Welcome to the church of Christ

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By: Batsell Barrett Baxter

 

• Seek to duplicate the non-denominational church of the first century.
• Take the bible as our supreme and only guide.
• Reject doctrines and practices that were introduced after the close of the new testament.
• Seek to be Christians only.
• Believe this is the one and only way to unite all who are seeking to follow Christ.

       The apostle Peter once wrote, "Sanctify in your hearts Christ as Lord, being ready always

  to give answer to every man that asks you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, with

  meekness and fear" (I Peter 3:15.)  Christians are admonished to be ready at all times to give

  a reason for the faith which they hold.

       It is primarily a plea for religious unity based upon the bible. In a divided religious world it is

  believed that the bible is the only possible common denominator upon which most, if not all, of the

  God fearing people of the land can unite. This is an appeal to go back to the bible.  It is a plea to

  speak where the bible speaks and to remain silent where the bible is silent in all matters that pertain

  to religion.  It further emphasizes that in everything religious, there must be a "Thus saith the Lord"

  for all that is done.  The objective is religious unity of all believers in Christ.  The basis is the new

  testament.

       One of the earliest advocates of the return to new testament Christianity, as a means of

  achieving unity of all believers in Christ, was James O'Kelly of the methodist episcopal church.  In

  1793 he withdrew from the Baltimore conference of his church and called upon others to join him

  in taking the bible as the only creed.  His influence was largely felt in Virginia and North Carolina

  where history records that some seven thousand communicants followed his leadership toward a

  return to primitive new testament Christianity.  In 1802 a similar movement among the baptists in

  New England was led by Abner Jones and Elias Smith.  They were concerned about

  "denominational names and creeds" & decided to wear only the name Christian, taking the bible as

  their only guide.  In 1804, in the western frontier state of Kentucky, Barton W. Stone and several

  other presbyterian preachers took similar action declaring that they would take the bible as the "only

  sure guide to heaven."

       Thomas Campbell, and his illustrious son, Alexander Campbell, took similar steps in the year

  1809 in what is now the state of West Virginia.  They contended that nothing should be bound

  upon Christians as a matter of doctrine which is not as old as the new testament.  Although these

  four movements were completely independent in their beginnings eventually they became one

  strong restoration movement because of their common purpose and plea.  These men did not

  advocate starting a new church, but rather a return to Christ's church as described in the bible.

  Members of the church of Christ don't conceive of themselves as a new church started near the

  beginning of the 19th century. Rather, the whole movement is designed to reproduce in

  contemporary times the church originally established on Pentecost, A.D. 30. The strength of the

  appeal lies in the restoration of Christ's original church.

       The most recent dependable estimate lists more than 15,000 individual churches of Christ. The

  "Christian Herald," a general religious publication which presents statistics concerning all the

  churches, estimates that the total membership of the churches of Christ is around 2,000,000.

  There are more than 7000 men who preach publicly. Membership of the church is heaviest in the

  southern states of the United States, particularly Tennessee and Texas, though congregations exist

  in each of the fifty states and in more than eighty foreign countries.  Missionary expansion has been

  most extensive since the second World War in Europe, Asia and Africa.  Many full time workers

  are supported in foreign countries. The churches of Christ now have five times as many members

  as were reported in the U.S. Religious Census of 1936.

       Following the plan of organization found in the new testament, churches of Christ are

  autonomous.  Their common faith in the bible and adherence to its teachings are the chief ties

  which bind them together.  There is no central headquarters of the church, and no organization

  superior to the elders of each local congregation.  Congregations do cooperate voluntarily in

  supporting the orphans and the aged, in preaching the gospel in new fields, and in other similar

  works.  Members of the church of Christ conduct colleges and secondary schools, as well as 

  orphanages and homes for the aged.  There are magazines and other periodicals published by

  individual members of the church. A nationwide radio and television program, known as "In

  Search of the Lord's Way" is supported by Christians and churches of Christ across the country.

  There are no conventions, annual meetings, or official publications.  The "tie that binds" is a

  common loyalty to the principles of the New Testament.

       In each congregation, which has existed long enough to become fully organized, there is a

  plurality of elders or presbyters who serve as the governing body.  These men are selected by the

  local congregations on the basis of qualifications set down in the scriptures (1 Timothy 3:1-8).

  Serving under the elders are deacons, teachers, and evangelists or ministers.  The latter do not

  have the authority equal to or superior to the elders.  The elders are shepherds or overseers who

  serve under the headship of Christ according to the new testament, which is a kind of constitution.

  There is no earthly authority superior to the elders of the local church.