The following is an extract from The History of the Massachusetts Convention of Congregational Ministers drafted by Joseph Bassett, the scribe of the Convention, in 2008:

“The Massachusetts Convention of Congregational Ministers as we know it began between 1692-94 when ministers in Massachusetts Bay met to consider issues afoot in the land... By 1721 the Convention met to hear a Convention sermon in May followed by a dinner with members of the Great and General Court popularly known as The Feast of Moses an Aaron. In 1949 Professor George Williams ardently pled that the MCCM not fold its tent since it was the only Massachusetts clergy configuration not to split in the Unitarian controversy.

“Since 1973 a pattern of addressing topics theological, pastoral, and international [had] emerged in the Massachusetts Convention. The Spring Convention [was] held alternatively in the UUA (unitarian Universalist Association) and UCC (United Church of Christ) churches with the Convention preacher being from the side other than the host.

“In 1984 the Convention began to sponsor a two day Karl Barth Seminar of Pastors in mid or late June. In the morning a visiting teacher would lead discussion of forty or so pages in the Church Dogmatics. In the afternoon an ecumenical document would be received and discussed.

“Given the many solid sermons preached at the Convention, in 2005 the Convention Archivist began to hold a sermon seminar sometime following the spring Convention to study a past sermon in order to learn the shape of the ministry in Massachusetts for more than three centuries.

“The Convention [was] responsive for distributing the income from the Judah Monis Fund and a modest Convention fund for widows and orphans of Congregational Ministers.

“Programs and publicity [were] the responsibility of officers elected at the spring Convention; a Moderator, Scribe, Treasurer, two Directors from the UUA and two from the UCC with four additional advisers.”