The International Congregational Council was a worldwide association of

Congregational Churches Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs it ...

that was founded in 1891 and merged with the Alliance of the Reformed Churches Throughout the World Holding the Presbyterian Order to form the

World Alliance of Reformed Churches The World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) was a fellowship of more than 200 churches with roots in the 16th-century Reformation, and particularly in the theology of John Calvin. Its headquarters was in Geneva, Switzerland. They are now merged ...

Background and First Council

The idea for a world Congregational congress was first mooted in 1874 by Dr. Hastings Ross in an article entitled "An Ecumenical Council of Congregational Churches in '' Congregational Quarterly''. His article was widely distributed in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

. The idea was discussed at the 1880 Triennial Council of the Congregational Churches in the United States and on June 7, 1884 the

Congregational Union of Ontario and Quebec The United Church of Canada (french: link=no, Église unie du Canada) is a mainline Protestant denomination that is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in Canada and the second largest Canadian Christian denomination after the Catholic ...

approved the idea at its annual meeting in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

. The Canadian resolution asked the

Congregational Union of England and Wales The Congregational Union of England and Wales brought together churches in England and Wales in the Congregational tradition between 1831 and 1966. The Congregational churches emerged from the Puritan movement, each church operating independently ...

to consider the feasibility of such a meeting. The Congregational Union of England and Wales approved the idea, but practical steps to the congress only came after the Congregational Union of New South Wales approved the idea at a meeting in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in 1888. Two requests for a convention were formally presented to the Congregational Union of England and Wales in May 1889 and official adopted by the union. In October of that year the American Congregationalist unanimously approved the idea of the gathering at its Triennial Council in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...

, after being formally invited by the English. After much correspondence and deliberations by arrangement committees the First International Congregational Council opened in London at

Memorial Hall A memorial hall is a hall built to commemorate an individual or group; most commonly those who have died in war. Most are intended for public use and are sometimes described as ''utilitarian memorials''. History of the Memorial Hall In the aft ...

on July 13, 1891. The Council finished its work on July 21, and an arrangements committee was set up to work with the National Council of the US Congregational Churches to convent the next Council in that country

Subsequent Councils

After the initial Council in London nine additional International Councils were held *Second, held in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

September 20–29, 1899 *Third, held in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

, June 30 - July 9, 1908 *Fourth, held in Boston June 29-July 6, 1920 *Fifth, held in

Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

July 1–8, 1930 *Sixth held at

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

Wellesley, Massachusetts Wellesley () is a New England town, town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Wellesley is part of Greater Boston. The population was 29,550 at the time of the 2020 census. Wellesley College, Babson Col ...

June 17–24, 1949. *Seventh held at St. Andrews University, Scotland 20–29 June 1953. *Eighth, held in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

2–10 July 1958 *Ninth, held in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

on 4–12 July 1962 *Tenth, held in

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

7–11 July 1966 The International Congregational Council merged with the Alliance of Reformed Churches throughout the World holding the Presbyterian System to found the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (Presbyterian and Congregational) at a Uniting General Council held in Nairobi, Kenya August 20–30, 1970.''Proceedings of the Uniting General Council of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (Presbyterian and Congregational) held at Nairobi, Kenya, August 20–30, 1970.'' Geneva : The Alliance, 1970

References

{{Reflist Congregationalism International bodies of Reformed denominations Religious organizations established in 1891 Religious organizations disestablished in 1970 Congregational organizations established in the 19th century