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Churches of Christ

The Churches of Christ discussed in this article are not part of the The churches of Christ (non-institutional); the Independent Christian Churches/Churches of Christ; the United Church of Christ, or the Disciples of Christ.

Churches of Christ are a movement of autonomous Christian congregation associated with one another through common beliefs and practices. They seek to model their congregations as closely as possible to their understanding of how New Testament Churches operated.

Historically, Churches of Christ in the United states were recognized as a distinct movement by the U.S. Religious census of 1906. Prior to that they had been reported in the religious census as part of the Movement that had its roots in the Second Great Awakening under the leadership of Thomas and Alexander Campbell, Walter Scott, and Barton W. Stone. Those leaders had declared their independence from their Presbyterian roots, seeking a fresh start to restore the New Testament church, and abandoning creeds. The names Church of Christ, Christian Church and Disciples of Christ were adopted by the movement because they believed that these terms were found in the Bible. Other names the movement did not believe to be biblical were rejected, such as Campbellite, Stoneite, Campbell-Stone movement, and even Restoration Movement. Even so, the rejected terms are used by those outside the movement to identify it.

Though officially recognized as a distinct movement in 1906, the actual separation of the Churches of Christ from the Christian Churches had already been taking place gradually for decades.

Doctrine

Modern Churches of Christ in America, and some elsewhere, are linked to the Restoration Movement, which was a converging of several Christians across denominational lines who sought a return to a hypothesized original, "pre-denominational" Christianity. Like many other individuals and Christian groups throughout the history of Christianity, the Restoration Movement was an attempt to seek doctrine and practice found in the Bible only, rather than recognizing the traditional councils and denominational hierarchies that had come to define Christianity since the first century.

Churches of Christ generally share these traits:

Refusal to hold to any formalized creeds or statements of faith, preferring instead a reliance on the Bible alone for doctrine and practice
Autonomous, congregational church organization without denominational oversight
Local governance by a plurality of male elders
Baptism by immersion only performed on consenting individuals (i.e., not infants) for the forgiveness of sins
Weekly observance of Communion, also referred to as the Lord's Supper or (especially in British congregations) the "breaking of bread"
Practice of a cappella singing in worship.

In keeping with their history, Churches of Christ claim the New Testament as their sole rule of faith and practice in deciding matters of doctrine and ecclesiastical structure. Although they view the Old Testament as divinely inspired and historically accurate, they do not see its laws as binding under the New Covenant in Christ (unless they are repeated in the New Testament). They believe that the New Testament demonstrates how a person may become a Christian, thus a part of the universal church of Christ, and how a church should be collectively organized and carry out its scriptural purposes.

Church population

These churches comprise about 5,062,074 members in over 40,000 individual congregations worldwide. Approximately 13,000 congregations exist in the United States comprising about 1.3 million members

Self-identification

Members of the Churches of Christ believe that since the church was founded by Jesus, as recorded in the New Testament, the modern church and its doctrines must rely only on the New Testament for its doctrine and polity and thus transcend any other entities, traditions, movements, structures, councils, etc. that developed later within Christendom. Members do not typically consider themselves to be members of a denomination, but prefer to simply be known as "Christians" (in contrast to, for example, a Catholic Christian, a Presbyterian Christian, a Baptist Christian, etc.), with no other religious title needed or preferred. They believe that Christians corporately should be referred to as the Church of Christ.

Members often refer to scriptures like : "...The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch" or : "Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings" as justification for these teachings.

History in America

Restoration Movement

Although the Church of Christ traces its roots through autonomous congregations since the first century A.D., the American Restoration Movement of the 18th and 19th centuries resulted in the significant development and growth of Churches of Christ in America and elsewhere. This movement was an emergence of seekers who perpetuated ideals that have existed throughout church history regarding inspired truth over ecclesiastical tradition or dogma. The Restoration Movement largely promoted a return to the purposes of the first century churches as described in the New Testament and is considered by some historians to be part of the Second Great Awakening. One major impetus of the movement was the Kentucky Cane Ridge Revival in 1801, which resulted in many from various traditions no longer holding to their denominational ties and referring to themselves simply as "Christians" or "Disciples." Several Churches of Christ were established as a result of this revival, with some denominational congregations even dropping their traditional titles in favor of "Church of Christ," "Disciples of Christ," or "Christian Church." While ever emphasizing that the Bible is the only source to seek doctrine, an acceptance of Christians with diverse opinions was the norm in the quest for truth. "In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, love" was an oft-quoted slogan of the period. The Restoration Movement solidified as a historical phenomenon in 1832 when restorationists from two major movements championed by Barton W. Stone and Alexander Campbell merged (historians thus often refer to it as the "Stone-Campbell Movement"). Following Stone's death in 1844, Alexander Campbell served as the most influential surviving voice. .

Variations within Churches of Christ

Since Churches of Christ are autonomous, not denominational, and purposefully do not maintain an ecclesiastical hierarchy or doctrinal council (as they hold the Bible alone as the only source of doctrine), it is not unusual to find variations from congregation to congregation. For example, some allow for more open interpretations regarding worship and other church practices, while others hold to more strict interpretations. The level of fellowship and cooperation that will exist between those of varying opinions will depend on each member and local congregation. Congregations and members are free to study the scriptures and to the best of their abilities ascertain God's revealed will. Yet, most Churches of Christ have the similarities mentioned in the introduction.

Church organization

Congregational autonomy

Church government is congregational rather than denominational. Churches of Christ purposefully have no formally recognized headquarters, councils, or hierarchical church government. Rather, the independent congregations are a network with each congregation participating at its own discretion in various means of service and fellowship with other congregations, and with other Christian bodies as well. Churches of Christ are linked by their shared interpretations of biblical doctrine as listed above.

Congregational leadership

Congregations are generally overseen by a plurality of elders (also known in some congregations as shepherds, bishops, or pastors) who are sometimes assisted in the administration of various works by deacons. Elders and deacons are appointed in congregations based on the qualifications found in I Timothy 3 and Titus 1.

Although Churches of Christ hold to the priesthood of all believers, most employ at least one paid minister. Many such ministers have undergraduate or graduate education in religion, or specific training in preaching through a non-college school of preaching. Churches of Christ emphasize, based on Romans 1:7 and other passages, that each member is a minister and a saint, that no believer is more important than another, and that all should use the gifts he or she has to serve others. In lieu of willing men who meet these qualifications, congregations are sometimes overseen by the congregation's men in general.

Title	Qualifications	Duty	Authority
Elders/Bishops	husband of one wife, reverent, able to teach, sober, father of believing children	overseers of the church	I Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; I Peter 5:1-3
Deacons	husband of one wife, reverent, in control of household	to serve the general needs of the congregation	I Timothy 3:8-12

Hermeneutics

Churches of Christ seek to practice the principle of the Bible being the only source to find doctrine (also known as "sola scriptura"). Interpretive approaches to scripture may vary somewhat from congregation to congregation as Churches of Christ are not bound to a creed, catechism, headquarters, or denominational council. Regarding biblical historicity and literalism, Churches of Christ generally see the Bible as historically accurate and literal, unless scriptural context obviously indicates otherwise. Regarding church practices, worship, and doctrine, there is great liberty from congregation to congregation in interpreting what is biblically permissible, as congregations are not controlled by a denominational hierarchy.

Their fundamental theological axiom is either of the following:

A. God binds people only to the explicit commands of New Testament Scripture, meaning that anything commanded must be obeyed in its proper and obvious context but that anything not expressly forbidden is allowable and open to interpretation and preference;

B. Only what is expressly commanded, given as an approved example, or indicated as permissible by inference is allowable as a practice in the church. The latter view means that if something is not specifically mentioned and approved of in the New Testament, then the church should not take the liberty of doing it. This is known by the Churches of Christ as "The Law of Silence" or "Speak where the Bible speaks, be silent where the Bible is silent". This plea was first made by Alexander Campbell during the restoration movement.

It is important to consider that the application of the two theological axioms within individual congregations has varied over time and from doctrine to doctrine. In any given congregation, conflict may arise among members or elders with respect to the application of either axiom. Generally, advocates of a change in doctrinal emphasis may cite arguments traceable to axiom A, while advocates of the status quo may employ axiom B. Cooperative application of these two axioms can lead to a growing local congregation that recognizes differences in their members and community. On the other hand, divisive application of the axioms can lead to division and strife within the local congregation.

The differences between individual congregations can be traced to the theological implications of the specific axiom to which a specific congregation adheres. Regardless of which axiom a specific congregation holds, the biblical interpretation regarding salvation, morality, and other doctrinal issues tends to be congruent. Perhaps unexpected, due to the autonomous nature of the congregations, the form of worship is equally consistent.

Doctrine of Salvation (Soteriology)

Churches of Christ believe that humans (of accountable age) are lost in sin (but not born sinful cf Ez 18:4-22, Matthew 19:14)(Romans 3:23) and can be redeemed because Jesus Christ, the Son of God, offered Himself as the atoning sacrifice (Romans 6:23).

A main difference between Churches of Christ and other Christian churches is their doctrine of salvation. Churches of Christ believe that salvation begins when one obeys God's commands.

Here are the steps to salvation according to the Church of Christ; paraphrased:

1. One must be properly taught, and hear (Rm 10:17, Matt. 7:24),
2. One must believe or have faith (Heb 11:6, Mk 16:15-16),
3. One must repent, which means turning from one's former lifestyle and choosing God's ways (Acts 2:38, 17:30, Luke 13:3),
4. One must confess belief that Jesus is the son of God (Matthew 10:32-33; Acts 8:36-37),
5. One must be baptized (Acts 2:38; I Pet 3:20-21; Romans 6:3-5; Mark 16:16; Acts 22:16),
6. One must remain faithful unto death (Rev. 2:10).

Baptism in Churches of Christ is performed only by bodily immersion, based on the New Testament Greek term baptizo which is always translated as "to immerse." Only those mentally capable of belief and repentance are baptized (i.e., infant baptism is not practiced because the New Testament has no precedent for it). Because of the belief that baptism is a necessary part of salvation, some hold that the Churches of Christ endorse the doctrine of baptismal regeneration. However, Churches of Christ reject this as a formalized doctrine.

In Restoration theology, the agency of the Holy Spirit in salvation is viewed strictly in His inspiration of the scriptures which teach men what God has done and what they must do in order for salvation to occur. If one is saved, and does not continue in study of the scriptures, then the Holy Spirit's action on the individual cannot be fully effective. Therefore, baptism in the Churches of Christ is taught as obedience toward God and absolutely necessary (preceded by hearing, believing, confessing and repenting) which results in forgiveness of sins, and places the individual in a position to further obey God's commands, which if he faithfully performs till his death he will be granted entrance into Heaven and thus saved.

Non-instrumental worship

The Churches of Christ generally believe that there is no scriptural or historical evidence that first century churches used instruments in worship. Therefore, Churches of Christ have historically practiced a cappella music in worship services.

Scriptural backing for this practice given by members includes:

: "And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives"
: "Therefore I will praise thee among the Gentiles, and sing to thy name"
: "... be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart"
: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto God."
: "I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee"

There are congregations that do permit hand-clapping and musical instruments. This is not a formal distinction; church members simply refer to congregations as "instrumental" or "non-instrumental"

Other theological tendencies

Because Churches of Christ reject all formalized creeds on the basis that they add to or detract from Scripture, they generally reject most conceptual doctrinal positions out of hand. Concepts like Original Sin, Total Depravity, Predestination, and others are thought to be "doctrinal innovations" that remove the focus from plain interpretation of Scripture. Some examples:

Election and predestination are regarded as functions of the exercise of free will (i.e., God has chosen and wishes for all to be saved but only those who choose to believe and submit to Him will be). Those who choose God's way through Christ are elect and therefore saved while those who reject Christ are lost in sin. Despite the similarity of this position to Arminian theology, Churches of Christ generally view it as being directly evident within Scripture rather than being a derived theological doctrine.

The idea "once saved always saved" is also rejected. As generally understood in Churches of Christ, a Christian can consciously decide to cease following Christ and thus lose salvation, or "fall from grace" (2 Peter 2:20-22).

Regarding eschatology (a branch of theology concerned with the final events in the history of the world or of humankind), Churches of Christ are generally amillennial, their originally prevalent postmillennialism (evident in Alexander Campbell's Millennial Harbinger) having dissipated around the era of the First World War. Churches of Christ teach that the book of Revelation was written for the seven churches mentioned, to warn them of persecution that would "shortly come to pass" (Rev 1:1, 22:10). The beast of Revelation is taught to be the Roman Emperor Domitian, circa AD 96, who reigned at the time the letter of "The Revelation of Jesus Christ to John the Apostle" was given to the existing churches. Domitian was the emperor most deadly to the early Christians; he carried out the most torturous persecution compared to the other emperors who persecuted the early church. They believe if a letter was given to the church in AD 96 but had no significance to the members of the congregations of the day and would "come to pass" hundreds or even thousands of years later the letter would be useless to the early church. Another reason why the church teaches amillennialism is that Revelation 20 lacks explicit mention of a 1000 year reign on earth, and thus the passage is viewed as having a different meaning in context.

Churches of Christ outside the United States

At least two distinct groups of churches carry the same name in Churches of Christ in Australia with approximately 150 (out of a total of 180) "Churches of Christ" having a formally defined themselves as members of the "National Conference of Churches of Christ, Inc." By sending appointed delegates to vote at such a National Conference places those churches squarely in a "denominational" structure which would separate them from non-denominational (restoration-movement-style) Churches of Christ in Australia and elsewhere. A similar New Zealand group is the Associated Churches of Christ in New Zealand. These churches take generally ecumenical views, similar to the Disciples of Christ denomination in the US. Of the main American groups the Australia and New Zealand churches are closest in belief and practice to the Disciples of Christ).

Churches of Christ in Europe arose separately from the American Restoration Movement and during the 1840s onwards various movements came into fellowship. The Restoration Movement in the United Kingdom started before the Campbell/Stone movement in the USA. In England, Churches of Christ flourished in the 1600s and before; eventually many became Baptist.

Most of the Association of Churches of Christ in the UK became part of the United Reformed Church in 1981. Most of the remaining became the Fellowship of Churches of Christ. The latter group and some Australian and New Zealand Churches advocate a "missional" emphasis with an ideal of "Five Fold Leadership." Many people in more traditional Churches of Christ see these groups as having more in common with Pentecostal churches. The main publishing organs of traditional Churches of Christ in Britain are Christian Worker magazine and the Scripture Standard magazine. A history of the Association of Churches of Christ, Let Sects and Parties Fall, was written by David M Thompson.

The Australian and New Zealander groups planted churches throughout the Pacific Islands (although the American groups are credited with establishing churches in American Samoa, two major island groups within the Kingdom of Tonga and Viti Levu, the main island within the Fiji Islands); the United Kingdom group planted churches throughout the British Empire; and the American groups planted churches throughout the Americas and the rest of the world. These groups often used the name "Church of Christ" and were affiliated with the other churches of that name. While a few such churches still exist, many have merged with other groups.

Very large numbers of Churches of Christ exist in India and sub-Saharan Africa due to the initial work of American missionaries and international Bible correspondence courses, followed by very significant internal organic growth. Significant pockets of Churches of Christ can be found in Latin America, especially in the Mexican states of Nuevo León and Coahuila.

References

Brownlow, Leroy. (1973). Why I Am a Member of the Church of Christ. Brownlow Publishing Company, Inc.
Cartwright, Colbert S. People of the Chalice. St, Louis, MO: Chalice Press.
Murch, James DeForest Christians Only, A history of the Restoration Movement. Cincinnati: The Standard Publishing Company.

Notes

External links

General websites

Churches of Christ Online
churchofChrist.info
Church of Christ Network
Church of Christ Internet Ministries
The Old Paths Archive - Written & multimedia material by members of Churches of Christ.
Truth for the World
Lads to Leaders- Training program for youth.
The Gospel Minutes- Weekly periodical, republished with permission on the web by the West Freeway Church of Christ

Online print media

Apologetics Press - Publishes materials defending a literal interpretation of creation in the Bible.
The Christian Chronicle - A newspaper of the Churches of Christ.
Christian Courier - Investigating biblical apologetics, religious doctrine, and ethical issues.
Focus Press - Publisher of Think magazine. Discusses modern day issues.
House to House/Heart to Heart - An online/printed magazine used to teach both Christians and non-Christians.
The Preacher's Files - Online articles, sermon outlines, and discussion forum.
Restoration Quarterly - Magazine devoted to study of the Restoration Movement and Churches of Christ.
Seek the Old Paths - An online/printed magazine used to defend the Truth and teach others.
Truth Magazine - A monthly publication from what would be regarded as a "conservative" or "non-institutional" viewpoint.
The Light - A publication representing the "one cup" brotherhood.
"The New Testament Church" - Information and resources on biblical topics and listing of one cup Churches of Christ.
"Gospel Truths" - Monthly Magazine with J.T. Smith as editor.