The United Church of Christ was founded in 1957 as the union of several different Christian traditions. It responds to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed. The UCC is among the most diverse Christian churches in the United States. It embraces a theological heritage that affirms the Bible as the authoritative witness to the word of God, the creeds of the ecumenical councils and the confessions of the Reformation. It seeks a balance between freedom of conscience and accountability to the apostolic faith. The UCC receives the historic creeds and confessions of its ancestors as testimonies, but not tests of the faith. The local congregation is the basic unit of the United Church of Christ. Ministry support is among the top priorities for the church s national setting. UCC s main offices are in Cleveland.