The Congregational Federation of Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand (CFAANZ), ‘Aotearoa’ being a Maori word which means ‘Land of the long white cloud’, is a community of faith which seeks to respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed. The Federation comprises those Congregational Churches in Australia which are not affiliated with the evangelical Fellowship of Congregational Churches (FCC) and those Churches in New Zealand which are not affiliated with the Congregational Union of New Zealand (CUNZ).

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Though one of the smaller of the “Mainstream” Christian denominations in both countries, the Federation stands in the historic Reformed Tradition whose members make up the largest single strand of Protestantism with more than 70 million members world-wide. Along with other Reformed Churches the Federation holds to the Trinitarian Faith expressed in the historic Christian Creeds and finds its supreme authority for faith and conduct in the Word of God in the Bible discerned under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

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Fellowship is one of the hallmarks of the “Congregational Way”. It may be said that “Faith, Freedom and Fellowship” is our motto. One of the classic definitions of Congregationalism holds that it is constituted by “an ellipse with two focii” these being (1) the independence of the local Church and (2) “Churches in fellowship with one another”.

Although in fellowship with other Congregational Churches throughout the world through membership of the International Congregational Fellowship, the Federation has a major commitment to ecumenism and mission and therefore enjoys fellowship with others of the Christian Church in Australia and New Zealand through the National Council of Churches in Australia and, beyond each country, through the World Communion of Reformed Churches and the

World Council of Churches.