About Disciples of Christ
Disciples of Christ congregations celebrate the Lord's Supper every Sunday. The table is open.
That means that all Christians are invited to respond to Christ's invitation to draw closer to Him
around the communion table. For Disciples, the open table is a powerful symbol of our deep
commitment to Christian unity. The open table honors diversity even as it celebrates unity in
Christ.
All are welcome.
What Disciples Believe
Like most Christians, Disciples Affirm:
Jesus Christ is the son of the Living God,
All persons are God's children
Beliefs and practices usually associated with Disciples include:
Open Communion. The Lord’s Supper, or Communion is celebrated in weekly
worship. It is open to all who believe in Jesus Christ.
Freedom of belief. Disciples are called together around one essential of faith: belief in
Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Persons are free to follow their consciences guided
by the Bible, the Holy Spirit study and prayer, and are expected to extend that freedom
to others.
Baptism by immersion. In baptism the old self-centered life is set aside, and a new
life of trust in God begins. Although Disciples practice baptism by immersion, other
baptism traditions are honored.
Belief in the oneness of the church. All Christians are called to be one in Christ and
to seek opportunities for common witness and service.
The ministry of believers. Both ministers and lay persons lead in worship, service
and spiritual growth.
Baptism
Baptism in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) takes water -- plenty of water. Disciples
practice "baptism by immersion" because it mirrors New Testament practice. In addition,
Disciples see the use of the specific form of baptism, immersion, as powerfully symbolic. It
recalls Jesus' own baptism; it acts out dying with Christ and emerging to new life; it is a "putting
on" of Christ. The person being baptized experiences the firm support of the community -- of the
Body of Christ -- in the arms and hands of the minister, feels the plunge of commitment, and
bursts into new life with the sound and feel of rushing water. At the conclusion of a Disciples
baptism, the congregation most often is asked to pledge support of the newly-baptized person
in her or his faith journey.
Disciples typically are baptized when they can express as a personal choice their desire to
become part of the Body of Christ. Disciples call the practice "believer's baptism." As the
believer is immersed, she is baptized in the name of the Trinity. It is customary for the minister
to use the words "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."
Infant dedication is a common Disciples tradition. A baby is brought into the environment of a
loving church where parents and congregation pledge themselves to nurture the child in the
love of Christ. An infant so dedicated "confirms" that dedication with a faith-response usually
during the early teenage years, about the same time when many Disciples are baptized.
Most Disciples today recognize other forms of baptism as valid. A person baptized in another
Christian tradition wishing to join a Disciples congregation is simply asked: "Do you believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and proclaim him Lord and Savior of your
life?" The person who answers, "I do," is welcomed into the congregation.
Communion
"At the table of the Lord we celebrate with thanksgiving the saving acts and presence of Christ"
-- From the Preamble of the Design for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
Sharing in the Lord's Supper is at the heart of what members of the Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ) do when they gather for worship. Generally each week there will be the
singing of hymns, prayers, the reading of scripture, and a sermon. But without the Lord's
Supper (or communion, as it is often called), worship would be incomplete. A marked
characteristic of Disciples is an emphasis upon the importance of the Lord's Supper as a
basic part of weekly worship.
The early leaders of the Disciples movement sought to cut through the many layers of tradition
which separated various church bodies from one another by recovering the essential faith and
practices of the early church as seen in the New Testament.
In regard to the Lord's Supper, two scripture passages caught their attention. In Acts 2:42,
following the account of the birth of the church at Pentecost, the writer says that "they devoted
themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers."
The "apostles' teaching" was regarded as being the equivalent of a sermon from scripture and
"the breaking of bread" as an expression for sharing in the Lord's Supper. In Acts 20:7 the
writer was regarded as referring to the custom of gathering each Sunday for the Lord's Supper
when commenting, "On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break
bread, Paul talked with them...."
Modern-day Disciples, though less interested in arguing from proof-texts, still call attention to
the earliest recorded traditions of the church which clearly indicate that the sermon and the
Lord's Supper were integral to Sunday worship.
That means that all Christians are invited to respond to Christ's invitation to draw closer to Him
around the communion table. For Disciples, the open table is a powerful symbol of our deep
commitment to Christian unity. The open table honors diversity even as it celebrates unity in
Christ.
All are welcome.
What Disciples Believe
Like most Christians, Disciples Affirm:
Jesus Christ is the son of the Living God,
All persons are God's children
Beliefs and practices usually associated with Disciples include:
Open Communion. The Lord’s Supper, or Communion is celebrated in weekly
worship. It is open to all who believe in Jesus Christ.
Freedom of belief. Disciples are called together around one essential of faith: belief in
Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Persons are free to follow their consciences guided
by the Bible, the Holy Spirit study and prayer, and are expected to extend that freedom
to others.
Baptism by immersion. In baptism the old self-centered life is set aside, and a new
life of trust in God begins. Although Disciples practice baptism by immersion, other
baptism traditions are honored.
Belief in the oneness of the church. All Christians are called to be one in Christ and
to seek opportunities for common witness and service.
The ministry of believers. Both ministers and lay persons lead in worship, service
and spiritual growth.
Baptism
Baptism in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) takes water -- plenty of water. Disciples
practice "baptism by immersion" because it mirrors New Testament practice. In addition,
Disciples see the use of the specific form of baptism, immersion, as powerfully symbolic. It
recalls Jesus' own baptism; it acts out dying with Christ and emerging to new life; it is a "putting
on" of Christ. The person being baptized experiences the firm support of the community -- of the
Body of Christ -- in the arms and hands of the minister, feels the plunge of commitment, and
bursts into new life with the sound and feel of rushing water. At the conclusion of a Disciples
baptism, the congregation most often is asked to pledge support of the newly-baptized person
in her or his faith journey.
Disciples typically are baptized when they can express as a personal choice their desire to
become part of the Body of Christ. Disciples call the practice "believer's baptism." As the
believer is immersed, she is baptized in the name of the Trinity. It is customary for the minister
to use the words "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."
Infant dedication is a common Disciples tradition. A baby is brought into the environment of a
loving church where parents and congregation pledge themselves to nurture the child in the
love of Christ. An infant so dedicated "confirms" that dedication with a faith-response usually
during the early teenage years, about the same time when many Disciples are baptized.
Most Disciples today recognize other forms of baptism as valid. A person baptized in another
Christian tradition wishing to join a Disciples congregation is simply asked: "Do you believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and proclaim him Lord and Savior of your
life?" The person who answers, "I do," is welcomed into the congregation.
Communion
"At the table of the Lord we celebrate with thanksgiving the saving acts and presence of Christ"
-- From the Preamble of the Design for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
Sharing in the Lord's Supper is at the heart of what members of the Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ) do when they gather for worship. Generally each week there will be the
singing of hymns, prayers, the reading of scripture, and a sermon. But without the Lord's
Supper (or communion, as it is often called), worship would be incomplete. A marked
characteristic of Disciples is an emphasis upon the importance of the Lord's Supper as a
basic part of weekly worship.
The early leaders of the Disciples movement sought to cut through the many layers of tradition
which separated various church bodies from one another by recovering the essential faith and
practices of the early church as seen in the New Testament.
In regard to the Lord's Supper, two scripture passages caught their attention. In Acts 2:42,
following the account of the birth of the church at Pentecost, the writer says that "they devoted
themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers."
The "apostles' teaching" was regarded as being the equivalent of a sermon from scripture and
"the breaking of bread" as an expression for sharing in the Lord's Supper. In Acts 20:7 the
writer was regarded as referring to the custom of gathering each Sunday for the Lord's Supper
when commenting, "On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break
bread, Paul talked with them...."
Modern-day Disciples, though less interested in arguing from proof-texts, still call attention to
the earliest recorded traditions of the church which clearly indicate that the sermon and the
Lord's Supper were integral to Sunday worship.
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| Chalice Christian Church Disciples of Christ |
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