What do Disciples believe?

Like most Christians, Disciples affirm:

• Jesus Christ is the son of the Living God, and offers saving grace to all
• All persons are God’s children

Beliefs and practices usually associated with Disciples include:

• Open Communion. The Lord’s Supper or Communion is celebrated in weekly worship. It is open to all who believe in Jesus Christ.
• Freedom of belief. Disciples are called together around one essential of faith: belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Persons are free to follow their consciences guided by the Bible, the Holy Spirit, study and prayer, and are expected to extend that freedom to others.
• Baptism by immersion. In baptism, the old self-centered life is set aside, and a new life of trust in God begins. Although Disciples practice baptism by immersion, other baptism traditions are honored.
• Belief in the oneness of the church. All Christians are called to be one in Christ and to seek opportunities for common witness and service.
• The ministry of believers. Both ministers and lay persons lead in worship, service and spiritual growth.

Baptism
Baptism in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) takes water -- plenty of water. Disciples practice "baptism by immersion" because it mirrors New Testament practice. In addition, Disciples see the use of the specific form of baptism, immersion, as powerfully symbolic. It recalls Jesus' own baptism; it acts out dying with Christ and emerging to new life; it is a "putting on" of Christ. The person being baptized experiences the firm support of the community -- of the Body of Christ -- in the arms and hands of the minister, feels the plunge of commitment, and bursts into new life with the sound and feel of rushing water. At the conclusion of a Disciples baptism, the congregation most often is asked to pledge support of the newly-baptized person in her or his faith journey.

Disciples typically are baptized when they can express as a personal choice their desire to become part of the Body of Christ. Disciples call the practice "believer's baptism." As the believer is immersed, she is baptized in the name of the Trinity. It is customary for the minister to use the words "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."

Infant dedication is a common Disciples tradition. A baby is brought into the environment of a loving church where parents and congregation pledge themselves to nurture the child in the love of Christ. An infant so dedicated "confirms" that dedication with a faith-response usually during the early teenage years, about the same time when many Disciples are baptized.

Most Disciples today recognize other forms of baptism as valid. A person baptized in another Christian tradition wishing to join a Disciples congregation is simply asked: "Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and proclaim him Lord and Savior of your life?" The person who answers, "I do," is welcomed into the congregation.

The chalice  The chalice symbolizes the central place of communion in worship for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The X-shaped cross of the disciple Andrew is a reminder of the ministry of each person and the importance of evangelism.

Disciples Identity Statement
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) proclaims Jesus as Lord, draws its inspiration from Scripture and the Holy Spirit, witnesses and serves among the whole human family, acknowledges that Christian unity and Christian mission are inseparable, and claims as its particular mission the quest for the reunion of the Body of Christ, celebrating weekly around the Lord’s Table the life, death and resurrection and continuing presence of its Lord.

The Preamble to the Design of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
As members of the Christian Church,

We confess that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the Living God, and proclaim him Lord and Savior of the World.
In Christ’s name and by his grace we accept our mission of witness and service to all people.
We rejoice in God, maker of heaven and earth, and in the covenant of love, which binds us to God and one another.
Through baptism into Christ we enter into newness of life and are made one with the whole people of God.
In the Communion of the Holy Spirit we are joined together in discipleship and in obedience to Christ.
At the table of the Lord we celebrate with thanksgiving the saving acts and presence of Christ.
Within the universal church we receive the gift of ministry and the light of scripture.
In bonds of Christian faith we yield ourselves to God that we may serve the One whose kingdom has no end.
Blessing, glory and honor are to God forever. Amen.

Disciples Brief History
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) formed out of two movements in the early 1800's. Barton W. Stone was a Presbyterian minister. In 1804, he and several followers broke with their denomination to enter into unity with "the body of Christ at large." They took, as their name, "Christians." The current name of the denomination takes the first part of its name from this contributing movement. The name does not imply that we are exclusively THE Christian Church. Rather, as the old Disciples adage goes, "We are Christians only, not the only Christians."

In the 1810's and 1820's, Thomas and Alexander Campbell, also former Presbyterians, developed a movement that pushed for the unity of the body of Christ and the restoration of the New Testament Church. This movement took the name "Disciples of Christ."

In 1832, the two movements merged. For several years, the movement called itself a variety of things: Christians, Disciples of Christ, the Stone-Campbell Movement (some folks even called us Campbellites!) and the Brotherhood.

In 1968, the movement formally recognized itself as a denomination and took as its name "The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)."

Basic Beliefs (As found on www.disciples.org)
The only "test" of fellowship used in the Christian Church is the "good confession." In its earliest form, the confession was short and simple.
Alexander Campbell wrote:
The only apostolic and divine confession of faith which God, the Father of all, has laid for the church and that on which Jesus himself said he would build is the sublime and supreme position: That Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God" (The Christian System, 58)

In more recent years, we have used the first part of the Preamble to The Design, "We confess that Jesus is the Christ, Son of the Living God, and proclaim him Lord and Savior of the world." This confession includes four statements about Jesus:

1. We confess that Jesus is the Christ or Messiah. Christ is from a Greek word that is equivalent to the Hebrew word Messiah. Both words mean "anointed." To confess Jesus as the "Christ" means to say that you believe Jesus was anointed by God to fulfill God's purpose in the world. In Jesus Christ, God acted decisively in human history.
2. We believe that Jesus is the Son of the Living God. Through its history, Christians have tried to express that Jesus is divine. The early creeds used phrases like, "God from God," and "of the same essence with the Father." The title of Jesus as Son of God seeks to express this same idea of Jesus' divinity and association with God the Father. The phrase "Son of God" comes directly from scripture. 1 John 4:15 says, "God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God."
3. We proclaim that Jesus is Lord. Paul wrote to the church in Rome, "If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved" (Rom 10:9). The confession of Jesus, as Lord, binds the confessor to obedience. A Lord is one who has authority to command. And so, to confess Jesus as Lord places a person in a specific relationship with Jesus.
4. By saying “Jesus is Savior,” we affirm that Jesus Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost. His death on the cross and resurrection three days later made a way for people to experience salvation. While we could discuss what "salvation" means for a very long time, we should say that salvation is two-fold. First, it refers to eternal life waiting for us in the life to come. Second, it refers to a change in our life today that moves our lives (both individually and socially) more in line with God's will.

Structure of the Church
This Christian Church is one church in three manifestations: general, regional and local. The general church is comprised of all Christian Churches in the United States and Canada. Our general headquarters are in Indianapolis, Indiana. The general church is responsible for several common ministries, including Homeland Ministries, the Division of Overseas Ministries, the Christian Board of Publication, National Benevolent Association, and Board of Church Extension.

Download the Church Structure

The general church is divided up into 38 various regions. First Christian Church is in the Southwest Region (CCSW). It is made up of the Christian Churches in Texas and New Mexico. The regional church has two primary responsibilities: First, they participate in direct ministry through their areas' camps, conferences and assemblies. Secondly, they help nurture existing congregations, and assist in starting new congregations.

The Christian Church in the Southwest is divided up into eight areas: Hi-Plains Area, Tres Rios Area, Central Area, Bluebonnet Area, Coastal Plain Area, Lower-Rio Grande Valley, North Texas Area, and Trinity-Brazos Area. The Texas Christian Missionary Fellowship also serves as an affiliate group of churches in the region. These areas help facilitate the mission of the CCSW. First Christian Church is in the Christian Church in the Southwest. See http:/www.ccsw.org

The third manifestation of the church is the congregational level. Congregations are equal in authority to the general and regional manifestations. A local congregation calls its own ministers and sets its own policies.

See Discover the Disciples Link - http://www.disciples.org/discover/