 1923, "gives attention neighborhood programme of local churches, the housing of the community work of open churches, the social service work of local federations of Churches and represents the Protestant group in conferences of national social agencies working in communities." [4]