This record group contains both the records of the Grand Traverse, Lake Superior, and Cheboygan Associations prior to restructuring, and the records of efforts leading to the formation of the United Northern Association. Despite the absence of the early records of the Grand Traverse and Cheboygan Associations, this record group documents attitudes concerning the denominations which fused to form the United Church of Christ, as well as the organizational restructuring which occurred in the late 1970s.
The records of the Northern Association of the United Church of Christ are divided into five series: Michigan Conference, United Northern Association, Grand Traverse Association, Lake Superior Association, and Cheboygan Association.
The formal history of the United Church of Christ in Michigan begins on October 11, 1842 when the Congregational churches were first organized into a state conference. Some area associations, formed through the grouping of local churches, developed later. The first, the Grand Traverse Association, was formed in 1862 and existed with weakly defined boundaries until the 1870s, when the Lake Superior and Cheboygan Associations were created.
Each of these Associations existed independently for a century. In June 1976, the Michigan Conference initiated a three year program, designed to regroup existing regional associations into four larger associations. They are the Eastern Association, Central Association, Western Association, and Northern Association.
The formation of the United Northern Association was accomplished through the Steering Committee, established by representatives of the Grand Traverse, Lake Superior, and Cheboygan Associations to oversee the organization. Efforts were successful, and the United Northern Association met for the first time on October 8-9, 1977.
