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Disciples History
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a Protestant denomination of approximately
800,000 members in the United States and Canada. It's one of the largest faith groups
founded on American soil.
When Thomas Campbell was chastised by Pennsylvania church authorities for refusing
to use Presbyterian creeds as terms for receiving communion, he and others in 1808
founded the Christian Association of Washington, Pennsylvania. They adopted the
motto, well-known by Disciples today, "Where the scriptures speak, we speak; where
the Scriptures are silent, we are silent."
Campbell and others became known as "Reformers" because of their desire to restore
the Church's first century roots. This came to be known as the "Restoration Movement."
It was near Washington, Pennsylvania, that Campbell and his son, Alexander, and
the Christian Association established the Brush Run Church which, in 1815, became
part of a nearby Baptist Association.
However, Reformers and the Baptists differed on key issues. By 1830, the Reformers
cut their last ties with the Baptist Association and became known simply as "Disciples."
Thomas Campbell's continuing passion for Christian unity was then summed up in his
proclamation stating that "The church of Christ upon earth is essentially, intentionally,
and constitutionally one." This statement is both the first and the key proposition
of Thomas Campbell's Declaration and Address, a work called by some the "Magna Charta"
of the movement that preceded the denomination known today as the Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ).
Other groups of Christians and the "Disciples of Christ" agreed on basic beliefs
and aims and united with a formal handshake in Lexington, Kentucky, creating a new
Christian movement on the American frontier.
The "Disciples of Christ" functioned and grew as a "movement," often referred to
as the "Stone-Campbell movement." During this period, Disciples often described
the relationship as a "brotherhood." In 1960, the Commission on Brotherhood Restructure
started the task of designing a new form of organization. Throughout the 20th century,
American Asian, Hispanic and African American Disciples congregations multiplied.
A representative assembly meeting in Kansas City overwhelmingly approved the Provisional
Design for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). This marked the passage of
the Disciples into denominational maturity. Officially named the Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ), they became a church."
If you wish to find out more about the history of the Disciples of Christ, check
the links below for more information.
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Who are the Disciples?
Disciples News