About Us

Beliefs, Faith & History

Gather and grow together!

South Church in Hartford, CT is a place where people gather to express their faith and to grow as Christians; a place deeply committed to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and caring for others through our outreach and missions programs; a place for people who are looking for some answers to life’s tough questions.

Worship and
Study with us!

Sundays

Weekly Morning Worship – 10:00 am
In-person and live-streamed to our
website as well as Facebook and YouTube!

Wednesdays

Bible Study: “Experiencing God” – 6:00 pm
In-person and live-streamed to our
Facebook page!

Our Leadership

Dr. Adam T. Söderberg

Senior Pastor
View Bio

Alex C. Thomas

Director of Family Ministry
(Youth Leader)
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Lauren Sepko

Church Administrator
& Worship Music Director
View Bio

Todd Case

Facilities Manager
(Site Superintendent)
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Emily Whaley

Administrative Assistant
View Bio

Jeremy Söderberg

Director of New Media
(Visual Arts & Marketing)
View Bio

Caryn Pascale

Sunday School Superintendent
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David Casiano

Assistant Facilities Manager
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Allie Evans

“Churchkeeper”
(Housekeeper / Custodian)
View Bio

Mary Symkowicz

Nursery Care Coordinator
& Sparrow Ministries Liaison
View Bio

Additional Clergy & Staff

  • Eulalia Garcia, Senior Deacon
  • Veronica Mingolelli, Council Moderator
  • Christopher Evans, Treasurer
  • Renee Söderberg, Director of Hospitality

What We Believe

South Church is a church in the congregational tradition. Congregationalism is a system of church organization which believes in:

The Headship of Christ

Jesus Christ is the head of each local church and His holy and inspired Word (the Bible) is the rule and guide for our faith and practice

The Completeness of the Gathered Local Church

Jesus stated in Matthew 18:20, For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them. Therefore, a congregational church believes that each church is complete unto itself and requires only two or three believers who enter into a covenant with one another to constitute a “church.”

The Autonomy of the Local Church

This means a congregational church believes that God has given to each congregation the authority to govern itself in all matters relating to its own internal administration in a spirit of Christian love and fellowship. Autonomy means “self-government under God.” Therefore a congregational church is free from the control of any other religious body, hierarchy, or authority (bishop, cardinal, pope, presbytery, or council). We are subservient only to Christ.

The Fellowship of the Churches

A congregational church recognizes the diversities of form, creed, and ritual and seeks voluntary association with other congregational churches as well as fellowship and cooperative goodwill with Methodists, Lutherans, Episcopalians, Baptists, Catholics and all other Christian communities of faith.

Who We Are

In 1636, Reverend Thomas Hooker lead 100 members of his congregation west to establish the new English settlement at Hartford, Connecticut and founded the First Church of Christ, known today as Center Church.

Rev. Edwin Pond Parker tells us in his 1892 book, “The History of the Second Church of Christ”, that Rev. Samuel Stone, the Teaching Elder, and Mr. William Goodwin, the Ruling Elder, differed in their understanding of church government. Stone was more “Presbyterian” and Goodwin a staunch defender of Hooker’s view of congregationalism. The church was split in their opinions and eventually, on the 22nd of February 1670, Reverend John Whiting and The Original Thirty-One members of Hooker’s First Church of Christ formed themselves into a distinct church – the Second Church of Christ in Hartford, also known today as South Congregational Church -or- South Church, Hartford.

South Church is not only one of the oldest churches in America, but has one of the longest unbroken traditions as a continuing Congregational church. Since its founding, it has had just sixteen ministers. Under Warren Archibald (1917-1954) the church grew to over 1900 members. He was a leader in the struggle to keep our churches free, but died before the formation of the independent National Association of Congregational Churches (NACCC). Dr. Henry David Gray (1955-1970) sparked a revitalization of the South Church neighborhood. He was nationally known for his youth work and as a Congregational scholar, author and spokesperson. Dr. John Robert Elmore (1970-1992), called to be the Assistant Minister for Youth in 1956, succeeded Dr. Gray. Widely recognized in the field of Marriage and Family Counseling, he was, like Dr. Gray, active in community affairs and the NACCC. On December 4, 2005, the Rev. Adam Thomas Söderberg joined his predecessors and fellow Bangor Seminary graduates (Dr. Parker & Dr. Elmore) and accepted the call to become the sixteenth Senior Pastor of South Congregational Church.

Over the past four decades, South Church has increasingly tried to address the needs and challenges of our community and beyond. We are home to and partner with Al-Anon – a worldwide organization that helps and supports families and friends of individuals with drinking problems – their regional distribution center is right here at 277 Main Street. Our mission team “Twentyfive” (Matthew 25) plans, coordinates and executes mission trips and sends support to our sister church in Camp Perrin, Haiti through the Bethesda Evangelical Mission, as well as support to Uganda via Imani Milele. South Church hosts the House of Good Hope, a prayer and worship-based organization led by Rev. Audrey McIntyre. Starting in 2022, we began to work with Hartford Healthcare by providing a Neighborhood Health Clinic for the underserved and those experiencing homelessness.

In over 350 years of ministry in downtown Hartford, Connecticut, South Church remains committed to the “Great Commission” given to us by Jesus, “…to go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!”

Our Facility

South Church in Hartford, CT is a place where people gather to express their faith and to grow as Christians; a place deeply committed to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and caring for others through our outreach and missions programs; a place for people who are looking for some answers to life’s tough questions.

Contact Us

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Over the past four decades, South Church has increasingly tried to address the needs and challenges of our community and beyond. See what you want to be a part of!

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