Of or pertaining to a congregation; conducted, or participated in, by a congregation; as, congregational singing
relating to or conducted or participated in by a congregation; "congregational membership"; "congregational singing" of or pertaining to or characteristic of a Congregational church
Belonging to the system of Congregationalism, or to Congregationalist; holding to the faith and polity of Congregationalism; as, a Congregational church
Any Protestant church run independently by its own congregation, especially one in the United Church of Christ|United Church of Christ]], the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches|National Association of Congregational Christian Churches]], or the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference|Conservative Congregational Christian Conference]]
a type of Christianity in which each congregation is responsible for making its own decisions. Movement that arose among English Protestant Christian churches in the late 16th and early 17th century. It developed as one branch of Puritanism and emphasized the right and duty of each congregation to govern itself independent of higher human authority. Its greatest influence and numbers were in the U.S., where Puritans first established it at Plymouth Colony. The Half Way Covenant (1662) loosened requirements for church membership, and the Great Awakening led U.S. Congregationalism away from its Calvinist roots. Many churches defected to Unitarianism. In general, Congregationalists eschew creeds and emphasize preaching over sacraments, accepting only baptism and the Eucharist. English Congregationalists are now part of the United Reform Church. Most American Congregationalists are now part of the United Church of Christ. Baptist, Disciples of Christ, and Unitarian Universalist churches also practice congregational polity