Many of you who stand with our Lord Jesus Christ by embracing Biblical faith contact BWF asking about legal concerns in your relationship with the UCC.  

We firmly call all local churches to remain and work for reformation and renewal in fellowship within the UCC. We believe that we are mandated by our Lord's prayer to work toward the purpose that "all may be one." To that end we intentionally have not written or published a guide for churches seeking to defend themselves legally against UCC intrusion upon their congregational polity. We find the fact that Conference Ministers have actually employed lawyers in attempts to legally punish or coerce churches that dissent from the aberrant ideology of the UCC to be offensive and immoral. The Conference Ministers obviously break covenant when they do this.  

Yet, recently we have discovered a presentation made to the Conference Ministers meeting in February, 2004, by one of their lawyers that provides very sound legal counsel to any congregation in a position of dissent. We recommend this to you as an asset many of you may be able to use. You will find this on the UCC website itself at http://www.ucc.org/ministers/whenachurchleaves.pdf   We were interested by the attorney's counsel to the Conference Ministers that they provide more of an incentive for churches to stay than a threat to their leaving.