Historical Congregationalism, rooted in the Reformed theological tradition, affirmed the eternal pre-existence of the Son of God as the second person of the Trinity — consistent with the Savoy Declaration and the Nicene Creed. The New England Puritan tradition's preaching and theology presupposed Christ's pre-existence as foundational.

In the modern UCC, the non-creedal character and broad theological spectrum means pre-existence of Christ is not a required doctrinal commitment. The UCC Statement of Faith describes Jesus as 'the man of Nazareth, our crucified and risen Lord,' language that can accommodate both traditional Incarnation theology (the pre-existent Son who became incarnate) and more historically-focused Christologies that begin with the human Jesus. UCC theological education spans from conservative-orthodox to process theology and liberation theology, and positions on Christ's pre-existence vary accordingly across congregations and theologians.