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You have probably heard of churches of Christ.
And perhaps you’ve asked, “Who are these people? What- if
anything-distinguishes them from the hundreds of other churches
in the world?”
You may have wondered:
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“What is their historical background?”
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“How many members do they have?”
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“What is their message?”
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“How are they governed?”
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“What do they believe about the Bible?”
Read below to find the answers:
How Many Members?
Worldwide there are some 20,000
congregations of churches of Christ with a total of 2.5 to 3
million individual members. There are small congregations,
consisting of just a few members– and large ones made up of
several thousand members.
The greatest concentration of numerical
strength in churches of Christ is in the southern
United States
where, for instance, there are about 40,000 members in some 135
congregations in Nashville,
Tennessee. Or, in
Dallas, Texas,
where there are approximately 36,000 members in 69
congregations. In such states as Tennessee,
Texas,
Oklahoma,
Alabama,
Kentucky–and others– there is a
church
of Christ in
practically every
town, no matter how large or small.
While the number of congregations and
members is not so numerous in other places, there are churches
of Christ in every state in the
United States and in 109 other
countries.
People of Restoration Spirit
Members of churches of Christ
are a people of restoration spirit– wanting to restore in our
time the original New Testament church. Dr. Hans Kung, a
well-known European theologian, published a book entitled The
Church. Dr. Kung lamented the fact that the established church
has lost its way; has become burdened down with tradition; has
failed to be what Christ planned it should be. The only answer,
according to Dr. Kung, is to go back to the scriptures to see
what the church was in its beginning, and then to recover in the
twentieth century the essence of the original church. This is
what churches of Christ are seeking to do.
In the latter part of the 18th century, men
of different denominations, studying independently of each
other, in various parts of the world, began to ask:
- Why not go back beyond
denominationalism to simplicity and purity of the
first-century church?
- Why not take the Bible alone and once
again continue “steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching…”
(Acts 2:42)?
- Why not plant the same seed (the Word
of God, Luke 8:11),
that first-century Christians planted, and be Christians
only, as they were?
They were pleading with everyone to throw
off denominationalism, to throw away human creeds, and to follow
only the Bible.
They taught that nothing should be required
of people as acts of faith except that which is evident in the
scriptures.
They emphasized that going back to the
Bible does not mean the establishment of another denomination,
but rather a return to the original church.
Members of churches of Christ are
enthusiastic about this approach. With the Bible as our only
guide we seek to find what the original church was like and
restore it exactly.
We do not see this as arrogance, but the
very opposite. We are saying that we do not have the right to
ask for men’s allegiance to a human organization– but only the
right to call upon men to follow God’s blueprint.
Not a Denomination
For this reason, we are not interested in
man-made creeds, but simply in the New Testament pattern. We do
not conceive of ourselves as being a denomination–nor as
Catholic, Protestant, or Jewish–but simply as members of the
church which Jesus established and for which he died. And that,
incidentally, is why we wear his name. The term “church
of Christ” is not
used as a denominational designation, but rather as a
descriptive term indicating that the church belongs to Christ.
We recognize our own personal short-comings and weaknesses–and
this is all the more reason for wanting to carefully follow the
all-sufficient and perfect plan God has for the church.
Unity Based on the Bible
Since God has vested “all
authority” in Christ (Matthew 28:18), and since he serves as
God’s spokesman today (Hebrews 1:1,2), it is our conviction that
only Christ has the authority to say what the church is and what
we should teach. And since only the New Testament sets forth
Christ’s instructions to his disciples, it alone must serve as
the basis for all religious teaching and practice. This is
fundamental with members of churches of Christ. We believe that
teaching the New Testament without modification is the only way
to lead men and women to become Christians. We believe religious
division is bad. Jesus prayed for unity (John 17). And later,
the apostle Paul begged those who were divided to unite in
Christ (1Corinthians 1). We believe the only way to achieve
unity is by a return to the Bible. Compromise cannot bring
unity. And surely no person, nor group of persons, has the right
to draw up a set of rules by which everyone must abide. But it
is altogether proper to say, “Let’s unite by just following the
Bible.” This is fair. This is safe. This is right. So churches
of Christ plead for religious unity based upon the Bible. We
believe that to subscribe to any creed other than the New
Testament, to refuse to obey any New Testament command, or to
follow any practice not sustained by the New Testament is to add
to or take away from the teachings of God. And both additions
and subtractions are condemned in the Bible (Galatians 1:6-9;
Revelation 22:18,
19). This is the reason the New Testament is the only rule of
faith and practice we have in churches of Christ.
Early Congregations Self-Governed
Churches of Christ have none of
the trappings of modern-day organizational bureaucracy. There
are no governing boards–neither district, regional, national nor
international–no earthly headquarters and no man-designed
organization. Each congregation is autonomous (self-ruled) and
is independent of every other congregation. The only tie which
binds the many congregations together is a common allegiance to
Christ and the Bible. There are no conventions, annual meetings,
nor official publications. Congregations do cooperate in
supporting children’s homes, homes for the elderly, mission
work, etc. However, participation is strictly voluntary on the
part of each congregation and no person nor group issues
policies or makes decisions for other congregations. Each
congregation is governed locally by a plurality of elders
selected from among the members These are men who meet the
specific qualifications for this office given in 1 Timothy 3 and
Titus 1. There are also deacons in each congregation. These must
meet the biblical qualifications of 1Timothy 3.
Items of Worship
Worship in churches of Christ
centers in five items, the same as in the first-century church.
We believe the pattern is important. Jesus said, “God is spirit,
and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth”
(John 4:24).
From this statement we learn three things:
- Our worship must be directed to the
right object…God;
- It must be prompted by the right
spirited;
- It must be according to truth.
To worship God according to truth is to
worship him according to his Word, because his Word is truth
(John 17:17). Therefore, we must not exclude any item found in
his Word, and we must not include any item not found in his
Word.
In matters of religion we are to walk by
faith (2 Corinthians 5:7). Since faith comes by hearing the Word
of God (Romans 10:17), anything not authorized by the Bible
cannot be done by faith…and whatever is not of faith is sin
(Romans 14:23).
The five items of worship observed by the
first-century church were singing, praying, preaching, giving,
and eating the Lord’s Supper. If you are acquainted with
churches of Christ you are probably aware that in two of these
items our practice is different from that of most religious
groups. So permit me to focus on these two, and state our
reasons for what we do.
A Capella Singing
One of the things people most frequently
notice about churches of Christ is that we sing without the use
of mechanical instruments of music–a cappella singing is the
only music used in our worship. Simply stated, here is the
reason: we are seeking to worship according to the instructions
of the New Testament. The New Testament leaves instrumental
music out, therefore, we believe it right and safe to leave it
out, too. If we used the mechanical instrument we would have to
do so without the New Testament authority. There are only 8
verses in the New Testament on the subject of music in worship.
Here they are: “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to
the Mount of Olives” (Matthew
26:30).”…about midnight
Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God…” (Acts 16:25).”Therefore I will praise thee among the
Gentiles, and sing to thy name” (Romans 15:9).”…I will sing with
the spirit and I will sing with the mind also” (1 Corinthians
14:15).”…be filled with the Spirit, addressing one
another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and
making melody to the Lord with all your heart” (Ephesians
5:18,19).”Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,
as you teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and as you
sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in
your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16).”I will declare thy name
unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise
unto thee” (Hebrews 2:12). “Is any one among you suffering? Let him
pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise” (James 5:13).
The mechanical instrument of music is
conspicuously absent in these passages.
Historically, the first appearance of
instrumental music in church worship was not until the sixth
century A.D., and there was no general practicing of it until
after the eighth century.
Instrumental music was strongly opposed by
such religious leaders as John Calvin, John Wesley and Charles
Spurgeon because of its absence in the New Testament.
Weekly Observance of the Lord’s Supper
Another place where you may have noticed a
difference between churches of Christ and other religious groups
is in the Lord’s Supper. This memorial supper was inaugurated by
Jesus on the night of his betrayal (Matthew 26:26-28). It is
observed by Christians in memory of the Lord’s death ( 1
Corinthians 11:24,25).
The emblems–unleavened bread and fruit of the vine–symbolize the
body and blood of Jesus (1 Corinthians
10:16). Churches of Christ are different from many in
that we observe the Lord’s Supper on the first day of every
week. Again, our reason centers in our determination to follow
the teaching of the New Testament. It says, describing the
practice of the first-century church, “And upon the first day of
the week…the disciples came together to break bread…” (Acts
20:7). Some have objected that the text does not specify the
first day of every week. This is true–just as the command to
observe the Sabbath did not specify every Sabbath. The command
was simply, “remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy” (Exodus
20:8). The Jews understood that to mean every Sabbath. It seems
to us that by the same reasoning “the first day of the week”
means the first day of every week. Again, we know from such
respected historians as Neander and Eusebius that Christians in
those early centuries took the Lord’s Supper every Sunday.
Terms of Membership
Perhaps you are wondering, “How does one
become a member of the church
of Christ?” What are
the terms of membership? Churches of Christ do not speak of
membership in terms of some formula which must be followed for
approved
acceptance into the church. The New Testament gives certain
steps which were taken by people in that day to become
Christians. When a person became a Christian he automatically
was a member of the church. The same is true of churches of
Christ today. There is no separate set of rules or ceremonies
which one must follow to be inducted into the church. When one
becomes a Christian he, at the same time, becomes a member of
the church. No further steps are required to qualify for church
membership. On the first day of the church’s existence those who
repented and were baptized were saved (Acts
2:38). And from that day forward all those who were
saved were added to the church (Acts
2:47). According to this verse (Acts
2:47) it was God who did the adding. Therefore, in
seeking to follow this pattern, we neither vote people into the
church nor force them through a required series of studies. We
have no right to demand anything beyond their
obedient submission to the Savior. The conditions of pardon
which are taught in the New Testament are:
- One must hear the gospel, for “faith
comes by hearing the word of God” (Romans
10:17).
- One must believe, for “without faith
it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6).
- One must repent of past sins, for God
“commands all men, everywhere to repent” (Acts
17:30).
- One must confess Jesus as Lord, for he
said, “He that confesses me before men, him will I also
confess before my father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32).
- One must be baptized for the remission
of sins, for Peter said, “Repent, and be baptized everyone
of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your
sins…” (Acts 2:38).
Emphasis on Baptism
Churches of Christ have a reputation for
placing much stress on the need for baptism. However, we do not
emphasize baptism as a “church ordinance,” but as a command of
Christ. The New Testament teaches baptism as an act which is
essential to salvation (Mark
16:16; Acts 2:38,
Acts 22:16). We do not practice infant baptism because New
Testament baptism is only for sinners who turn to the Lord in
belief and penitence. An infant has no sin to repent of, and
cannot qualify as a believer. The only form of baptism we
practice in churches of Christ is immersion. The Greek word from
which the word baptize comes means “to dip, to immerse, to
submerge, to plunge.” And the Scriptures always point to baptism
as a burial (Acts 8:35-39;
Romans 6:3,4; Colossians 2:12).
Baptism is extremely important because the New Testament sets
forth the following purposes for it:
- It is to enter the kingdom (John 3:5).
- It is to contact Christ’s blood
(Romans 6:3,4).
- It is to get into Christ (Galatians
3:27).
- It is for salvation (Mark
16:16, I Peter
3:21).
- It is for the remission of sins (Acts
2:38).
- It is to wash away sins (Acts
22:16).
- It is to get into the church (I
Corinthians 12:13, Ephesians 1:23).
Since Christ died for the sins of the whole
world and the invitation to share in his saving grace is open to
everyone (Acts 10:34,35; Revelation 22:17), we do not believe that anyone is predestined for
salvation or condemnation. Some will choose to come to Christ in
faith and obedience and will be saved. Others will reject his
plea and be condemned (Mark
16:16). These will not be lost
because they were marked for condemnation, but because that’s
the path they chose.
Wherever you are at this moment, we hope
you will decide to accept the salvation offered by Christ–that
you will offer yourself in obedient faith and become a member of
his church.
©Joe R. Barnett
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