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Disciples Of Christ / Campbellite

This body is often called also Christians and known by other titles, such as Christians, "Campbellites," which they do not like. It was one of the results of the great revival movement which began in Tennessee and Kentucky in the early part of the 19th century. Rev. Barton W. Stone, a Presbyterian minister who was prominent in the revival movement, withdrew from the Presbyterian Church, and in 1804 organized a church with no other creed than the Bible and with no name but that of Christian. One of his objects was to find a basis for the union of all Christian believers.

This sect originated with an Irish preacher of the Presbyterian Seceders named Thomas Campbell, who emigrated to America from the North of Ireland, and settled in Washington county, Pennsylvania, at the beginning of the 19th century. Changing their views as to baptism, they joined the Redstone Association of Baptists. Shortly after, when Alexander Campbell was charged with not being in harmony with the creed, he followed the Burch Run Church, of which he was pastor, into the Mahoning Baptist Association, which, leavened with his teachings, soon ceased to be known as a Baptist association.

Campbell, and his son Alexander Campbell, who had been educated at Glasgow, originated a movement for the promotion of unity on the plan of ignoring all creeds, confessions of faith, and formularies, and admitting persons to a communion in which the only test should be a satisfactory reply to the question "What is the meritorious cause of the sinner's acceptance with God?"

The first place of worship built for this new communion was at Brush Run, and was opened on September 7th, 1810, with the two Campbells for its joint pastors. This pattern of dogmatic simplicity and primitive unity was, however, immediately divided into Paedobaptists and Anti-Paedobaptists, and the former separating off in the year 1812 the Campbells and their adherents were all re-baptized by immersion, and were received into the local Baptist community as members of that body. Still continuing their endeavours to promote union, the Campbells aroused the jealousy of the Baptists, and the younger of the two, Alexander, with about thirty of their adherents, departed from Brush Run in 1828 to form a new community at Wellsburg in Virginia, where they called themselves the "Mahoning Association," and established the separate congregations of which it was formed on the original footing of "unsectarianism."

The Baptists again opposed Campbell, and he finally separated from them, re-forming his congregations on Independent or Congregational principles, and calling his followers "The Disciples" or "Disciples of Christ." In 1827, after some correspondence with Rev. B. W. Stone and his followers of the Christian Connection, there was a union with a large number of congregations in Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee, and the organization variously known as " Disciples of Christ" and " Christians" is the result.

On assuming this independent position the Campbellite sect began to extend itself largely, and they soon numbered many congregations in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and Virginia. A few are to be found in British North America and in England. Their present sectarian position is that of the Independents, plus baptism by immersion as an essential requirement for admission to their body. The leading principles of the Disciples of Christ are, to quote from one of their tracts: (1) "To restore the lost unity of believers and so of the Church of Christ by a return in doctrine, ordinance, and life to the religion definitely outlined" in the New Testament; (2) no human creed, but the Bible only as the rule of faith and practice; (3) baptism by immersion of believers only, in which "comes a divine assurance of remission of sins and acceptance with God "; (4) the celebration of the Lord's Supper as a "feast of love" every Sunday. The central doctrine of their teaching is that "Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God." They hold that "personal trust in a personal Redeemer" is the faith that is necessary to salvation.

In polity they are congregational. Their ministers are ordained, but are not, in denominational usage, addressed with the title " Rev." They have as church officers elders, also called bishops, pastors, or presbyters, deacons, and evangelists. The latter are itinerant missionaries. The churches are united in State and district associations for missionary work, and there is also a national convention for home and another organization for foreign missions, and a Woman's Board of Missions for both home and foreign missions.