The Restoration Movement
The Restoration Movement that Southern Heights Christian Church Fits Within
How do you summarize in two pages the “independent” Christian churches of the Restoration Movement? That’s my goal here. This movement formed in the early 1800’s as a variety of men studied the scriptures and determined many church organizations were out of line with what Jesus and his apostles taught. These churches tended to be guided by creeds and church dogma more than the scriptures. The desire was to restore biblical teaching. As is common with such movements, initially they sought reform within their own church (Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian). With resistance, gradually new churches formed, seeking to be independent of any denominational hierarchy, each congregation overseen simply by their own elders, the Bible as their guiding document.
Some of the early leaders in this movement were: Thomas and Alexander Campbell (father and son) and Barton W. Stone, whose groups would formally merge in 1830. Each developed churches that generally followed basic teachings they proposed, such as the Bible being the only rule of faith and practice, baptism by immersion in water for remission of sin, and the Lord’s Supper (communion) being offered weekly to all who claim Christ as Lord (open rather than closed communion). There were many other preachers and leaders who played their part in the early years, such as Walter Scott, the colorful Raccoon John Smith, Jacob Creath Jr., and many more.
From this movement came several slogans that were popular, here are a few:
We are not the only Christians but seek to be Christians only. In other words, although we seek a pure form of Christianity with the Bible as our guide, we recognize that we are saved by grace through faith, and we do not claim you must be in a Restoration Movement church to be a Christian. We desire to work cooperatively with Christians outside our own churches in love and with a goal of ministry, while realizing differences in beliefs. While true, we are serious about being non-sectarian (not Baptist, not Methodist, not Catholic, simply Christian).
Where the Bible speaks, we speak, and where the Bible is silent, we are silent. In other words, we preach and teach what Jesus and his apostles lead us to preach and teach but realize there are many vague areas or topics the Bible does not speak specifically about, and we do not wish to be divisive where the Bible is not clear. Where it is clear, we stand strong.
No creed but Christ, no book but the Bible. The idea that rather than base our faith on a man-made creed, we need to point people to Jesus and allow him to motivate toward correct beliefs with the Bible as the authoritative guide.
In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things love. In other words, we desire unity around basic doctrines such as the divinity of Christ; man’s sinful condition and need for the salvation of Christ; the bodily death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus to accomplish our salvation; our need to accept Christ in faith that turns to him with repentance, baptism, and faithful living with Jesus as Lord. The Bible is authoritative and our guide. But we wish liberty in many areas where the Bible is not so clear. No matter the topic, we wish to conduct ourselves with love toward all.
This Restoration Movement was the fastest growing church body in the United States during the 1800’s, but then saw division occur. First, after the Civil War there tended to be ultra-conservative churches in the south that refused the advent of pianos and organs in worship, thinking them instruments of taverns and not belonging in church. They became the non-instrumental churches of Christ. In the early 1900’s as liberalism found its way into many colleges started by this movement, and as churches followed suit, many congregations felt the need to separate from what had become a formal denomination.
The liberal churches within this denomination became the Disciples of Christ Christians churches. Those that separated became the independent Christian churches. It is this last group that our church is part of. We believe, arguably, that we have come the closest to maintaining the historical position of the Restoration Movement, to believe the Bible is God’s guide for us while seeking broad unity as much as possible in ministry areas with other Christians. This independent branch of the Restoration Movement again became the fastest growing evangelical church fellowship in the United States in recent years. Not because the people are better, but because the movement’s plea just makes sense.
The independent Christian churches over the years have developed various para-church organizations to support the work they do, such as publishing houses (Standard Publishing in Cincinnati, OH; College Press in Joplin, MO, etc.) and Bible Colleges to train preachers and ministry workers (Ozark Christian College in Joplin, MO; Central Christian College of the Bible in Moberly, MO; etc.). They support a wide variety of missionary organizations around the world. In addition, preaching/teaching conventions exist to inspire and support, such as the SPIRE Network, the International Conference on Missions, the MO Christian Convention, etc. They also have Campus Ministries in several university towns to support Christians as they get an education in secular colleges (MU Campus House, MSU Campus House, etc.). I mention more Missouri things simply because I’m most familiar with them, living in MO.
Christian churches believe Jesus and his apostles instituted only two picturesque ordinances for the church. The first ordinance is baptism when a person becomes a Christian, representing the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and allows the person to be “buried with Christ in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith” to walk this new life (Colossians 2:12; Romans 6:3-5; Acts 2:38, etc.). Baptism, these scriptures tell us, provides forgiveness of sins and God’s gift of his Holy Spirit. The second ordinance is the Lord’s Supper, which Jesus provided as the fulfillment of the Passover feast the Jews celebrated in the Old Testament. Now, under the New Covenant, we regularly remember what Jesus did for us in his death, burial, and resurrection by observing “communion” when the church gathers. Two ordinances, both visually picturing what saves us. Baptism says we our entering this new life identifying with Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection; and Communion says we continue this new life identifying with his death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus saves, as we act in faith.
This is a very basic overview. It is a “back to the Bible” movement that simply wishes to allow what Jesus and his apostles taught to guide our beliefs and practices, as we seek to be Christians only.
Walter Scott was a great evangelist; it’s been said he baptized over 30,000 people in his 30 years of ministry! As he traveled the country with preaching assignments, he would go into a town on his horse and head straight to the schoolyard. When the kids got out, he would gather them around and tell them he wanted to teach them something. “Hold up your left hand with five fingers and repeat after me” he would tell them. “Faith, repentance, baptism, remission of sins, gift of the Holy Spirit; one for each finger, now let’s repeat that.” After they had it memorized, he’d say, “Now go home and tell your parents what you’ve learned and tell them the man who taught you will be speaking at ______ tonight.” Large crowds would gather. I like his illustration. Responding to Jesus with faith and repentance, we meet Jesus in his saving act with baptism, and he then offers us forgiveness and his Spirit. Then we walk by faith with God’s Word as our guide. That’s what people in the Restoration Movement desire.
(This article was written in place of the regular "Cross Points" article for this week to help explain a little history of the Restoration Movement. Rick paired this article with a brief explanation he gave to the church congregation at the end of the Sunday service about how Independent Christian churches of the Restoration Movement go about selecting a minister, making sure people understand we are not a denomination who has a headquarters to send the preacher, and that our process takes time.)
How do you summarize in two pages the “independent” Christian churches of the Restoration Movement? That’s my goal here. This movement formed in the early 1800’s as a variety of men studied the scriptures and determined many church organizations were out of line with what Jesus and his apostles taught. These churches tended to be guided by creeds and church dogma more than the scriptures. The desire was to restore biblical teaching. As is common with such movements, initially they sought reform within their own church (Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian). With resistance, gradually new churches formed, seeking to be independent of any denominational hierarchy, each congregation overseen simply by their own elders, the Bible as their guiding document.
Some of the early leaders in this movement were: Thomas and Alexander Campbell (father and son) and Barton W. Stone, whose groups would formally merge in 1830. Each developed churches that generally followed basic teachings they proposed, such as the Bible being the only rule of faith and practice, baptism by immersion in water for remission of sin, and the Lord’s Supper (communion) being offered weekly to all who claim Christ as Lord (open rather than closed communion). There were many other preachers and leaders who played their part in the early years, such as Walter Scott, the colorful Raccoon John Smith, Jacob Creath Jr., and many more.
From this movement came several slogans that were popular, here are a few:
We are not the only Christians but seek to be Christians only. In other words, although we seek a pure form of Christianity with the Bible as our guide, we recognize that we are saved by grace through faith, and we do not claim you must be in a Restoration Movement church to be a Christian. We desire to work cooperatively with Christians outside our own churches in love and with a goal of ministry, while realizing differences in beliefs. While true, we are serious about being non-sectarian (not Baptist, not Methodist, not Catholic, simply Christian).
Where the Bible speaks, we speak, and where the Bible is silent, we are silent. In other words, we preach and teach what Jesus and his apostles lead us to preach and teach but realize there are many vague areas or topics the Bible does not speak specifically about, and we do not wish to be divisive where the Bible is not clear. Where it is clear, we stand strong.
No creed but Christ, no book but the Bible. The idea that rather than base our faith on a man-made creed, we need to point people to Jesus and allow him to motivate toward correct beliefs with the Bible as the authoritative guide.
In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things love. In other words, we desire unity around basic doctrines such as the divinity of Christ; man’s sinful condition and need for the salvation of Christ; the bodily death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus to accomplish our salvation; our need to accept Christ in faith that turns to him with repentance, baptism, and faithful living with Jesus as Lord. The Bible is authoritative and our guide. But we wish liberty in many areas where the Bible is not so clear. No matter the topic, we wish to conduct ourselves with love toward all.
This Restoration Movement was the fastest growing church body in the United States during the 1800’s, but then saw division occur. First, after the Civil War there tended to be ultra-conservative churches in the south that refused the advent of pianos and organs in worship, thinking them instruments of taverns and not belonging in church. They became the non-instrumental churches of Christ. In the early 1900’s as liberalism found its way into many colleges started by this movement, and as churches followed suit, many congregations felt the need to separate from what had become a formal denomination.
The liberal churches within this denomination became the Disciples of Christ Christians churches. Those that separated became the independent Christian churches. It is this last group that our church is part of. We believe, arguably, that we have come the closest to maintaining the historical position of the Restoration Movement, to believe the Bible is God’s guide for us while seeking broad unity as much as possible in ministry areas with other Christians. This independent branch of the Restoration Movement again became the fastest growing evangelical church fellowship in the United States in recent years. Not because the people are better, but because the movement’s plea just makes sense.
The independent Christian churches over the years have developed various para-church organizations to support the work they do, such as publishing houses (Standard Publishing in Cincinnati, OH; College Press in Joplin, MO, etc.) and Bible Colleges to train preachers and ministry workers (Ozark Christian College in Joplin, MO; Central Christian College of the Bible in Moberly, MO; etc.). They support a wide variety of missionary organizations around the world. In addition, preaching/teaching conventions exist to inspire and support, such as the SPIRE Network, the International Conference on Missions, the MO Christian Convention, etc. They also have Campus Ministries in several university towns to support Christians as they get an education in secular colleges (MU Campus House, MSU Campus House, etc.). I mention more Missouri things simply because I’m most familiar with them, living in MO.
Christian churches believe Jesus and his apostles instituted only two picturesque ordinances for the church. The first ordinance is baptism when a person becomes a Christian, representing the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and allows the person to be “buried with Christ in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith” to walk this new life (Colossians 2:12; Romans 6:3-5; Acts 2:38, etc.). Baptism, these scriptures tell us, provides forgiveness of sins and God’s gift of his Holy Spirit. The second ordinance is the Lord’s Supper, which Jesus provided as the fulfillment of the Passover feast the Jews celebrated in the Old Testament. Now, under the New Covenant, we regularly remember what Jesus did for us in his death, burial, and resurrection by observing “communion” when the church gathers. Two ordinances, both visually picturing what saves us. Baptism says we our entering this new life identifying with Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection; and Communion says we continue this new life identifying with his death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus saves, as we act in faith.
This is a very basic overview. It is a “back to the Bible” movement that simply wishes to allow what Jesus and his apostles taught to guide our beliefs and practices, as we seek to be Christians only.
Walter Scott was a great evangelist; it’s been said he baptized over 30,000 people in his 30 years of ministry! As he traveled the country with preaching assignments, he would go into a town on his horse and head straight to the schoolyard. When the kids got out, he would gather them around and tell them he wanted to teach them something. “Hold up your left hand with five fingers and repeat after me” he would tell them. “Faith, repentance, baptism, remission of sins, gift of the Holy Spirit; one for each finger, now let’s repeat that.” After they had it memorized, he’d say, “Now go home and tell your parents what you’ve learned and tell them the man who taught you will be speaking at ______ tonight.” Large crowds would gather. I like his illustration. Responding to Jesus with faith and repentance, we meet Jesus in his saving act with baptism, and he then offers us forgiveness and his Spirit. Then we walk by faith with God’s Word as our guide. That’s what people in the Restoration Movement desire.
(This article was written in place of the regular "Cross Points" article for this week to help explain a little history of the Restoration Movement. Rick paired this article with a brief explanation he gave to the church congregation at the end of the Sunday service about how Independent Christian churches of the Restoration Movement go about selecting a minister, making sure people understand we are not a denomination who has a headquarters to send the preacher, and that our process takes time.)
Posted in Cross Points