Like the UCC itself, United reflects the merging of two denominational backgrounds: Mission House was related to the Evangelical and Reformed Church, while Yankton was one of the numerous schools affiliated with the Congregational Christian Churches.
Despite being formally affiliated with the UCC, the United charter states that the school is ecumenical, independent, and multi-denominational.
The school champions social justice, the integration of arts and theology, and interfaith dialogue.
Designed by Joan Soranno and John Cook of Hammel, Green and Abrahamson, Inc., the chapel exhibits floating planes of glass, precast stone walls, and a series of translucent curving wood panels.
[4] The new occupant of United's former campus, Global Academy, elected to keep the chapel in its original state, renaming it Bigelow Hall and using it as a secular gathering space.