The Disciples of Christ denomination, one of three current expressions of the Restoration Movement, has influenced my faith. I served as Associate Pastor at Central Christian Church in Dallas, Texas and as Youth Pastor at First Christian Church in Garland, Texas.
The Restoration Movement (Disciples of Christ, Independent Christian Church, and Churches of Christ) is comprised of those churches that seek to restore the New Testament church. The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is the only group of the three that views itself as a denomination. It is theologically the most liberal expression of the Restoration Movement with an estimated 700,000 members of this tradition in the United States.
Since most Disciples congregations are named “Christian Church” they are most often visually distinguished from congregations affiliated with the Independent Christian Church by their trademarked logo. The logo is a red chalice with a white St. Andrew’s Cross. The chalice represents the centrality of Communion to the life of the church. The cross of Saint Andrew is a reminder of the ministry of each person and the importance of evangelism and recalls the denomination’s Scottish Presbyterian ancestry.
So What?
The greatest contribution the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has made to my faith is in the importance of Communion (Lord’s Supper or Eucharist) for individual believers as well as local congregations. In the Disciples tradition, Communion is typically celebrated at all services of worship.
- What is the role of Communion (Lord’s Supper or Eucharist) in your faith? in the life of your congregation?
- Does your tradition offer an appropriate emphasis to the centrality of this sacrament (ordinance)? If so, how? If not, how might it become more significant?
- How often does your congregation celebrate this sacrament (ordinance)? How does that frequency (or infrequency) contribute to its meaning?