Biblical Witness Fellowship

Biblical Witness Fellowship is an evangelical renewal movement composed of members of the United Church of Christ. Founded in 1978 as the United Church People for Biblical Witness, the movement reorganized as the Biblical Witness Fellowship at a national convocation in Byfield, Massachusetts in 1984, hosted by the current president of BWF, the Rev. Dr. William Boylan.

The primary purpose of BWF is "to renew spiritual vitality through faith in Jesus Christ in every local congregation, restoring commitment to the original call and vision of these churches and their denomination." The BWF holds that congregations of the United Church of Christ have been in numerical and spiritual decline, citing denominational statistics that report net losses of members and congregations in every year since 1963.

BWF has consistently voiced its criticism of UCC statements regarding things they believe to be contrary to the Bible, especially on social issues. Several of these statements have included the "Open and Affirming" resolution of 1985, and the 2005 "Equal Marriage Rights For All" resolution. The BWF strongly supports the pro-life position on abortion and the affirmation of marriage as between one man and woman only. Its primary focus, however, has been the renewal of the local church and the ecumenical unity of the mainline churches. Rev. David Runnion-Bareford served as Executive Director and a primary spokesperson for the evangelical minority in the UCC from 1994 - 2010.

The impetus for the birth of Biblical Witness Fellowship was a human sexuality report accepted by the General Synod in 1977. Since that time the BWF has consistently voiced its criticism of UCC statements supporting beliefs and behaviors that reflect the views of the culture rather than the teachings of the Bible.

Members of the BWF affirm a statement of Christian faith known as the "Dubuque Declaration" (named for the Iowa city and theological seminary where it was drafted), as well as affirming the historic creeds and statements of the Protestant Reformation. The movement and its supporters declare that the name reflects its high regard for the authority of Scripture on matters of faith and morals. The Dubuque Declaration was drafted in large measure by UCC (Evangelical and Reformed-heritage) theologian Donald Bloesch.

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