A SUMMARY OF OUR BELIEFS

• As Disciples of Christ, we believe in God and accept Jesus as our Savior through our Confession that He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
  
• We believe in Baptism and practice it by immersion, while recognizing the validity of other forms.
  
• We hold Communion to be central in our worship experience and invite all Christians to participate in the weekly celebration of the Lord's Supper.
  
• We believe in the Integrity of each individual before God and allow for diversity of conviction and opinion.
  
• Finally, we believe in the Unity of all Christians, and seek to foster their greater understanding and cooperation.

OUR CONFESSION
We believe in "The Great Confession."  When Jesus asked his Disciples "Who do you say that I am?" Peter responded, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."  Christians refer to these works as "The Great Confession." 

As Disciples of Christ, we conclude that if Jesus was satisfied with Peter's confession, so should we be also. So when one wishes to join a Disciples church he or she is asked but one question: "Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and do you accept Him as your personal Savior and Lord?"  It is this confession of faith that encompasses our foremost belief.   

BAPTISM
We accept Jesus' gift of baptism.  Some churches believe that one must be baptized by immersion to be sure of your salvation.   Others believe that one is saved by faith and that baptism is only the first act of obedience after being saved.

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) regard baptism as an important command of Christ.  He told his disciples, "Go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit."

Therefore, in an effort to be faithful to Christ, we practice baptism.  We see full immersion as the most symbolic and appropriate manner of obedience.  However, we accept members into our congregation who have been baptized by other means: infant baptism and confirmation, or adult baptism by sprinkling.  We do not question the validity of other forms of baptism or require immersion for membership.

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) take no official position on whether one must be baptized to be saved.  We believe matters such as this are in God's hands alone.   We encourage all members to prayerfully discern God's will for themselves. 

COMMUNION
We gratefully receive God's gift of communion.

Looking at our sanctuary, you will note that the communion table takes the central position.  That is appropriate, because in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), we share in communion every Sunday and hold it central to our worship experience.

Regarding the table as Christ's, and not our own, we close it to no one. All believers, whether they are members of our church, another church, or no church may partake.  We set the table, as He charged, offer the invitation, and serve the bread and the cup.  We believe in the power of this simple meal and share in it every Sunday.

We share communion each Sunday for two reasons: first, we read in the New Testament that the early church gathered on the first day of the week to break bread (Acts 20:7).  Second, we find that the celebration of weekly communion draws us close together.  Here at the communion table, week after week, we are formed into a community.

Looking into the past, we remember the death and resurrection of Christ.  Confronting the present, we experience His forgiving and loving presence in our lives.  Facing the future in hope, we see around the table the whole family of God, gathered home.  

INTEGRITY
We believe in the integrity of individuals and in matters of theology allow for diversity of opinion.

We believe all persons have a right and responsibility to read and interpret the Bible for themselves.  We recognize that because of background and experience, not all people will see things exactly alike.  We do not regard this variety as wholly negative, but see our diversity as a plus.

In a Disciples of Christ church, one can freely ask questions an express opinions.  The luxury of such freedom means that you will hear a variety of convictions and opinions, and that you may express ideas of your own.  As we see it, we are ultimately responsible only to God for our opinions and actions.  Therefore, we do not see it as our place to judge the opinions of others.

For us, church is not the dictator of faith, but a place for its expression and nurturing.  

UNITY
We believe in Christian unity. Our church was born of a dream to unite Christ's church; To break down the walls that separate Christians into differing denominations; to work toward the common goal of spreading Christianity together.  Consequently, we eagerly cooperate with other churches whenever possible.  From participating in the local Ministerial Alliance, to membership in the National and World Council of Churches, we affirm our unity in Christ and work cooperatively toward our common concerns.  

OUR SYMBOL
The symbol of The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a red chalice (or communion cup) in which an X-shaped cross is embedded.

The cup symbolizes the central place communion holds in our worship service.

The X-shaped cross is called the St. Andrew's Cross.  If symbolizes the Cross as being the heart of our faith and points back to the church's historical beginnings.  The founders of the Christian Church were Scottish Presbyterians.  The national church of Scotland was Presbyterian, and the St. Andrews Cross was Scotland's National cross.

The cross also suggests the humility associated with the "Disciples" name.  Andrew brought the Christian faith to Scotland and became its patron saint.  Tradition has it that he was crucified because of his ministry.  When the terrible moment came, he declared himself unworthy of being crucified on a cross like his Lord's, and requested that he be nailed to an X-shaped cross instead.  The X-shaped cross has ever after served to signify humility and sacrifice.    

OUR NAME
The official name of our church body is "The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)."  Individual churches (First Christian Church of Rogers, Millwood Christian Church, etc.) are referred to as congregations of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), which has approximately one million members in the United States and Canada, and is involved in mission work around the world.  

A BRIEF HISTORY
Our history begins almost two hundred years ago on the American frontier when many people from different cultural and church backgrounds were thrown together to form our great country.  Though Christians in the New World felt united by their common faith, many frustrating denominational differences, much sharper than those felt today, kept them apart.  Out of that frustration grew a movement for Christian unity.

LEADERS    There were three main leaders of the movement:  Thomas Campbell, Alexander Campbell and Barton W. Stone.  Thomas Campbell, a Presbyterian minister, immigrated to America from Ireland in 1807.  Disturbed by the infighting within his own denomination in Ireland and Scotland, he came to America where he found the situation equally bad.  Soon after his arrival, he was asked to preside over a worship service in which rival factions of Presbyterians were present.  As they came to the Lord's Table, Campbell invited all present to join in communion.

Because of their disagreements, the groups were not supposed to share in communion.  Consequently, Campbell was summoned before his governing presbytery, and for his action, suspended from the ministry.  Suspension galvanized him into an effort to bring Christians together beyond the sectarian divisions that tore them apart.

Soon Thomas' son, Alexander, immigrated from Scotland to join his father in the work.  The Campbell's and those following them did not want to create a new denomination or add to the divisive names already in existence.  Therefore, they called themselves only "disciples" or "disciples of Christ."

These leaders then made the decision to break down sectarian walls by rejecting the individual traditions and creeds of all denominations.  Their goal was to return to the Bible and the practices of the earliest Christians as described in the New Testament.  Their search of scripture led them to conclude that in the early church, communion was shared each Sunday and baptism was by immersion.

The third leader in the early 1800s was another Presbyterian minister by the name of Barton W. Stone.  Stone was born in Maryland in 1772, and educated in a Presbyterian college.  There he accepted the Christian faith and began to preach in Presbyterian churches.

After accepting an official call to serve two Kentucky congregations, Stone was required to seek ordination.  This required affirmation of the doctrines taught in the Presbyterian "Confession of Faith."  In studying the doctrines, Stone found that he could not fully accept their content.  As a result, he told his superiors that he could only accept the confession insofar as he saw it consistent with the teachings of the Bible.  They accepted his response and ordained him to the ministry.  As time went on, however, Stone became increasingly concerned about the various doctrines in the Confession of Faith.    Finally he left the Presbyterian Church, seeking to be only "a Christian."  Other disgruntled Presbyterians followed.  They worshiped and worked together and called themselves "Christians," nothing more.

Eventually, the "Disciples" led by the Campbell's and the "Christians" led by Stone found each other and united.  Bound by a common goal for unity, the two groups puzzled over a common name by which to be known.  No official decision was made, but congregations called themselves "Christian Churches" or "Churches of Christ."  Despite the ambiguity, the movement grew rapidly.  By the 1870s there were more than a million members in the United States.

CONFLICT    Around the turn of the century, a terrible irony occurred.  This fast-growing movement, bound by the common goal to unite the Church, split in two!   The movement to heal divisions divided!  The issue that launched the fatal fight was the introduction of an organ to provide music in the worship service.  It seemed like a small issue to split people with so large a vision! To one group, it was a matter of principle, as there is no mention of instrumental music in early Christian worship.  This group considered this type of music to be without authority and, therefore, a sin.  The other group pointed to the multitude of examples of instrumental music in the Old Testament, and held that the New Testament was not a legal document and that anything that aided in the worship of God was appropriate.

The issue was not resolved, and in 1906 the U.S. Census officially listed a new category of churches calling themselves "Churches of Christ."  To this day, the Church of Christ does not use instrumental music in worship.

A SECOND CONFLICT   During the first half of the twentieth century, the group that accepted instrumental music in the worship service, "the Christian Church," had other issues to dispute.  Many felt the need for organization beyond the local congregation, on the a regional and national level.  They felt that this broader organization could more effectively coordinate the work of the church and fill the need for a Christian Missionary Society.

Others felt that such organization would turn the movement into another denomination, adding division in the Church.  They argued that each congregation should send out its own missionaries.  They feared a loss of control over the working of their churches.  This disagreement, sadly, led to another split.   The separating churches continued to call themselves "Christian Churches," and desired independence from any "organized" church.

In 1968, in an effort to end the confusion associated with the use of the name "Christian Church," the group employing both instrumental music in worship and a national organization for missions took an official name: "The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)."  "(Disciples of Christ)" is parenthesis distinguishes the group from the independent "Christian Churches" and also points back to the historical usage of "Disciples of Christ." (Click HERE to link to the official web site of "The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)", and HERE to visit the web site for the "Great River Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)" which includes Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

MORE ABOUT THE DISCIPLES

Our Symbol	Our Name: The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)	A Brief History
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) at the National Level	The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) at the Regional Level	FCC Home Page