Church of Christ

Church of Christ

The Churches of Christ are autonomous, which means they are independently run, and not controlled by outside sources, or leadership. Church of Christ is a Christian church which can be traced back to the American Restorationist movement in the early eighteenth and nineteenth century which was started by the American Protestant preachers. Thomas and his son Alexander Campbell ascribed to be members of the Body of Christ as noted in the New Testament, without denominational influence.

In today's world, the Churches of Christ have a few distinctive traits that they hold to. In order to make their own identity:

1) the refusal to hold onto any creeds other than those specifically outlined in the Bible

2) the practice of an adult Baptism as a requirement for the forgiveness of sins

3) autonomous congregations, overseen by a plurality of elders

4) the weekly observance of the Lord's Supper

5) the belief of a capella congregation during worship singing

Despite the origin of the Church of Christ starting in a movement with Baptist and Presbyterian, some members refuse to be called "Protestants," stating that Christ's church did not start in "protest" of anything, other than the protest of Satan alive in the world.

Governing Body of The Church

There is no main headquarters for the Church of Christ, each congregation has its own structure consisting of Elders, Deacons, and Preachers/Ministers. Normally, Churches of Christ participate with loose, informal networks of other local Churches of Christ. Congregations also value the influence of affiliated colleges or universities.

Elders are spiritual mature Christian men whose religious work may be some specialized in a specific spiritual nature. Elders provide moral guidance, they designate and approve Bible Study curriculum, select Sunday school teachers, and select the Preachers, Deacons and Ministers when a position becomes vacant. Elders are also called pastors, sheperds, and bishops. Each congregation selects it's own elders, through a confirmation process to see if each Elder fits the description of an Elder found in the New Testament (1 Timothy 5:17-20, 1 Timothy 3:1-7, and Titus 1:5-9).

Deacons are men called in special service in the church and take care of special needs of each congregation. Normally, a deacon is in charge of taking care and overseeing the care of the physical building of the church. Each congregation also selects its own deacons in a qualification process like that of Elders, and come from 1 Timothy 3:8-12 of the Bible.

Preachers and Ministers prepare and deliver the sermons, can teach a Bible Study Class, perform a wedding ceremony, preach the Gospel, and perform Baptisms. Most Preacher and Minister positions are typically paid occupations. Ministers and Preachers are typically not ordained, and do not use the term "Reverend" before their name, stating that only God should be known as Reverend.

Churches of Christ agree mostly, with the theological views of most other conservative Christian churches, believing that Jesus is the Son of God, the death of Jesus by crucifixation on a cross as atonement for our sin, and most basic Christian teachings.

The Church of Christ believes that the structure of the Church was laid down by Jesus Christ to His apostles in the form of the New Testament. Since each church is autonomous, some teachings may vary between congregations.

Church of Christ

The Churches of Christ are autonomous, which means they are independently run, and not controlled by outside sources, or leadership. Church of Christ is a Christian church which can be traced back to the American Restorationist movement in the early eighteenth and nineteenth century which was started by the American Protestant preachers. Thomas and his son Alexander Campbell ascribed to be members of the Body of Christ as noted in the New Testament, without denominational influence.

In today's world, the Churches of Christ have a few distinctive traits that they hold to. In order to make their own identity:

1) the refusal to