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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:
"What is their historical background?"
"How
many members do they have?"
"What is their message?"
"How
are they governed?"
"How
do they worship?"
"What do they believe about the Bible?"
"How Many Members?"
Worldwide there
are some 20,000 congregations of churches of Christ with a total
of 2 1/2 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 a few years
ago 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
the 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 saving 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 shortcomings 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 Upon 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 (1 Corinthians 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.
Each Congregation
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 1 Timothy 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:
1) Our worship
must be directed to the right object ... God;
2) It must be
prompted by the right spirit;
3) 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 Cappella 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 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: 1) One must
hear the gospel, for "faith comes by hearing the word of God"
(Romans 10:17).
2) One must
believe, for "without faith it is impossible to please God"
(Hebrews 11:6).
3) One must
repent of past sins, for God "commands all men, every- where to
repent" (Acts 17:30).
4) 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).
5) And one must
be baptized for the remission of sins, for Peter said, "Repent,
and be baptized every- one 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 sub- merge, 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:1) It is to enter the kingdom (John
3:5).
2) It is to
contact Christ's blood (Romans 6:3,4).
3) It is to get
into Christ (Galatians 3:27).
4) It is for
salvation (Mark 16:16; 1 Peter 3:21).
5) It is for
the remission of sins (Acts 2:38).
6) It is to
wash away sins (Acts 22:16).
7) It is to get
into the church (1 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.
The above
information is from a tract written by Joe R. Barnett entitled: "The Churches of Christ... Who are these people?"
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