Who Are the Puritans

The Congregational Episcopal Church receives many inquiries each month asking "Who are the Puritans?  I thought the Puritans are no longer in existence."

Well welcome to the Puritan Church in America.  Our "official" denominational name is The Congregational Episcopal Church.  We have a rich history which begins with the Puritans in England during the 17th century who fled England to France, Holland, and helped settle the American Colony (what is now the USA).

After the Anglican Church became the "official" church of the US colonies the Puritan movement broke into two factions.  One, the Congregationalists and the second, the Free Church.  Congregationalists kept much of the same traditions, although in 1842  it was seen that a leadership was needed so the Synod of Congregational Churches was formed with three "bishops", Presbyters, or elder pastors at the head.  Their presbyteries were in Plymouth, St. Louis, and Chicago.  Plymouth was the seat of the national office or Synod Office.  The Presbytery of Plymouth is still the main seat of the church, although the national synod is now headquartered out of Washington, DC.

Puritans during this time sought to protect their church completely from any government involvement and for this fact was able to help runaway slaves from the south find help in the New England states and in Illinois.  Puritans helped build and operate the "underground rail road".

After the Civil War, the title Puritan came to disuse because of negative connotations of a strict life without pleasure.  Congregational and Congregationalist were adopted as "official" monikers by the national synod.

In 1957 there was a three way split with the Congregational Church.  The nonprofit incorporating of churches and government accreditation of seminaries was the primary reason. One denomination became the (United) Church of Christ, the second the Community of Congregational Churches, and the Puritan Church in America (Congregational Episcopal Church).

Our churches are usually the homes of our pastors and none are 501 C3 corporations. Donations are given directly to the pastor who distributes donations as they see fit.  Our seminaries and bible schools are not accredited by any government agency.  We prefer home schooling to secular public schools.  We still insist on the King James (Authorized) translation of scriptures.  Although we do use the Douhey-Rheims for the apocrapha books.

The Puritan Church in America was the smallest of the new churches although it kept and is considered the protector of Puritan values and practice.  Our churches have no instrumentation with all hymns sung acapella, although instruments are allowed in moderation.  Puritans do not wish the music to take away the worship aspect of hymns.  Christmas and Easter are very solemn celebrations and Puritans have no decorating or special gifts in the churches, although individual Puritans may have very modest home decorations.

The Puritans believe God and His worship are important enough to reserve at least one full day out of the week, and we joyfully devote Sunday to the Lord. Sermons are central to the intellectual life of the Puritans are usually one to one and a half hours in length.  Our faith can be summed up in the Westminster Confession, and the Nicene Creed is the "official" creed of the church.

In keeping with their belief that every area of life should be molded by Christian principles, Puritans see all honorable work as a means of glorifying God. All of life is God's, and there is no distinction between secular and sacred work. God calls each person to a particular vocation or occupation, and the Christian should act as a careful steward of the talents and gifts God has given him. Working in one's calling or vocation is a means of serving God and men. Idleness is considered a great sin; diligence in one's calling a virtue.

Puritans believe in charity that will create independence and break dependence.  All works of charity are done with the benefit of the receiver and not as a means to buy one's way into the favor of Christ.  Puritans believe the home is the primary church, and the meeting house is simply a place where we come together to worship Jesus Christ.

Organized like a miniature church, the family is the most basic institution in Puritan society and is organized like a miniature church. Established by God before all other institutions and before man's fall, the family is the foundation of all civil, social, and ecclesiastical life. In the morning and evening the family assembles together for prayer, and on Sunday the family joins other families in worship.  Husbands are the head of the family, and we profess one marriage between one man and one woman.  Divorce is forbidden except in cases of adultery, and then only if reconciliation is refused by the cheated spouse.