Congregationalism in England. — In the Westminster Assembly (appointed by Parliament in 1643 to draw up some order of public worship for the nation), there were five representatives of the Congregationalists. Under Cromwell the Independents became supreme. Their church meetings were held in West minster Abbey. At the time of the Pro tector's death (Oct. 12, 1658), a general council of Congregationalists was meet ing in the Savoy. The council issued a "Declaration of Faith and Order." The "Declaration" was not binding upon any particular church, but it is almost as important in the history of Congrega tionalism as the Westminster Confes sion is in the history of Presbyterian ism. The denomination was greatly and permanently strengthened by the Act of Uniformity (Aug. 24, 1662), which drove 2,000 ministers and many thou sands of laymen out of the Established Church. Under the later Stuarts Con gregationalists had their share of per secution. After passing the Act of Tol eration (May 24, 1689), they took an active part in the extension of civil and religious liberty. They were chief among the founders of the London Missionary Society (1795), and the first tract for the Religious Tract Society was written by Dr. Bogue, in 1799. In 1831, the Congregational Union of England and Wales was formed, and an International Council of Congregationalists met in London in July, 1891.
Congregationalism in America. — In the United States the first Congrega tional Church was founded at Plymouth, New England, in 1620, by the party of pilgrims sent from Holland by John Robinson. In 1837, the spread of the
Antinomian doctrine caused much dis cussion in the Church. By a synod con vened in New England Antinomianism was unanimously condemned. In 1638 Harvard College was founded. In 1658 the Savoy Confession was adopted and still remains. Unitarian principles spread, about 1800, widely in the Congregational churches of America, and though a sepa ration took place between the Unitarians and the Trinitarians, both still retain the Congregational form of church gov ernment.
In addition to the Conference, or Asso ciation of Churches, by which they co operate for common ends, a National Council meets triennially "for advisory and not juridical ends." Beside such well-known colleges as Bowdoin, Am herst, Williams, and Oberlin, the Ameri can Congregationalists possess theologi cal seminaries at Andover, Bangor, New Haven, Hartford, Oakland, Chicago, and elsewhere. There are six National So cieties, through which the charities of Congregationalists mainly flow. There were in the United States in 1919 808, 122 members of Congregational churches with 6,019 churches and 5,722 ministers. In the Sunday Schools were 709,859 pupils. The expenses of the church were $10,251,506. A five-year tercentenary campaign for a $5,000,000 fund for ministers' pensions was completed suc cessfully in 1920.