Forward, Slow

For the past ten years, leaders of the Congregational Christian Churches (membership: 1,250,000) have talked about a merger with the Evangelical & Reformed Church (membership: 800,000). But Congregationalists are by definition devoted to the principle of parish autonomy; some of them fear that this principle would be watered down in any union. In 1949 the members of Brooklyn's Cadman Memorial Church went to court over the merger problem, arguing that individual congregations could not be forced to abide by a general church decision. Cadman Memorial is now trying to get the New York state court of appeals to uphold an injunction against a merger.

In Claremont, Calif, one day last week, delegates to the Congregationalists' biennial general council nonetheless met for another discussion of the proposed union. After a debate that lasted far into the night, they voted 964 to 55 "to continue to look forward" to a merger, appointed a committee to work out details with Reformed Church leaders. But they agreed to go slow until the merger argument has been threshed out in the courts.

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