Our Story
The Chalice
The official symbol of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is the red chalice bearing the Saint Andrew's Cross. The chalice represents the centrality of the Lord's Supper in Disciples’ worship services. Red signifies the blood of Jesus Christ, who gave his life for all. The cross in the shape of an “X” is the national symbol of the Church of Scotland and pays tribute to our early Presbyterian roots. The lower left leg of the cross, touching the edge of the chalice, remains open to express our open fellowship and our belief in Christian unity.
The official symbol of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is the red chalice bearing the Saint Andrew's Cross. The chalice represents the centrality of the Lord's Supper in Disciples’ worship services. Red signifies the blood of Jesus Christ, who gave his life for all. The cross in the shape of an “X” is the national symbol of the Church of Scotland and pays tribute to our early Presbyterian roots. The lower left leg of the cross, touching the edge of the chalice, remains open to express our open fellowship and our belief in Christian unity.
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States & Canada
Disciples Identity Statement
We are Disciples of Christ, a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world. As part of the one body of Christ, we welcome all to the Lord’s Table as God has welcomed us.
History of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
The Restoration Movement, in which the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) finds its foundation, attempted to complete the Protestant Reformation by returning the church to its New Testament beliefs and practices. The three primary founders of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) were part of this Restoration Movement on the western frontier of the United States.
Barton Stone left his Presbyterian Church in Kentucky in 1802 in order to start a movement that would take on the biblical name of “Christians.” He believed in the unity of all Christians and that this unity could only take place through the emphasis of the scriptures all Christians had in common, and the removal of creeds churches used to distinguish themselves from one another. Experiencing a revival at his Cane Ridge congregation in1801 that launched the Second Great Awakening, Stone also believed that all believers, regardless of denominational affiliation should be allowed to partake of communion.
Several years later Thomas Campbell and his son Alexander also left the Presbyterian Church in western Pennsylvania. They believed in weekly communion and baptism by immersion, as prescribed in the New Testament. They practiced an open table (all who believed in Christ could partake of the bread and cup) and believed in the ability of the laity (congregation members) to lead worship. They also held that the Bible alone, and not creeds or doctrines, should be the only rule in matters of faith. With Stone, they shared a belief in the unity of all Christians and chose for themselves the New Testament name “Disciples.”
Today, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has over 3,000 congregations and nearly one million members in the United States and Canada. While heavily concentrated in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas, it supports congregations in all 50 states and missionary ties in 80 countries worldwide.
For more information on the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), check out our denomination’s website and/or the video below.
Disciples Identity Statement
We are Disciples of Christ, a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world. As part of the one body of Christ, we welcome all to the Lord’s Table as God has welcomed us.
History of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
The Restoration Movement, in which the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) finds its foundation, attempted to complete the Protestant Reformation by returning the church to its New Testament beliefs and practices. The three primary founders of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) were part of this Restoration Movement on the western frontier of the United States.
Barton Stone left his Presbyterian Church in Kentucky in 1802 in order to start a movement that would take on the biblical name of “Christians.” He believed in the unity of all Christians and that this unity could only take place through the emphasis of the scriptures all Christians had in common, and the removal of creeds churches used to distinguish themselves from one another. Experiencing a revival at his Cane Ridge congregation in1801 that launched the Second Great Awakening, Stone also believed that all believers, regardless of denominational affiliation should be allowed to partake of communion.
Several years later Thomas Campbell and his son Alexander also left the Presbyterian Church in western Pennsylvania. They believed in weekly communion and baptism by immersion, as prescribed in the New Testament. They practiced an open table (all who believed in Christ could partake of the bread and cup) and believed in the ability of the laity (congregation members) to lead worship. They also held that the Bible alone, and not creeds or doctrines, should be the only rule in matters of faith. With Stone, they shared a belief in the unity of all Christians and chose for themselves the New Testament name “Disciples.”
Today, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has over 3,000 congregations and nearly one million members in the United States and Canada. While heavily concentrated in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas, it supports congregations in all 50 states and missionary ties in 80 countries worldwide.
For more information on the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), check out our denomination’s website and/or the video below.
