Overview of the Movement Today

• Quick Review:

  • Primary Objectives of the Restoration Movement:

    • Unity

    • Truth

    • Win the World to Christ (the most important objective!)

  • Leading Figures in the Movement’s Early Development:

    • Barton W. Stone – Kentucky Christians and The Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery

    • Thomas Campbell – The Declaration and Address of the Christian Association of Washington

    • Alexander Campbell – Disciples of Christ

    • Walter Scott – Evangelist

• Divisions of the Restoration Movement:

  • Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

    • 1968 – Through the process of “Restructure,” the Disciples organized themselves into a Mainline Denomination with a headquarters in Indianapolis, and General Minister and President, and a denominational logo.

    • Theologically Liberal and more concerned about social issues than evangelism.

    • Attendance numbers among the Disciples has seen a dramatic decline in the past several years.

  • Churches of Christ (Non-Instrumental)

    • Following their 1906 separation from the Disciples of Christ, the Churches of

Christ turned inward as a somewhat Fundamentalist group.

 - Two primary groups among the a capella churches:

   - Non-Instrumental Churches (Mainline Churches of Christ) – Maintain their a

capella tradition, but as their preferred form of worship.

   - Anti-Instrumental Churches (Non-Institutional Churches of Christ) – View the

use of musical instruments as a salvation issue (it is absolutely wrong!).

 - Conservative, Biblically oriented, and very concerned about evangelism.

• Christian Churches/Churches of Christ – Also known as Independents

  • 1927 - Development began with the start of the North American Christian

Convention, but only as a conservative element among the Disciples of Christ.

   - Between 1927 and 1971, a chasm developed between the conservatives and

liberals within the Disciples of Christ.

   - **1971** – Officially listed separately from the Disciples of Christ in the Yearbook of American Churches.

 - Conservative, Biblically oriented, and very concerned about world evangelism.

 - CC/CC has proven to be a very evangelistic group with impressive growth over

the past years: Many mega-churches and a large number of missionaries

• Additional Resources:

  • Foster, Douglas A., Paul M. Blowers, Anthony L. Dunnavant, and D. Newell Williams, eds. – The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement

  • Garrett, Leroy – *The Stone-Campbell Movement: The Story of the American

Restoration Movement*

• Murch, James DeForest – Christians Only: A History of the Restoration Movement

• North, James B. – Union in Truth: An Interpretive History of the Restoration Movement

• Webb, Henry E. – In Search of Christian Unity: A History of the Restoration Movement

• Williams, D. Newell, Douglas A. Foster, and Paul M. Blowers – The Stone-Campbell Movement: A Global History