Churches of Christ

The Churches of Christ, also commonly known as the Church of Christ, is a loose association of autonomous Christian congregations located around the world. Typically, their distinguishing beliefs are the necessity of baptism for salvation and the prohibition of musical instruments in worship. Many such congregations identify themselves as being nondenominational. The Churches of Christ arose in the United States from the Restoration Movement of 19th-century Christians, who declared independence from denominations and traditional creeds. They sought "the unification of all Christians in a single body patterned after the original church described in the New Testament."

Overview

Modern Churches of Christ have their historical roots in the Restoration Movement, which was a convergence of Christians across denominational lines in search of a return to an original "predenominational" form of Christianity. Participants in this movement sought to base their doctrine and practice on the Bible alone, rather than recognizing the traditional councils and denominational hierarchies that had come to define Christianity since the first century A.D. They aspire to be the New Testament church as established by Christ.

Autonomous, congregational church organization, without denominational oversight; based on New Testament passages teaching to sing for worship, with no mention of instrumental music (and also worship in assemblies of the early Church for centuries had a cappella singing). They view the Old Testament as divinely inspired They believe that the New Testament demonstrates how a person may become a Christian (and thus part of the universal Church of Christ), and how a church should be collectively organized and carry out its scriptural purposes. In the United States, there are approximately 1,087,559 members and 11,776 congregations. Estimates of the proportion of the US adult population associated with the Churches of Christ vary from 0.8% to 1.5%. Approximately 1,240 congregations, with 172,000 members, are predominantly African-American; 240 congregations with 10,000 members are Spanish-speaking. The average congregation size is approximately 100 members, with larger congregations reporting over 1,000 members.

Name

thumb|250px|right|alt=19th-century Christian religious leader Alexander Campbell shown with spiky, white hair. He is looking directly towards the viewer. He is wearing a dark coat, black vest, and a white shirt secured by a white cravat.|[[Alexander Campbell (minister)|Alexander Campbell]]"Church of Christ" is the most common name used by this group. In keeping with their focus of not being a denomination, using Ephesians 1:22–23 as reference to the church being the body of Christ and a body cannot be divided, congregations have identified themselves primarily as community churches and secondarily as Churches of Christ. A primary motivation behind the name is the desire to use a scriptural or Biblical name – to identify the church using a name that is found in the New Testament. Adherents are also referred to as Campbellites by academics because it is assumed that they follow the teachings of Alexander Campbell, similar to Lutherans or Calvinists. Campbell himself refuted the idea that he started or headed a denomination in The Christian Baptist publication in 1826 and 1828, stating: "Some religious editors in Kentucky call those who are desirous of seeing the ancient order of things restored, 'the Restorationers', 'the Campbellites'... This may go well with some; but all who fear God and keep his commands will pity and deplore the weakness and folly of those who either think to convince or to persuade by such means" (The Christian Baptist, Vol. IV, 88–89) and: "It is a nickname of reproach invented and adopted by those whose views, feelings and desires are all sectarian – who cannot conceive of Christianity in any other light than an ISM" (The Christian Baptist, Vol. V, 270). He was also associated with the Baptist denomination until 1820. The term "Campbellite" is usually offensive to members of the churches of Christ because members claim no allegiance to anyone except Jesus Christ and teach only what is presented in biblical texts.

Alexander Campbell said the "calling of Bible things by Bible names" was important in the reformation. This became an early slogan of the Restorationist Movement. Thomas Campbell expressed an ideal of unity in his Declaration and Address: "The church of Jesus Christ on earth is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one." This statement essentially echoes the words of Jesus Christ in John 17:21, 23.

Other terms are derived from their use in the New Testament: "church of God", "church of the Lord", "churches of Christ", "church of the first-born", "church of the living God", "the house of God", and "the people of God", while some terms recognized as scriptural, such as Church of God, are avoided to prevent confusion or identification with other groups that use those designations. As a practical matter, use of a common term is seen as a way to help individual Christians find congregations with a similar approach to the scriptures. Members understand that a scriptural name can be used in a "denominational" or "sectarian" way. This is based on the understanding that the term "church of Christ" is used in the New Testament as a descriptive phrase, indicating that the church belongs to Christ, rather than as a proper name. 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 (see Sponsoring church (Churches of Christ)). Churches of Christ are linked by their shared commitment to Biblical restoration principles. Congregations also typically apply a requirement that an elder has children who believe. Congregations look for elders who have a mature enough understanding of scripture to enable them to supervise the minister and to teach, as well as to perform "governance" functions. In the absence of willing men who meet these qualifications, congregations are sometimes overseen by the congregation's men in general.

While the early Restoration Movement had a tradition of itinerant preachers rather than "located Preachers", during the 20th century a long-term, formally trained congregational minister became the norm among Churches of Christ. Ministers are understood to serve under the oversight of the elders No special titles are used for preachers or ministers that would identify them as "clergy". Churches of Christ emphasize that there is no distinction between "clergy" and "laity" and that every member has a gift and a role to play in accomplishing the work of the church.

Variations within Churches of Christ

While there is an identifiable mainstream within the Churches of Christ, there are also significant variations within the fellowship. The approach taken to restoring the New Testament church has focused on "methods and procedures" such as church organization, the form of worship, and how the church should function. As a result, most divisions among Churches of Christ have been the result of "methodological" disputes. These are meaningful to members of this movement because of the seriousness with which they take the goal of "restoring the form and structure of the primitive church". Few congregations clap hands or use musical instruments during "formal" weekly convocations.

The remaining congregations may be grouped into four categories which generally differ from the mainstream consensus in specific practices, rather than in theological perspectives, and tend to have smaller congregations on average.

The remaining three groups, whose congregations are generally considerably smaller than those of the mainstream or non-institutional groups, also oppose institutional support as well as "fellowship halls" and similar structures (for the same reasons as the non-institutional groups), but differ by other beliefs and practices (the groups often overlap, but in all cases hold to more conservative views than even the non-institutional groups): The Bible is generally regarded as inspired and inerrant. Their approach to the Bible is driven by the "assumption that the Bible is sufficiently plain and simple to render its message obvious to any sincere believer".

Analysis of commands, examples, and necessary inferences;
Dispensational analysis distinguishing between Patriarchal, Mosaic and Christian dispensations (however, Churches of Christ are amillennial and generally hold preterist views); and
Grammatico-historical analysis.

The relative importance given to each of these three strategies has varied over time and between different contexts. Use of this tripartite formula has declined as congregations have shifted to an increased "focus on 'spiritual' issues like discipleship, servanthood, family and praise". This was not an entirely new approach, as others had actively "affirmed a theology of free and unmerited grace", but it did represent a change of emphasis with grace becoming "a theme that would increasingly define this tradition". Immersion is seen as more closely conforming to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus than other modes of baptism. The most significant disagreements concerned the extent to which a correct understanding of the role of baptism is necessary for its validity. However members of the Churches of Christ reject this, arguing that since faith and repentance are necessary, and that the cleansing of sins is by the blood of Christ through the grace of God, baptism is not an inherently redeeming ritual. One author describes the relationship between faith and baptism this way, "Faith is the reason why a person is a child of God; baptism is the time at which one is incorporated into Christ and so becomes a child of God" (italics are in the source). However, since the early 2000s, an increasing number of congregations within the Churches of Christ have begun using musical instruments in their worship assemblies. Some of these latter describe themselves as a "Church of Christ (Instrumental)". Christian theology as classically understood – the systematic development of the classical doctrinal topics – is relatively recent and rare among this movement. Churches of Christ do tend to elaborate certain "driving motifs".

During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s the Churches of Christ struggled with changing racial attitudes. Schools and colleges associated with the movement were at the center of the debate.

Efforts to address racism continued through the following decades.

Institutional controversy

After World War II, Churches of Christ began sending ministers and humanitarian relief to war-torn Europe and Asia.

Though there was agreement that separate para-church "missionary societies" could not be established (on the belief that such work could only be performed through local congregations), a doctrinal conflict ensued about how this work was to be done. Eventually, the funding and control of outreach programs in the United States such as homes for orphans, nursing homes, mission work, setting up new congregations, Bible colleges or seminaries, and large-scale radio and television programs became part of the controversy.

Congregations which supported and participated in pooling funds for these institutional activities are said to be "sponsoring church" congregations. Congregations which have traditionally opposed these organized sponsorship activities are said to be "non-institutional" congregations. The institutional controversy resulted in the largest division among Churches of Christ in the 20th century.

Separation of the International Churches of Christ

The International Churches of Christ had their roots in a "discipling" movement that arose among the mainline Churches of Christ during the 1970s. This discipling movement developed in the campus ministry of Chuck Lucas.

The Crossroads Movement later spread into some other Churches of Christ. One of Lucas' converts, Kip McKean, moved to the Boston area in 1979 and began working with "would-be disciples" in the Lexington Church of Christ. The most significant concentrations are in Nigeria, Malawi, Ghana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, South Africa, South Sudan and Kenya. with a membership of approximately 1,000,000. There have been strong ties with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), but many conservative ministers and congregations associate with the Christian churches and churches of Christ instead. The largest concentration of active congregations in Canada are in Southern Ontario, notably in Jordan, Bramalea, Niagara Falls, Vineland, Toronto (several), and Waterloo. However, many congregations of various sizes (typically under 300 members) meet all across Canada.

Great Lakes Bible College serves acapella churches of Christ in Canada.

Great Britain

Whilst, like in America, the Churches of Christ in Britain initially grew as separate and spontaneous local, self-inspired churches, only later joining up into a coordinated movement, John Davies of Mollington was the key founding leader, serving as the British Churches of Christ's first President from 1842 until his death in 1865. He had become the first preacher of the Church of Christ at Cox Lane at the age of 16 in 1809, even before he knew of the existence of like-minded people in America or elsewhere in Britain. He hosted and corresponded with various key figures of the movement, such as Alexander Campbell and Joseph Byrant Rotheram, at his home in Mollington, even helping convert some of them , playing a prominent role in the Restoration Movement's development and spread globally, especially among the then-colonies of the British Empire, where the majority of the Churches of Christ's footprint remains today..

In the early 1800s, Scotch Baptists were influenced by the writings of Alexander Campbell in the Christian Baptist and Millennial Harbinger. James Wallis, a member of that group, founded a magazine named The British Millennial Harbinger in 1837. The Association of Churches of Christ in Britain disbanded in 1980. Further information can be found in the Historical Survey of Churches of Christ in the British Isles, edited by Joe Nisbet.

South America

In Brazil there are above 600 congregations and 100,000 members from the Restoration Movement. Most of them were established by Lloyd David Sanders.

References

Citations

Sources

External links

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Church of Christ Internet Ministries
Brotherhood News – Online news source of the Churches of Christ
The Christian Chronicle – A newspaper of the Churches of Christ.
Christian Courier  – A religious journal associated with the Churches of Christ.
HisLoveforme.com – A Church of Christ Ministry Website, providing Sound Doctrine Teaching Content from Sound Churches of Christ.
Fellowship of Churches of Christ in Great Britain & Ireland
SOAS Special Collections – archive papers of the Missionary Committee of Churches of Christ Great Britain and Ireland