Christian Churches Together in the USA began in September, 2001, with a meeting of church leaders in the US who explored the need for expanding fellowship, unity, and witness among the diverse expressions of Christian faith today. They lamented the absence of any one place where representatives of historic Protestant, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Evangelical, and Orthodox churches come together officially to strengthen their unity in Christ and empower their mission. They decided to convene another meeting in April, 2002 to continue this exploration and invite broader participation from other church leaders. At this meeting, held in Chicago, the vision of CCT was crafted and publicly announced (see Chicago Statement.)

The next step was to agree on an organizational plan, including theological affirmations, purposes, categories of participation, a governing structure, and a proposed timeline. An expanded group of 55 denominational and other church leaders met at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, California in January, 2003 for this purpose. The Organizational Plan resulting from that meeting was approved by consensus by all who were there as “Participants.” This proposal and plan for Christian Churches Together in the USA was presented to the various denominations and organizations involved in the process. In 2006 in Atlanta, thirty-four churches and organizations adopted the By-Laws and officially organized as CCT.

For more detailed information about CCT's formation process, see
Phase 1  |  Phase 2  |  Phase 3