Welcome to the web site for churches belonging to the Upper Midwest Congregational Fellowship. UMCF Churches are members of the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference that are located in Minnesota, Eastern South Dakota, and Western Wisconsin. To give you an idea of what our organization is all about, the following statements are from the Constitution of the UMCF:


Preamble:

In gratitude to God for the gift of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ; and...
 
Believing that the task of the Church of Jesus Christ is two-fold, i.e. the evangelizing of the world and the edification of the saints; and...
 
Believing further, that there is a definite need among the member ministers and churches of the 4C's in our area to join together for fellowship and for a more effective ministry...
 
We, therefore, humbly invoking the guidance of the Holy Spirit, have covenanted together to form such a fellowship.
  

Purposes:

The purposes of this organization shall be to provide a means of encouragement and fellowship for our member ministers and churches, to facilitate cooperation in the support of the ministry of these ministers and churches, and to plant and assist new churches in the UMCF.
 

Statement of Faith:

  1. We believe the Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments, to be the only inspired, inerrant, infallible, authoritative word of God.
     
  2. We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
     
  3. We believe in the deity of Christ, in His Virgin Birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father and in His personal return in power and glory.
     
  4. We believe that for salvation of lost and sinful man regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.
     
  5. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling power and fullness the Christian is enabled to live a godly life in this present evil world.
     
  6. We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life, and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.
     
  7. We believe in the spiritual unity of all believers in Christ.

 

 


The Living Stone and a Chosen People

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
    a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
    will never be put to shame.”

Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,

“The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone,”

and,

“A stone that causes people to stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall.”

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

NIV Listen