The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

The Regional Church
The General Church
1832
1832-1968
1968
Affirmation of Faith
Common Practices
More About the Christian Church

The Regional Church (Pacific Southwest) of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

"The purpose of regional ministry is twofold: (1) to extend the ministry of Christ in mission, witness and service among the people and social structures of the region; and (2) to establish, receive and nurture congregations in the region, providing help, counsel and pastoral care to members, ministers and congregations in their mutual relationships, and relating them to the worldwide mission and witness of the whole church."

Regions are the "front line" support for congregations and pastors. As noted church consultant Loren Mead has said, "The local church needs somebody who is right there all the time, who's prepared to come in when churches get in a bind, who knows them... who keeps in touch with them and helps them face difficulty and opportunity.""

What does that mean? Again, from the Design: Among other things, "Regions certify the standing of ministers and provide help, counsel and pastoral care to ministers and congregations in such matters as: ordination, licensing, ministerial relocation, establishment and dissolution of pastoral relationships and installations of ministers. Regions seek to supply a ministry for congregations without full-time pastoral services and offer counsel and assistance in cases of difficulties between ministers and congregations."

(Click here to see the Pacific SouthWest Region Website in a new window.)

The General Church (United States and Canada) of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

(Click Here to see the General Church Website)

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a Protestant denomination of 3,700 congregations and approximately 800,000 members in the United States and Canada. It's one of the largest faith groups founded on American soil.

Some key persons and dates in the church's development:
Presbyterian minister Barton W. Stone was born in Port Tobacco, Maryland, December 24, 1772. He died in Hannibal Missouri, November 9, 1844. Stone was educated as a school teacher and entered the ministry through the Presbyterian Church. He served a church in Cane Ridge Kentucky, and after hosting the historic Cane Ridge Revival of 1801, he and several others formed the Springfield Presbytery denouncing all human creeds and appealing to the Bible as the only rule of faith and practice.

They soon dissolved the Springfield Presbytery, and published the Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery, one of the documents the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) considers key in its development. They dissolved their denominational ties to enter into unity with "the body of Christ at large." They called themselves, simply, "Christians."

Thomas Campbell was born in County Down, Ireland, February 1, 1763. He died in Bethany, Virginia (now West Virginia), January 4, 1854. He came to America from Scotland in 1807. He was chastised by Pennsylvania church authorities for refusing to use Presbyterian creeds as terms of communion. In 1808 he and others founded the Christian Association of Washington, Pennsylvania. That group adopted the motto, well-known by Disciples, "Where the scriptures speak, we speak; where the Scriptures are silent, we are silent."
Campbell and others were called "Reformers," for their desire to restore the Church's first century roots. This way of life came to be known as the "Restoration Movement."

Near Washington, Pennsylvania, Campbell and his son, Alexander, and the Christian Association established the Brush Run Church, which, in 1815, became part of a nearby Baptist Association. Reformers and the Baptists differed on key issues. By 1830, the Reformers cut their last ties with the Baptist Association and became known as "Disciples."

Thomas Campbell's passion for Christian unity is summed up in his proclamation that: "The church of Christ upon earth is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one." This statement is the first and key proposition of Thomas Campbell's Declaration and Address, a work called by some the "Magna Charta" of the movement that preceded the denomination known as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Alexander Campbell was born September 12, 1788 in the County of Antrim, Ireland. He was raised as a Presbyterian. He attended the University of Glasgow, Scotland.

In 1809, Alexander arrived in America from Scotland, and joined his father, Thomas, in western Pennsylvania. He carefully read and fully endorsed the principles of Thomas' Declaration and Address. Biographer Nathaniel Haynes says that Thomas and Alexander Campbell were "one in their aims, spirit and work."

The younger Campbell was a prolific writer. In 1823, he founded the periodical The Christian Baptist. After the Reformers dissolved ties with the Baptists, Campbell founded a new publication called The Millennial Harbinger. He was a talented debater, and in 1829 drew attention to the Restoration Movement in a widely known debate with social reformer Robert Owen. In 1837, he engaged the Roman Catholic John B. Purcell, archbishop of Cincinnati, in a widely publicized eight day debate on the traditions and beliefs of the Catholic Church.

His public speaking skills, writing, and articulation of the place of reason (but not pure rationalism) in Christian faith propelled him into the leadership of the "Disciples of Christ."

A dedicated scholar and educator, Alexander Campbell founded Bethany College, Bethany, Virginia (now West Virginia) in 1840 and served as the school's first president.

1832
The "Christians" and the "Disciples of Christ" agreed on basic beliefs and aims and united with a formal handshake in Lexington, Kentucky, and created a new Christian movement on the American frontier.

1832-1968
The "Christians" and the "Disciples of Christ" functioned and grew as a "movement," often referred to as the "Stone-Campbell movement." During this period, Disciples often described the relationship of the Christians and the Disciples of Christ as a "brotherhood." In 1960, the Commission on Brotherhood Restructure started the task of designing a new form of organization. Throughout the 20th century, American Asian, Hispanic and African American Disciples congregations multiplied.

1968
A representative assembly meeting in Kansas City overwhelmingly approved the Provisional Design for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Church historian D. Duane Cummins writes: "Approval of the Provisional Design marked the passage of the Disciples into denominational maturity. Officially named the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), they became a church."

Affirmation of Faith
A Disciples Understanding of Christian Faith: The following is the preamble to The Design for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). It's not a creed, nor is it meant to be a substitute for a creed or a test of fellowship of any sort. But many Disciples use it as a way of expressing their understanding of the faith...

As members of the Christian Church
we confess that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of the living God,
and proclaim him Lord and Savior of the world.

In Christ's name and by his grace
we accept our mission of witness
and service to all people.

We rejoice in God,
maker of heaven and earth,
and in the covenant of love
which binds us to God and one another.

Through baptism into Christ
we enter into newness of life
and are made one with the whole people of God.

In the communion of the Holy Spirit
we are joined together in discipleship
and in obedience to Christ.

At the table of the Lord
we celebrate with thanksgiving
the saving acts and presence of Christ.

Within the universal church
we receive the gift of ministry
and the light of scripture.

In the bonds of the Christian faith
we yield ourselves to God
that we may serve the One
whose kingdom has no end.
Blessing, glory and honor
be to God forever. Amen.

The Design for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a document adopted in 1968, spells out how the church is organized. It recognizes three expressions of the church: congregations, regions and general units. The three live in covenant to carry on the ministry and mission of the church.

Common Practices
It is no simple task to summarize what members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) believe. In his book “We Call Ourselves Disciples”, General Minister and President Emeritus Dr. Kenneth Teegarden explains: "Disciples always have opposed...the use of creeds to exclude persons from the church. It was (the) use of creeds as 'tests of fellowship' that the Disciples' founding fathers fingered as the major cause of division among Christians...(So) unlike most other churches, we Disciples do not have an official doctrinal statement we can refer to when someone asks, 'What does the Christian Church believe?'" "For many years, The Christian Evangelist, a forerunner of our present journal The Disciple, carried a maxim in its masthead: 'In essentials, unity: in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity.' It expresses the cherished conviction that liberty should be allowed in the nonessential areas into which most creedal statements roam."

A widely-known slogan among Disciples claims "No Creed but Christ." That conviction is borne out in the manner in which persons come to be a part of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Dr. Teegarden goes on to say: "Standing before a congregation of Disciples to confess faith in Jesus Christ and become part of the church, a person is asked only one question. It is usually phrased, 'Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and do you accept him as your personal Savior?' The person who responds, 'I do,' might have recently completed a church membership course. If so, the instruction will not have been to transmit a system of doctrines.

In fact, a person who is comfortable with a dogmatic approach would be disappointed in the Christian Church." "We Disciples have beliefs and practices in common with all sorts of Christians. These apparent similarities sometimes are superficial, sometimes fundamental. We baptize by immersion, so we look like Baptists. We have Communion every Sunday, so we look a bit like Roman Catholics. We stress the ministry of the laity, so we look a little like Quakers. Our congregations call their pastors rather than accepting assigned ministers, so in that respect we look like Presbyterians. We rely heavily on preaching and teaching, so we look somewhat like Methodists. We have congregational government, so we look a lot like the United Church of Christ."

On Baptism: Baptism in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) takes water -- plenty of water. Disciples practice "baptism by immersion" because it mirrors New Testament practice. In addition, Disciples see the use of the specific form of baptism, immersion, as powerfully symbolic. It recalls Jesus' own baptism; it acts out dying with Christ and emerging to new life; it is a "putting on" of Christ. The person being baptized experiences the firm support of the community -- of the Body of Christ -- in the arms and hands of the pastor, feels the plunge of commitment, and bursts into new life with the sound and feel of rushing water. At the conclusion of a Disciples baptism, the congregation most often is asked to pledge support of the newly-baptized person in her or his faith journey. Disciples typically are baptized when they can express as a personal choice their desire to become part of the Body of Christ. Disciples call the practice "believer's baptism." As the believer is immersed, she is baptized in the name of the Trinity. It is customary for the pastor to use the words "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," or in the case of our congregation, "in the name of the Creator, Word, and Spirit."

Infant dedication is a common Disciples tradition. A baby is brought into the environment of a loving church where parents and congregation pledge themselves to nurture the child in the love of Christ. An infant so dedicated "confirms" that dedication with a faith-response usually during the early teenage years, about the same time when many Disciples are baptized. Most Disciples today recognize other forms of baptism as valid. A person baptized in another Christian tradition wishing to join a Disciples congregation is simply asked: "Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and proclaim him Lord and Savior of your life?" The person who answers, "I do," is welcomed into the congregation. For more Information on the Disciples of Christ, go to www.disciples.org

More about the Christian Church...
As members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), we face the challenge of articulating a descriptive approach to faith that tends to be expansive in proclamation, embracing of diversity, and inclusive in practice. Such an approach to faith does not so simply reduce into a neat "top ten list" of orthodox beliefs. And yet, it is not the case as is sometimes leveled at the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) that our church just "believes anything," or "believes nothing."

It is crucial especially now that we become "graceful articulators" (i.e., graceful "good news" bearers) about what typifies the beliefs and practices of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Popular preacher and Professor Fred Craddock has written a summary statement that is descriptive and helpful, in which he says that:

The Table of the Lord is central in weekly worship. To this Table, all are welcomed; at this Table, Christ is remembered; and around this Table, believers serve as priests to each other, offering to one another the bread and cup of remembrance.

The only question asked of those who present themselves for baptism is the question of belief in God as revealed in the One God sent for us and our salvation, Jesus the Christ.

Persons who come from other Christian traditions are welcome without suspicion or condition, and their own memories of worship and work are respected.

The opportunity and responsibility of leadership is available to men and women alike.

Every occasion to join other Christians in worship and in service to human need is happily embraced.

The "whosoever will" of Jesus is the fundamental conviction under girding the public witness of the church, and therefore, cultural concerns of race, gender, income, education, or social standing have absolutely no place in the church.

The gifts of God for ministry belong to all the people.

The study of Scripture is a lifetime commitment, with the clear knowledge that as a result, minds change and faith is continually making new discoveries.

The church never raises the question of worthiness in the exercise of benevolence and care.

The freedom of the congregation shall not be understood as grounds for isolation or withdrawal from the common life and work of Disciples everywhere.

Judgment belongs to God alone.

Craddock is proclaiming principles that are descriptive of the Christian Church. You may also want to visit the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) national web site at www.disciples.org.