Michael Livingston, Executive Director, International Council of Community Churches, at Grace Covenant.
Grace Covenant Church of Oak Ridge purposefully speaks of itself as interdenominational rather than nondenominational. We have no problem with denominations but are led by the diversity of denominational backgrounds represented in our congregation and community to choose an alternative course. We are aligned with two like-minded organizations of churches--the International Council of Community Churches (ICCC) and the Alliance of Baptists. Both organizations are comparatively new and small. Both are strongly ecumenical and hold membership in the National Council of Churches. Both have strong traditions over their short lifetimes of standing for racial reconciliation, interfaith dialogue and a ministry of justice and peace.
The ICCC was organized in 1950 when two fellowships in the Community Church Movement joined in a historic merger. With one of the fellowships being primarily African-American and the other, primarily Caucasian, the union of the two groups represented the largest interracial merger of religious bodies in America. Strong bonds of friendship have developed over the last sixty years as the Council has dedicated itself to the work of Christian unity and reconciliation in human society. Today, the ICCC is made up of more than 150 churches with a combined membership of 108,806. It’s Executive Director, Michael Livingston, is the immediate past president of the National Council of Churches.
Although the Alliance of Baptists originated in 1987 during the Southern Baptist Convention crisis, the Alliance has spread nationwide with one-half of its current membership located in the American Baptist Convention. The Alliance is enriched by vital international partnerships with Baptists in Cuba, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Brazil. The Alliance has consistently spoken to social-moral issues, beginning with its 1990 statement on Racism and Repentance and continuing with statements on Jewish-Christian and Muslim-Christian relations, human sexuality, environmental responsibility, Cuba, the crisis in Zimbabwe and the death penalty. In 2003 the Alliance formalized a Partnership in Mission and Ministry with the United Church of Christ and the Disciples of Christ, calling for future collaboration toward a shared ministry. Based in Washington, D.C., current Alliance membership consists of 130 churches, plus another 3000 individual members.
