Churches of Christ

Overview

The Churches of Christ are autonomous congregations of the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement, which separated from the Disciples of Christ over instrumental music and missionary societies and was counted separately from 1906. They confess no creed on principle ("no creed but Christ"), sing a cappella, observe the Lord's Supper weekly, and commonly teach that baptism by immersion is the point at which sins are forgiven. AskCredo places the Churches of Christ in the C-tier: they are Trinitarian and hold Scripture's authority seriously, but a baptismal regeneration taught as necessary for salvation cuts against justification by faith alone, and a principled rejection of all creeds leaves the reader's own congregation with nothing the library could quote in its behalf.

Confession / Standard

None on principle ("no creed but Christ")

Governance

congregational

Soteriology

mixed

Key Beliefs

• Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins
• A cappella worship
• Weekly Lord's Supper
• Congregational autonomy
• Restoration of the New Testament church

Distinctives

• Baptismal regeneration taught as necessary for salvation
• Rejection of creeds and confessions on principle
• Historic exclusivism about other Christian bodies

Background

North America · Founded 1906