Dr. Holmes and the more conservative members of his flock departed and founded the Shepard Congregational Society. In 1899, it was agreed that the church associated with that society should be called the First Church in Cambridge (Congregational), now part of the United Church of Christ, and this church, the First Parish in Cambridge (Unitarian) [now Unitarian Universalist].
Dr. Holmes and a group of more conservative followers broke away from his congregation to form the Shepard Congregational Society. Two years later, it was agreed that the church connected to this new society would be known as the First Church in Cambridge (Congregational), which is now part of the United Church of Christ, while the original church became the First Parish in Cambridge (Unitarian) [now Unitarian Universalist].