Trinity United Church of Christ — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III (Senior Pastor)

Founded 1961

Denomination United Church of Christ

Service Times Sunday mornings (see website)

Men's Ministry No

Kids Ministry Yes

Website www.trinitychicago.org

Pastor Credentials DMin

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

Is Jesus the only way? (John 14:6)

Cone-style "Black Christ" categories.

Caution

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

Explicitly built on James Cone's Black liberation theology; Scripture read as a liberation document subordinate to the Black experience.

WARNING!

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

None distinctly biblical.

WARNING!

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

Liberation-theology reframe; justification-by-faith-alone subordinated to communal/racial categories.

Caution

Gender / Biblical Design

Biblical manhood and womanhood by God's design — patriarchal, complementarian, egalitarian, or affirming gender ideology?

Full egalitarianism; women clergy normative.

Full egalitarian; UCC fully affirming.

Disqualifier

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

UCC polity; female and LGBTQ clergy affirmed.

WARNING!

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Liberation-theology proclamation (famously so under Jeremiah Wright).

WARNING!

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

Political-liberation.

Caution

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

Founding "Black Value System" and "unashamedly Black, unapologetically Christian" slogan; liberation theology is the organizing frame.

Disqualifier

Accountability Structure

Denominational home, elder plurality, or external network — is the pastor answerable to anyone?

UCC is the most progressive mainline denomination — open and affirming, pro-choice, full LGBTQ ordination and marriage.

Disqualifier

Assessment

Trinity UCC Chicago is the flagship congregation of Black liberation theology in America, shaped by Jeremiah Wright and now Otis Moss III. Its self-description as "unashamedly Black, unapologetically Christian" is built on a James Cone framework that makes the Black experience the interpretive key for Scripture. Add UCC denominational affiliation — fully affirming of LGBTQ marriage and ordination, pro-choice, and women clergy — and the church stands squarely outside biblical orthodoxy.

#trinity-ucc#black-liberation#james-cone#ucc#jeremiah-wright#otis-moss#affirming

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

[2026-05-19] MOOP rubric: UCC — affirming since 2005. Already rated black.

No URL sources recorded for this church. Rating based on denominational defaults and/or directory-level metadata.

Transparency note: MOOP ratings are researcher judgments about publicly available theological and ecclesial evidence. They are not infallible. If a church's public posture has changed since our review, or if we've mis-read evidence, tell us — we publish corrections.