To tell you about what our local congregation believes, we must first tell you a little about our denomination, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). To tell you about what our denomination believes, we must first tell you a little about its history.
Our denomination is an American Protestant denomination founded in the early 1800s. The Disciples originated in the then frontier regions of Kentucky and what was to become West Virginia. Our key founders were Thomas and Alexander Campbell (whose followers were called Disciples) and Barton W. Stone (whose followers were called Christians) - thus the dual name of our denomination.
The movement was founded out of necessity on the American frontier. Therefore, there are 3 main concepts that are part of our heritage: autonomy, unity, and diversity. The existing church structures did not lend themselves to people on the move [autonomy], such as having to get permission from the main denomination headquarters to create a church. There was also the belief that Christianity had been split into too many separate denominations due to doctrinal and human differences, as opposed to being the one Body of Christ [unity]. In many cases, there were too few people of one denomination in a particular area to create a church of their own. The last concept is a direct result of having embraced the first two. Within a single congregation and within the whole denomination, there is a wide spectrum of belief [diversity].
Within the concept of autonomy, this applies to both the local congregation and the members within it. The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) movement originally did not want to have any centralized organization. Reluctantly, the movement finally became a denomination with a shallow centralized organization, but where each local congregation still makes all the decisions affecting its affairs. The members within our denomination also experience a large amount of freedom (and responsibility). Each individual is encouraged to read, study, and interpret the Bible for themselves, especially within the fellowship of a local congregation.
As for the concept of unity, the movement originated as an effort to do away with denominations by abolishing historic creeds. "Where the Bible speaks, we speak. Where the Bible is silent, we are silent." and "No creed but Christ." are two of our historic slogans that explain the general belief of our denomination. The same way the diversity of belief is evident in the varied denominations within the universal Body of Christ (the collection of all churches), our denomination usually has people that have come from these same denominations to contribute to that same diversity within a single local congregation.
Diversity is both a strength and a weakness of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) denomination. As a weakness, it is often difficult to explain exactly what we believe to someone outside our denomination. Since there is no centralized church structure setting doctrine, each local congregation can have its own beliefs about controversial issues, such as abortion, the role of women in the church, etc. Even within a local congregation there may be a wide diversity of belief over these issues. Therefore, it is sometimes difficult for a local congregation and especially for the denomination as a whole to state what their beliefs are. In contrast, as a strength, this diversity helps members decide for themselves what they believe and why they believe it.
As a general rule, our denomination does endorse two ordinances that were instituted by Jesus: baptism and communion. Baptism is by immersion in water along with a public confession of faith in Jesus Christ. This New Testament practice is symbolic of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Communion, which is also known as the Lord's Supper, is the practice of partaking of the bread and cup in remembrance of Jesus Christ. This is done as open communion, which means that anyone is welcome to participate.
Some of our local congregational beliefs are evident in our traditions. First, we celebrate the Lord's Supper (communion) weekly and it is administered by lay people. We also embrace the belief that every member is a "minister," which entitles them to interpret the Scriptures, evangelize, and perform church functions, including performing communion often and without the need of pastoral oversight. We believe that men and women are equally invited to celebrate their gifts of faith and leadership. In addition, we believe that we must by involved in active outreach missions that operate locally and through our denominational channels. Lastly, we believe that fellowship within the church community is essential. This is even more important within our denomination so that there is an opportunity to share interpretations and beliefs with others.
There are two requirements for joining our local congregation. The first is a public confession of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The other is that you be baptized, either previously (not necessarily by immersion, but must be meaningful to you) or willing to be baptized by immersion. Usually, during one of our worship services, you would come forward to indicate your intent to join our church as a new member or by transfer of membership, such as during the "Invitation Song" during the Sunday Traditional Worship Service. If you are joining as a new member, you will be asked "Do you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?" Then there will be a date picked for your baptism during another service. Both new and transferring members will be asked "Do you agree to support this church with your time, your tithes, and your talents?"
In 1791, Daniel Boone brought a group of people to an area near Paris, Kentucky. They were the North Carolina Presbyterians. They built a church at Cane Ridge and in August of 1801 a series of revivals were held; 20 to 30 thousand people came! Among those who came was Barton W. Stone who became a founder of the Christian Church movement.