Michigan Conference of the United Church of Christ

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The Michigan Conference of the United Church of Christ (MCUCC) is the Michigan region of the United Church of Christ. It is based in East Lansing and serves 145 UCC congregations in the state.

Background and formation
- The United Church of Christ formed in 1957 from the union of the Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church. Co-presidents were Dr. James E. Wagner and Dr. Fred E. Hoskins.
- In 1963, the Michigan-Indiana Synod and the Congregational Christian Churches voted to become a Conference within the UCC.
- The first Michigan Conference annual meeting was May 1964 in Ann Arbor, and Rev. Duane N. Vore was chosen Conference Minister.

Growth and development
- 1965–1966: The conference center was built in East Lansing, and the Conference also acquired Camp Talahi in Howell.
- 1970s: Michigan joined the national 17/76 Achievement Fund to support six historically African American colleges in the South; the UCC pledge was $470,985.
- The 1970s also saw the installation of a second Conference Minister, John Rogers, and a restructuring that consolidated 12 associations into larger units.
- The 1980s brought ongoing staff growth and new initiatives, including the 1982 “Peace with Power and Justice for All People” task force and three new staff members: Gail M. Hendrix (West Area), Raymond Sparrow (Outdoor Ministries and Youth), and Jimmie L. Sawyer (East Area).

New programs and campaigns
- 1984: The National UCC Capital Fund Campaign for New Initiatives in Church Development focused on starting new churches and expanding camping facilities in Michigan; three new churches started.
- 1985: The Council for Planning and Correlation set up overlapping Task Groups to guide the Mission Statement Implementation Plan. The STEM program began to train lay ministers and Christian educators for small churches.
- 1987–1988: John Rogers resigned as Conference Minister; Don R. Yungclas served as Interim Conference Minister, and in 1988 Marwood E. Rettig was elected Conference Minister. Bylaws were updated to reorganize the associations for a stronger mission.

Evangelism and collaboration
- 1990: The Michigan Grow evangelism emphasis was launched in partnership with the Michigan Region of the Christian Church. The national Faith Works gathering also took place that year.
- 1991: The Conference joined the Evangelism Institutes program with a three-year plan; 24 Michigan churches attended the first year. The annual meeting at Olivet College celebrated the Conference’s 150th anniversary and introduced Called to Care to encourage stronger care giving as ministry.
- 1992: The Annual Meeting was held jointly with the Disciples of Christ, forming JAMRA (Joint Annual Meeting/Regional Assembly). Camp Talahi’s Benefit Golf Tournament began that year.

Modern structure
- Today the Michigan Conference is organized into six associations: Covenant (central Michigan), Detroit Metropolitan (southeast Lower Peninsula), Eastern (the Thumb), Grand West (central toward the west), Southwest (from I-69 to Lake Michigan), and United Northern (from Clare to the Upper Peninsula). These six are the successors to the original twelve associations.