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The churches of Christ discussed in this article are not part of the within the Latter Day Saint Movement ; the Churches Of Christ In Australia ; the Fellowship Of Churches Of Christ in the United Kingdom; the Associated Churches Of Christ In New Zealand ; or the Philippines -based Iglesia Ni Cristo . The churches of Christ are Non-denominational , Autonomous Christian Congregations . These churches comprise about 2,000,000 members in over 40,000 individual congregations worldwide. " Church Zip Statistical Summary ". This is a live country-by-country tabulation, and is known to under-represent certain developing countries. Churches of Christ aim to represent in the present the original first-century Church. Members regard the Church's founder as Jesus Christ and its first day of manifestation as the Day of Pentecost described in the New Testament in Acts 2. Churches of Christ claim the New Testament as their sole authority in deciding matters of doctrine, ecclesiastical structure, and moral beliefs. Examples of early Christian behavior recorded in the New Testament are regarded as directives, to be followed literally as mandatory practice today. They regard the Old Testament as divinely Inspired and historically accurate, and that its principles remain true and beneficial although its laws are not binding under the new covenant in Christ unless otherwise taught in the New Testament. Churches of Christ in the United States are historically linked to the Restoration Movement championed by American preachers/theologians of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, most notably Thomas Campbell and his son Alexander Campbell , Walter Scott, and Barton W. Stone . These and other leaders from various denominations were seeking original Christianity as they were independently finding several beliefs, practices, and restrictive dogmas in their respective church traditions to have no biblical basis. Members of the churches of Christ point out that throughout Church history many have sought a return to the simple, original Christianity that is "pre-denominational" and unbound by the decisions of councils or denominational hierarchies. Rather than basing doctrine on the interpretations of post-first century Church fathers, ecclesiastical councils, or more modern denominational synods or conventions, they use only the Bible as their official source of doctrine. This also allows for the Bible to be open for continual examination and interpretation from congregation to congregation and from Christian to Christian. These views are based on the conviction that the Church is a spiritual body of faith, rather than a secular or political one. Furthermore, it is taught that God demonstrates in the New Testament how a person may become a Christian, thus a part of the church, and how Christians may collectively organize and carry out the purposes of the church which Christ established. Also taught is that Christians can do this without any prior knowledge of other churches of Christ as different groups practicing this form of Christianity have existed and discovered one another without any prior connection (e.g., different segments of what became known as the Restoration Movement; early, ante-Nicene churches). Today, churches of Christ usually have these distinctive traits: the refusal to hold to any creeds other than the Bible itself (i.e., 2 Tim 3:16-17, sometimes known as Sola Scriptura ); the practice of repentance and water baptism by immersion in Christ's name as the response of believers to receive forgiveness of sins and the Holy Spirit (e.g., Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16); autonomous, non-denominational congregational church organization, congregational oversight by a plurality (Titus 1:5) of male elders (Titus 1:6); the weekly observance (Acts 20:7) of communion/eucharist (i.e., the Lord's Supper); and the practice by most congregations of ''a cappella'' worship singing. CHURCH POPULATION IN THE U.S. Approximately 13,000 congregations exist in the United States comprising about 1.3 million members (''Churches of Christ in the United States'', 21st Century Christian, 2006 ). [http://www.christianchronicle.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=621] SELF-IDENTIFICATION Members consider themselves "Christians only". They hold to the biblical and historical belief that the Church was founded by Jesus Christ, and that its doctrines and practices were established long before these other traditions, movements, structures, councils, etc. They teach that the Church therefore biblically, historically and spiritually transcends these other entities that developed later within Christendom. Members also 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. Thus, a collective group of Christians is a church of Christ (e.g., Romans 16:16). HISTORY IN AMERICA Restoration Movement The American Restoration Movement of the 18th and 19th centuries was an emergence of seekers who perpetuated ideals that have existed throughout Church history regarding inspired truth over ecclesiastic tradition or dogma. The Restoration Movement 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 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. {Link without Title} 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 ''see also Restoration Movement ''. Historical Connection to Christian Churches and Disciples of Christ Modern churches of Christ and Christian Churches are very similar (the primary difference being a cappella worship in churches of Christ) and, depending on the ideals and personality of each local congregation, maintain communication and fellowship. In contrast, what is today known as Disciples of Christ is very different, having developed into a denominational entity which no longer embraces Restoration Movement ideology (although its evolution has obvious historical roots in the Restoration Movement). During the first century of the Restoration Movement, all three of these titles were commonly used for congregations. As interpretations, convictions, and preferences regarding a cappella and instrumental music distinguished congregations, the a cappella churches typically used "Church of Christ" to identify themselves while instrumental churches used "Disciples of Christ" or "Christian Church" as designations. In 1906, the U.S. Census for the first time made a distinction of two groups between the a cappella and instrumental churches (this was also the result of other issues related to the Civil War). The development of the Disciples of Christ denomination was the later result of some within the instrumental church embracing liberal Protestant ideologies that many others would not accept. Thus, those who refused to accept such separated and typically refer to themselves as Christian Churches, leaving the Disciples of Christ designation to the others who eventually organized into that named denomination which exists today. While "Disciples of Christ" is often used as a designation in history books for all churches within the Restoration Movement of the 19th and early 20th centuries, modern churches of Christ and Christian Churches more accurately reflect the Restoration Movement ideals of that era. See Also: Restoration Movement#Churches of Christ/Disciples of Christ split Variations within Churches of Christ Since churches of Christ are not denominational and purposefully do not maintain an ecclesiastical hierarchy or doctrinal council (as the Bible alone is held as the only source to find 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 determine God's revealed will. Yet, most churches of Christ have the similarities mentioned in the prior introduction. |
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