HOW MANY MEMBERS?
Worldwide there are some 20,000 congregations of churches of Christ with a total of 2-1/2 to 3 million individual members.  There are small congregations, consisting of just a few members -- and large ones made up of several thousand members.

PEOPLE OF RESTORATION SPIRIT
Members of churches of Christ are a people of restoration spirit -- wanting to restore in our time the original New Testament church.  Dr. Hans Kung, a well-known European theologian, published a book a few years ago entitle The Church.  Dr. Kung lamented the fact that the established church has lost its way; has become burdened down with tradition; has failed to be what Christ planned it should be.

The only answer, according to Dr. Kung, is to go back to the scriptures to see what the church was in its beginning, and then to recover in the twentieth century the essence of the original church.  This is what churches of Christ are seeking to do.

In the latter part of the 18th century, men of different denominations, studying independently of each other, in various parts of the world, began to ask:

--Why not go back beyond denominationalism to the simplicity and purity of the first-century church?
--Why not take the Bible alone and once again continue "steadfastly in the apostles' teaching..." (Acts 2:42)?
--Why not plant the same seed (the Word of God, Luke 8:11), that first century Christians planted, and be Christians only, as they were?

They were pleading with everyone to throw off denominationalism, to throw away human creeds, and to follow only the Bible.

They taught that nothing should be required of people as acts of faith except that which is evident in the scriptures.  They emphasized that going back to the Bible does not mean the establishment of another denomination, but rather a return to the original church.

Members of churches of Christ are enthusiastic about this approach.  With the Bible as our only guide we seek to find what the original church was like and restore it exactly.

We do not see this as arrogance, but the very opposite.  We are saying that we do not have the right to ask for men's allegiance to a human organization -- but only the right to call upon men to follow God's blueprint.

Churches of Christ...

Who Are These People?

You have probably heard of churches of Christ.  And perhaps you've asked, "Who are these people?  What--if anything--distinguishes them from the hundreds of other churches in the world?

You may have wondered...
"What is their historical background?"
"How many members do they have?"
"What is their message?"
"How are they governed?"
"How do they worship?"
"What do they believe about the Bible?"

EACH CONGREGATION IS SELF-GOVERNED
Churches of Christ have none of the trappings of modern-day organizational bureaucracy.  There are no governing boards -- neither district, regional, national nor international -- no earthly headquarters and no man-designed organization.

Each congregation is autonomous (self-ruled) and is independent of every other congregation.  The only tie which binds the many congregations together is a common allegiance to Christ and the Bible.

There are no conventions, annual meetings, nor official publications.  Congregations do cooperate in supporting children's homes, homes for the elderly, mission work, etc.  However, participation is strictly voluntary on the part of each congregation and no person nor group issues policies or makes decisions for other congregations.

Each congregation is governed locally by a plurality of elders selected from among the members.  These are men who meet the specific qualifications for this office given in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.

There are also deacons in each congregation.  These must meet the biblical qualifications of 1 Timothy 3.

NOT A DENOMINATION
For this reason, we are not interested in man-made creeds, but simply in the New Testament pattern.  We do not conceive of ourselves as being a denomination -- nor as Catholic, Protestant, or Jewish -- but simply as members of the church which Jesus established and for which he died.