Disciples of Christ: Encyclopedia - Disciples of Christ

Disciples of Christ

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), also known as the Disciples of Christ or simply as the Christian Church, is a denomination of Christian Protestantism that grew out of movements founded by Thomas Campbell and Alexander Campbell of West Virginia (then Virginia) and Barton W. Stone of Kentucky. Both families were originally Presbyterians.

Disciples of Christ - History

The roots of the Disciples of Christ lie in the Restoration Movement of the early 1800s, with a focus on Christian unity and lack of strict denominationalism. This focus came from a study of the New Testament by the movement's founders. Tolerance of other viewpoints that differed on non-essentials was key, as was inclusion based on the Lord's Table (Communion). It has been estimated that the indigenous movement that gave rise to the modern Disciples of Christ (and its associated offshoots) has been surpassed in size by only one other body of North American origin, that of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The unity of this group was shaken by the formation of a missionary society in the late 1840s, a development looked upon with disfavor by many, especially among the smaller, more rural, and Southern congregations, and by the adoption shortly after this by some congregations of instrumental music, predominantly (at first) pianos and organs. After the American Civil War the dispute became more strident, as many leftover regional animosities became a subtext. By the 1870s and 1880s there were essentially two groups within the Restoration Movement, although the break was not truly formalized until the Religious Census of 1906 in which the congregations that disagreed with instrumental music and the missionary society asked to be listed separately as the Church of Christ.

Another group, perhaps nearly as conservative as the Church of Christ (but at variance with the Church of Christ mainly on Biblical interpretations concerning the use of musical instruments during worship), was disturbed by the liberalism that it perceived to be predominant at a church conference in Memphis, Tennessee in 1926, forming the North American Christian Convention the next year. Slowly over the next forty-five years, the split between these "Independents" and the Disciples became more or less complete; this group is now known as Independent Christian Churches/Churches of Christ.

At the time of the 1906 division, the Disciples were by far the larger of the two bodies; now it would seem possible that they might be the smallest of the three current major divisions of the Restoration Movement. To this point, despite serious concerns over the direction of the denomination being expressed by some of the more conservative members, further open division has not occurred.

1963 saw the next wave of Disciples history. It began with the publication of essays from pastors and scholars that were charged with the task of reexaming the beliefs and doctrines of the Disciples. The essays were published as a three-volume series under the name of The Panel of Scholars Reports.

Disciples of Christ - Modern Disciples

The Disciples of Christ declare only one essential tenet of the faith: belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. In addition, the Disciples affirm that Jesus is the son of God and that he offers saving grace to all, as all persons are God’s children. Beyond this, there are several central practices generally associated with the Disciples:

• Open Communion: Communion is celebrated weekly during the worship service; no individual is ever refused Communion.
• Baptism by immersion: Disciples practice "Believer's baptism" by immersion in the name of the Trinity, however, other baptism traditions are honored in converts. Re-baptism may be performed for converts or existing members if requested, but this practice is not normative of the denomination at large. Most Disciples ministers will not administer re-baptism.
• The unity of the church: Disciples believe that all Christians are called to be the Body of Christ; they deny that any denomination (including their own) is the "one Church." Disciples seek opportunities for common witness and service with other denominations. As early Disciples leader Barton Stone declared, "Unity is our polar star."
• Common ministry: Disciples ministers are ordained by individual congregations based on criteria established by the general church, and after an intensive in-care process with their respective regional church. An ordained Disciples minister normatively holds a Master of Divinity degree from a theological seminary. Lay persons often lead worship, and lay elders and deacons preside at Communion.
• Freedom of belief: Individual members are free to follow their consciences; they are expected to extend that freedom to others. Members are encouraged to seek guidance from scripture, study, and prayer, but to develop their own opinions about most issues.

In addition, Disciples churches practice congregationalist church governance and utilize a "bottom-up" hierarchy. While other denominations utilize a top-down hierarchy where the senior church official or church council holds ultimate authority, the ultimate authority of the Disciples of Christ church lies in the individual, independent congregations. A General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a biannual gathering of congregations, expresses only the views of that particular assembly and holds little power to bind the denomination as a whole, although decisions may be made that affect the general manifestation of the church. The denomination is governed by The Design of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

At the 2005 General Assembly, 3000+ delegates voted (almost) unanimously to elect Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins, Senior pastor of Disciples Christian Church in Bartlesville, OK, to become the first female General Minister and President of this or any Christian denomination.

Disciples of Christ - The Chalice

The insignia of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a red chalice with a white St. Andrew's Cross in the upper left corner. The chalice recalls the central place of Communion to the life of every Christian. The cross of Saint Andrew is a reminder of the ministry of each person and the importance of evangelism, and recalls the denomination's Presbyterian ancestry.

Disciples of Christ - Churches Uniting in Christ

The Disciples are part of Churches Uniting in Christ, an ecumenical movement that many hope will result in one large mainline Protestant body in the U.S. similar to the role of the United Church in Canada and the Uniting Church in Australia; more conservative members tend to oppose this due to the liberalism of some of the other churches involved in the project. The Disciples have already developed a close relationship with one of the other denominations, the United Church of Christ. New Spirit Community Chuch in Berkeley, California grew out of the gay affirming Metropolitan Community Church movement and is triple affiliated with Metropolitan Community Church, United Church of Christ and Disciples of Christ.

Disciples of Christ - Peoples Temple and Jim Jones

The Peoples Temple congregation led by Jim Jones was affiliated with the Disciples of Christ at the time of the mass suicide [1]of its members on 18 November 1978 at its compound in Guyana. Jones was ordained by the Disciples of Christ.[2] His fellowship and standing with the Disciples was under review at the time of the events in Guyana. Because of the congregational polity of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), regional leaders did not have the power to intervene in a decisive manner. However, since the tragedy, the systems of accountability in all regions of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) have been strengthened.

Disciples of Christ - Prominent Members

• James Garfield, 20th President of the United States and a lay minister
• Lyndon Baines Johnson, 36th President of the United States
• Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States
• J. William Fulbright, U.S. Senator from Arkansas
• John Tanner, Congressman from Tennessee's 8th Congressional District
• Ike Skelton, Congressman from Missouri's 4th Congressional District
• Lew Wallace, author and Civil War general.
• Edgar Cayce, Psychic and healer - His unorthodox "readings" clashed with his Christian beliefs

Disciples of Christ - Affiliations

• Churches Uniting in Christ
• National Council of Churches
• World Convention of Churches of Christ
• World Council of Churches

See also

• Christianity
• Christian apologetics

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Disciples of Christ", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki