The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a Mainline Protestant denomination in North America.

It is
often referred to as The Christian Church, The Disciples of Christ, or more simply as The Disciples. The
Christian Church was a charter participant in the formation of both the World Council of Churches and
the Federal Council of Churches (now the National Council of Churches), and it continues to be engaged
in ecumenical conversations.

The Disciples' local churches are congregationally governed. Currently there are 691,160
members in 3,754 congregations in North America.[1]

Contents
[hide]

 1 History
o 1.1 Campbells
o 1.2 Similarities
o 1.3 Merging
o 1.4 Naming
o 1.5 First national convention and missionary movement
o 1.6 Journals
o 1.7 Division
o 1.8 Restructure
 2 Beliefs and practices
o 2.1 Congregations
o 2.2 Regional ministries
o 2.3 General Ministries
o 2.4 Chalice
 3 Membership trends
 4 Affiliated academic institutions
o 4.1 Universities and colleges
o 4.2 Seminaries and theological institutions
 5 Ecumenical relations
 6 Prominent members
 7 See also
 8 Notes
 9 References
 10 External links

[edit] History
The early history of The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is shared by two other groups,
The Churches of Christ and the independent Christian Churches/Churches of Christ. They all
emerged from the same roots.[2] The Stone-Campbell movement began as two separate threads,
each without knowledge of the other, during the Second Great Awakening in the early 19th
century. The first, led by Barton W. Stone began at Cane Ridge, Bourbon County, Kentucky.
The group called themselves simply Christians. The second, began in western Pennsylvania and
Virginia (now West Virginia), led by Thomas Campbell and his son, Alexander Campbell.
Because the founders wanted to abandon all denominational labels, they used the biblical names
for the followers of Jesus that they found in the Bible.[3]

Barton W. Stone
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Last Will and Testament of The Springfield Presbytery

The defining event of the Stone wing of the movement was the publication of the Last Will and
Testament of The Springfield Presbytery, at Cane Ridge, Kentucky, in 1804. The Last Will is a
brief document in which Stone and five others announced their withdrawal from Presbyterianism
and their intention to be solely part of the body of Christ.[4] The writers appealed for the unity of
all who follow Jesus, suggested the value of congregational self-governance, and lifted the Bible
as the source for understanding the will of God. They denounced the divisive use of the
Augsburg Confession.[5]

Soon, they adopted the name "Christian" to identify their group. Thus, the remnants of the
Springfield Presbytery became the Christian Church.[6] It is estimated that the Christian Church
numbered about 12,000 by 1830.[7]

[edit] Campbells

Thomas Campbell
Independently of Stone, the Campbell wing of the movement was launched when Thomas
Campbell published the Declaration and Address of the Christian Association of Washington, in
1809. The Presbyterian Synod had suspended his ministerial credentials. In The Declaration and
Address he set forth some of his convictions about the church of Jesus Christ, as he organized the
Christian Association of Washington, not as a church but as an association of persons seeking to
grow in faith.[8] On May 4, 1811, however, the Christian Association constituted itself as a
congregationally governed church. With the building it then constructed at Brush Run, it became
known as Brush Run Church.[9]

Young Alexander Campbell

When their study of the New Testament led the reformers to begin to practice Baptism by
Immersion, the nearby Redstone Baptist Association invited Brush Run Church to join with them
for the purpose of fellowship. The reformers agreed provided that they would be "allowed to
preach and to teach whatever they learned from the Scriptures."[10]

Thus began a sojourn for the reformers among the Baptists within the Redstone Baptist
Association (1815–1824). While the reformers and the Baptists shared the same beliefs in
Baptism by Immersion and Congregational polity, it was soon clear that the reformers were not
traditional Baptists. Within the Redstone Association, the differences became intolerable to some
of the Baptist leaders, when Alexander Campbell began publishing a journal, The Christian
Baptist, promoting reform. Campbell anticipated the conflict and moved his membership to a
congregation of the Mahoning Baptist Association in 1824.[11]

Walter Scott

In 1827, the Mahoning Association appointed reformer Walter Scott as an Evangelist. Through
Scott’s efforts, the Mahoning Association grew rapidly. In 1828, Thomas Campbell visited
several of the congregations formed by Scott and heard him preach. The elder Campbell realized
that Scott was bringing an important new dimension to the movement with his approach to
evangelism.[12]

Several Baptist associations began disassociating congregations that refused to subscribe to the
Philadelphia Confession. The Mahoning Association itself came under attack. In 1830, The
Mahoning Baptist Association disbanded. Alexander ceased publication of the Christian Baptist.
In January 1831, he began publication of the Millennial Harbinger.[13]

[edit] Similarities

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Both movements sought to end the divisiveness that had arisen with denominational differences.
They wanted to found the unity of the church in the simple acknowledgment that Jesus is the
Christ, the messiah, and an acceptance of Him as Lord. Both were opposed to the use of creeds
as a test of faith. They believed that the simple confession that Jesus Christ is Lord was sufficient
to unite all Christians. They considered man-made creeds divisive.

Both groups looked to the New Testament to discover practices that united the early church. The
term, the Restoration Movement, has been used to describe their interest in restoring the New
Testament church. In their reading of the Scriptures, both groups found that the early church
gathered on the first day of the week (Sunday) "for the breaking of bread." They began to
celebrate the Lord's Supper every week, rather than on a less regular basis as was common on the
frontier because of lack of ministers. They left behind the practice of Morning Prayer and some
other traditions of Anglicanism and the Presbyterian Church.

In their study of the Bible, both groups determined that baptism as portrayed in the New
Testament was for adult converts and accomplished by immersion in water. They adopted the
practice in their churches and abandoned infant baptism.

[edit] Merging

"Raccoon" John Smith

The two groups united at High Street Meeting House, Lexington, Kentucky with a handshake
between Barton W. Stone and "Raccoon" John Smith, Saturday, December 31, 1831.[14] Smith
had been chosen, by those present, to speak on behalf of the followers of the Campbells.[15] While
contemporaneous accounts are clear that the handshake took place on Saturday, some historians
have changed the date of the merger to Sunday, January 1, 1832.[16] The 1832 date has become
generally accepted. The actual difference is about 20 hours.

Two representatives of those assembled were appointed to carry the news of the union to all the
churches: John Rogers, for the Christians and "Raccoon" John Smith for the reformers. Despite
some challenges, the merger succeeded.[17]

[edit] Naming

With the merger, there was the challenge of what to call the new movement. Clearly, finding a
Biblical, non-sectarian name was important. Stone wanted to continue to use the name
"Christians." Alexander Campbell insisted upon "Disciples of Christ". Walter Scott and Thomas
Campbell sided with Stone, but the younger Campbell had strong reasons and would not yield.
As a result, both names were used. The confusion over names has been present ever since.[18]
Prior to the 1906 separation, congregations would typically be named "Disciples of Christ,"
"Christian Church," and "Church of Christ."

[edit] First national convention and missionary movement

Alexander Campbell, Age 65

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In 1849, the first National Convention was held at Cincinnati, Ohio.[19] Alexander Campbell had
concerns that holding conventions would lead the movement into divisive denominationalism.
He did not attend the gathering.[20] Among its actions, the convention elected Alexander
Campbell its President and created the American Christian Missionary Society (ACMS).[21]

The formation of a missionary society set the stage for further "co-operative" efforts. By the end
of the century, the Foreign Christian Missionary Society and the Christian Women's Board of
Missions were also engaged in missionary activities. Forming the ACMS did not reflect a
consensus of the entire movement. Sponsorship of missionary activities became a divisive issue.
In the succeeding decades, for some congregations and their leaders, co-operative work through
missionary societies and the adoption of instrumental music in church worship was straying too
far from their conception of the early church. After the American Civil War, the schism grew.
[edit] Journals

From the beginning of the movement, the free exchange of ideas among the people was fostered
by the journals published by its leaders. Alexander Campbell published The Christian Baptist
and The Millennial Harbinger. Barton W. Stone published The Christian Messenger.[22] In a
respectful way, both men routinely published the contributions of others whose positions were
radically different from their own.

Following Campbell’s death in 1866, journals continued to keep the discussion and conversation
alive. Between 1870 and 1900, two journals emerged as the most prominent. The Christian
Standard was edited and published by Isaac Errett of Cincinnati. The Christian Evangelist was
edited and published by J. H. Garrison from St. Louis. The two men enjoyed a friendly rivalry,
and kept the dialog going within the movement.[23] A third journal became part of the
conversation with the publication in 1884 of The Christian Oracle, later to become The
Christian Century, with an interdenominational appeal.[24] In 1914, Garrison’s Christian
Publishing company was purchased by R. A. Long, who then established a non-profit
corporation, “The Christian Board of Publication” as the Brotherhood publishing house.[25]

[edit] Division

In 1906, the U.S. Religious Census listed Churches of Christ for the first time as a group which
was separate and distinct from the Disciples of Christ.[26] However, the division had been
growing for years, with published reports as early as 1883.[27] The most obvious distinction
between the two groups was the Churches of Christ rejecting the use of musical instruments in
worship. The controversy over musical instruments began in 1860, when some congregations
introduced organs, traditionally associated with wealthier, denominational churches. More basic
were the underlying approaches to Biblical interpretation. The Churches of Christ permitted only
those practices found in accounts of New Testament worship. They could find no New
Testament documentation of the use of instrumental music in worship. The Disciples considered
any practices that were not expressly forbidden in the New Testament.[28]

After the division, Disciples churches used "Christian Church" as the dominant designation for
congregations. While music and the approach to missionary work were the most visible issues,
there were also some deeper ones. The process that led to the separation had begun prior to the
American Civil War.[29]

Following the 1906 separation by the Churches of Christ, additional controversies arose. Should
missionary efforts be cooperative or should they be independently sponsored by congregations?
Should new methods of Biblical analysis, developed in the late 19th century, be embraced in the
study and interpretation of the Bible?[30] The "cooperative" churches were generally more likely
to adopt the new biblical study methods.

During the first half of the 20th century, these opposing factions among the Christian Churches
coexisted but with growing discomfort and tension. Among the cooperative churches, the three
Missionary Societies merged into the United Christian Missionary Society in 1920.[31] Human
service ministries grew through the National Benevolent Association and provided assistance to
orphans, the elderly and the disabled. By mid century, the cooperative Christian Churches and
the independent Christian Churches were following different paths.

[edit] Restructure

Following World War II, it became obvious that the organizations that had been developed in
previous decades no longer effectively met the needs of the postwar era.[32] After a number of
discussions throughout the 1950s, the 1960 International Convention of Christian Churches
adopted a process to plan the "restructure" of the entire organization.[33] The Commission on
Restructure, chaired by Granville T. Walker, held its first meeting on October 30 & November 1,
1962.[34] In 1968, the International Convention of Christian Churches (Disciples of Christ)
adopted the Commission's proposed “Provisional Design of the Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ).”[35] Soon the Provisional Design became “The Design.”

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Under the Design, all churches in the 1968 yearbook of Christian Churches (Disciples of Christ)
were automatically recognized as part of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). In the years
that followed, many of the Independent Christian Church Congregations requested formal
withdrawal from the yearbook. Many of those congregations became part of the Independent
Christian Churches and Churches of Christ.

The modern disciples have been described as "a Reformed North American Mainstream
Moderate Denomination."[36]

[edit] Beliefs and practices

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Each week, members of the Christian Church gather around the Table in local congregations to
celebrate the Lord's Supper, to sing hymns, to read the word of God from the Bible, to hear the
word of God proclaimed and to extend Christ's invitation to become his Disciples. Each
congregation determines the nature of its worship, study, Christian service, and witness to the
world. At the Lord's table, individuals are invited to acknowledge their faults and sins, to
remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, to remember their baptism, and to give
thanks for God's redeeming love.[37] The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) believes that it is
in the local congregations where people come, find, and know God as they gather in Christ's
name.[38] Because Disciples believe that the invitation to the table comes from Jesus Christ,
communion is open to all who confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, regardless of their
denominational affiliation.[39] For most Disciples, communion is understood as the symbolic
presence of Jesus within the gathered community. Disciples practice believer's baptism in the
form of immersion, believing it to be the form used in the New Testament. The experiences of
yielding to Christ in being buried with him in the waters of baptism and rising to a new life, have
profound meaning for the church.[40]

"In essentials, Unity; In non-essentials, Liberty; and in all things, Charity."

19th Century slogan of the Stone-Campbell Movement

For modern Disciples the one essential is the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and
obedience to him in baptism.[41] There is no requirement to give assent to any other statement of
belief or creed. Nor is there any "official" interpretation of the Bible.[42] Hierarchical doctrine was
traditionally rejected by Disciples as human-made and divisive, and subsequently, freedom of
belief and scriptural interpretation allows many Disciples to question or even deny beliefs
common in doctrinal churches such as the Incarnation, the Trinity, and the Atonement. Beyond
the essential commitment to follow Jesus there is a tremendous freedom of belief and
interpretation. As the basic teachings of Jesus are studied and applied to life, there is the freedom
to interpret Jesus' teaching in different ways. As would be expected from such an approach, there
is a wide diversity among Disciples in what individuals and congregations believe. It is not
uncommon to find individuals who seemingly hold diametrically opposed beliefs within the
same congregation affirming one another's journeys of faith as sisters and brothers in Christ.

Members and seekers are encouraged to take being disciples seriously, meaning that they are
student followers, of Jesus. Often the best teaching comes in the form, "I'll tell you what I think,
but read the Bible for yourself, and then study and pray about it. Decide in what ways God is
calling you to be a follower of Jesus."

Modern Disciples reject the use of creeds as "tests of faith," i.e., as required beliefs, necessary to
be accepted as a follower of Jesus. Although Disciples respect the great creeds of the church as
informative affirmations of faith, they are never seen as binding. Since the adoption of The
Design of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ),[43] in 1968, Disciples have celebrated a
sense of unity in reading the preamble to the Design publicly. It is as a meaningful affirmation of
faith, not binding upon any member. It was originally intended to remind readers that this
Church seeks God through Jesus Christ, even when it adopts a design for its business affairs.
Some of the denomination's best scholars have noted the inadequacy of the "Preamble" as a
balanced theological statement.

". . .the church of Christ upon earth is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one;
consisting of all those in every place that profess their faith in Christ
and obedience to him in all things. . ."
Thomas Campbell - Proposition 1 of the Declaration and Address

The Disciples celebrate their oneness with all who seek God through Jesus Christ, throughout
time and regardless of location. That oneness is symbolized in the open invitation to communion
for all who have professed faith in Christ without regard to church affiliation.[44]
In local communities, congregations share with churches of other denominations in joint worship
and in community Christian service. Ecumenical cooperation and collaboration with other
Christian Communions has long been practiced, by the Regions.

At the General Church level, the Council on Christian Unity[45] coordinates the ecumenical
activities of the church. The Disciples continues to relate to the National Council of Churches, of
which it was a founding member. It shares in the dialog and in the theological endeavors of the
World Council of Churches. The Disciples has been a full participant in the Consultation on
Church Union since it began in the sixties. It continues to support those ongoing conversations
which have taken on the title Churches Uniting in Christ. The goal of these endeavors is not the
merger into some "Super Church", but rather to discover ways to celebrate and proclaim the
unity and oneness that is Christ's gift to his church.

[edit] Congregations

Congregations of the Christian Church are self governing in the tradition of congregational
polity. They select their own leadership, own their own property, and manage their own affairs.

In Disciples congregations, the priesthood of all believers finds its expression in worship and
Christian service. Typically, Lay Elders, rather than ordained ministers, preside at the Lord's
Table in celebration of Communion. The lay Elders and called Pastors provide spiritual oversight
and care for members in partnership with one another.[46]

[edit] Regional ministries

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The Regional Churches of the Christian Church provide resources for leadership development
and opportunities for Christian fellowship beyond the local congregation. They have taken
responsibility for the nurture and support of those individuals seeking to discern God’s call to
service as ordained or licensed ministers. Typically, they organize summer camping experiences
for children and youth.[47]

Regional churches assist congregations who are seeking ministers and ministers who are seeking
congregations. Regional leadership is available on request to assist congregations that face
conflict. Though they have no authority to direct the life of any congregation, the Regional
Churches are analogous to the middle judicatories of other denominations.

[edit] General Ministries

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The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) at the “General Church” level consists of a number of
self-governing agencies, which focus upon specific Christian witnesses to the world that have
emerged in the dialog within the movement since before the first convention in 1849. Typically,
these ministries have a scope that is larger than Regional Ministries, and often have a global
perspective. The church agencies report to the General Assembly, which meets biennially in odd
numbered years. The General Minister and President (GMP) is the designated leader for the
General Church, but does not have the administrative authority to direct any of the general
church agencies other than “The Office of General Minister and President.” The GMP has
influence that derives from the respect of the church much as the pastor of a local church leads a
local congregation.

One highly popular and respected General Agency of the church is the “Week of Compassion,”
named for the special offering to fund the program when it began in the 1950s. The Week of
Compassion is the disaster relief and Third World development agency. [48] It works closely with
Church World Service and church related organizations in countries around the world where
disasters strike, providing emergency aid.

The General Church has challenged the entire denomination to work for a 2020 Vision[49] for the
first two decades of the 21st Century. Together the denomination is well on the way to achieving
its four foci:

 Seeking racial justice, which it describes as becoming a pro-reconciling/anti-racist

church.[50]
 Forming 1,000 new congregations across the United States and Canada by 2020.[51]
 Seeking God’s transformation of 1,000 existing Congregations in ways that will renew
their witness.[52]
 Working to nurture leadership for newly formed and transformed congregations. [53]

The relationship between the congregations, regions and the general church are detailed in The
Design of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).[54][55]

At the 2005 General Assembly, over 3000 delegates voted nearly unanimously to elect the
Sharon E. Watkins as General Minister and President of the denomination.[56] Watkins was the
first woman to be elected as the presiding minister of a mainline Protestant denomination.[57]

[edit] Chalice

The logo of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a red chalice with a white St. Andrew's
Cross. The chalice represents the centrality of Communion to the life of the church. The cross of
Saint Andrew is a reminder of the ministry of each person and the importance of evangelism, and
recalls the denomination's Scottish Presbyterian ancestry. The symbol was designed in 1969.[58]

After the 1968 General Assembly, the Administrative Committee charged a sub-committee with
the task of proposing a symbol for the church. Hundreds of designs were submitted, but none
seemed right. By November the Deputy General Minister and President, William Howland,
suggested that the committee's staff consultant and chairperson agree on a specific proposal and
bring it back to the committee: that meant Robert L. Friedly of the Office of Interpretation and
Ronald E. Osborn.[citation needed]

On January 20, 1970, the two men sat down for lunch. With a red felt-tip pen, Osborn began to
scrawl a Saint Andrew's cross circumscribed inside a chalice on his placemat.[citation needed]

Immediately, Friedly dispatched the crude drawing to Bruce Tilsley of Denver with the plea that
he prepare an artistic version of the ideas. Tilsley responded with two or three sketches, from
which was selected the now-familiar red chalice. Use of the proposed symbol became so
prevalent that there was little debate when official adoption was considered at the 1971 General
Assembly.[citation needed]

The chalice is a registered trademark of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Congregations and ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) are free to use the
chalice in publications, web sites and other media. Organizations not affiliated with the Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ) are asked to obtain permission.[59]

Because most congregations call themselves "Christian Churches," the chalice has become a
simple way to identify Disciples of Christ Churches through signage, letterhead, and other forms
of publicity.

[edit] Membership trends

Like many other mainline Protestant denominations, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
has experienced a significant loss of membership since the middle of the twentieth century.
Membership peaked in 1958 at just under 2 million.[60] In the early 1990s, membership dropped
below 1 million. In 2006, the denomination reported 3,774 churches and 698,686 members.[61]
Members are concentrated in the lower Midwest and parts of the South. The states with the
highest rates of membership are Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Kentucky, and Oklahoma.[62] Texas has
the largest number of members, with over 100,000.

[edit] Affiliated academic institutions

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From the very beginnings of the movement, Disciples have founded institutions of higher
learning. Alexander Campbell taught young leaders and founded Bethany College. The
movement established similar schools, especially in the years following the American Civil War.

Because intellectual and religious freedom are important values for the Disciples of Christ, the
colleges, universities, and seminaries founded by its congregations do not seek to indoctrinate
students or faculty with a sectarian point of view.
In the 21st century, the relationship between the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and its
affiliated universities is the purview of Higher Education and Leadership Ministries (HELM), an
agency of the General Church.