CONGREGATIONALISTS. - A designation for Protestants who profess absolute independence from any community (congregation) of the faithful. The pseudo-Reformation in England developed along three different lines, blurring into Anglicanism, Puritanism and Separatism. Anglicanism, especially in its primitive form under Henry VIII, had preserved many doctrines and customs of the Catholic Church, and even at present preserves some of them, such as the episcopate. Puritanism, formed of Calvinizing elements, indeed adhered to Anglicanism as the State church, but wanted a purer Church, that is, without so many vestiges of Catholicism and with greater participation of the faithful in the choice of ministers and in the government of the Church. Separatism, made up of the so-called "Independents," condemned the whole Church of England, from which it believed in conscience that it must separate, because it held the episcopate to be contrary to Holy Scripture. For a long time the lines separating one party from another were not so determined that partisans, at least partial, of one were not to be found in the other: hence a great confusion. One of the principal exponents of Separatism, later called Congregationalism, was Robert Browne (v.). His doctrines developed first in England and then mainly in Holland, where his partisans and he himself had to take refuge to escape the persecution of the State Church. But the principal organizer was John Robinson (1575-1625), who, although an Anglican minister, embraced the doctrines of Browne and likewise had to take refuge in Holland. From that country he organized the expedition of a part of his followers and of some Puritan refugees (1620-21), known by the name of "Pilgrim Fathers," who, having emigrated to the English colony of North America, gave rise to American Congregationalism.
English Congregationalism. Four years before the expedition of the "Pilgrim Fathers," that is, in 1616, Henry Jacob, a friend of Robinson who had returned to England from Holland, had secretly founded a Congregationalist church there. Afterwards several others were established, always secretly; but only in the time of Oliver Cromwell (v.; 1647-58) did they have a little breathing space, and indeed were able to formulate a declaration of their principles and their doctrines, which they presented to the government shortly after Cromwell's death. It is the famous Savoy Declaration, so called from the palace in which they assembled. This Declaration, which is still considered a fundamental charter, demands the absolute independence of the local churches or congregations, declares that the civil authority cannot meddle in religious questions, recognizes as ministers of worship only those whom the individual local churches have chosen, calls for religious toleration, etc. When in 1660 the monarchy was restored and with it the official Church, the Congregationalists were again persecuted, but after the revolution of 1688 full liberty was granted them. The extreme individualism of the local churches caused certain inconveniences, to remedy which recourse was had to the formation of partial unions of the nearer churches, and in 1833 to a more general one, the "Congregational Union of England and Wales." However it must be remembered that the decisions taken in the general assemblies have no force without the free consent of the individual local Churches. They can only give advice and foster mutual cooperation and understanding in matters of common interest to all Congregationalist Churches.
American Congregationalism. The expeditions of the "Pilgrim Fathers" carried by the Mayflower to North America were followed by many others. Almost all the emigrants were Independents or Congregationalists, a few were Puritans, who however adopted the doctrines and the system of the majority. In North America too the need was seen for some union among the independent local Churches, and thus there came about, among others, the Synods of Cambridge in 1648, of Boston in 1680 and 1865, and above all the National Council of Oberlin in 1871, but without any authority over the Churches. From the American Congregationalists the Unitarians separated, with G. Ellery Channing as their head. In 1929 they united with the Christians. The Congregationalist system of the absolute independence of the local Churches is the system adopted by many sects such as the Baptists, the Christadelphians, the Disciples, etc.
The American Congregationalists organized the oldest and one of the most active American Protestant missionary societies, namely the American Board or American Secretariat. Its full name is American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, with the abbreviation A. B. C. F. M., that is, "American board or committee of delegates for Foreign Missions". It is the oldest of the American Protestant missionary societies. It was born in 1810 among some students who decided to devote themselves to Foreign Missions. Their plan was accepted by the General Association of the Congregationalist Churches of Massachusetts. The purpose of the secretariat was to preach the Gospel in foreign countries, to found native Churches that could support themselves (self-directing, self-supporting, self-expanding), to establish preparatory schools for guides and instructors, and to cooperate with the other sects. Attracted by the idea of Foreign Missions, some sects joined the American Board, but later separated from it in order to devote themselves to missions of their own, and the Congregationalists remained almost alone in forming the A. B., a very well-organized society, with an active and effective prudential committee, composed of veteran and experienced missionaries, who study all the missionary questions that are presented. The A. B. regards with special predilection the missions that it maintains among Catholics. In Italy the Congregationalists were called in 1872 by the "Italian Free Church", but they abandoned it in 1874 because of the difficulties of finding a suitable field there, since so many other "evangelical" agencies were already present. Indeed, in those years Methodist, Baptist, etc. missionaries were flocking there. The missionary activity of the A. B. can be inferred from the 17 missions that it maintains, scattered throughout the world, among which five are in what it calls "papal lands or countries" and considers "Christian in name only", namely the Philippine Islands, the Carolines, Mexico, Spain and Czechoslovakia.