First Christian Church of Medina, Ohio

Disciples History

Barton W. Stone

Of strategic importance is the work and life of Barton W. Stone (1772-1844). A Presbyterian minister in the young state of Kentucky, he was concerned about the apathy of most people toward religion. Stone was educated as a school teacher and served a church in Cane Ridge Kentucky. After hosting the historic Cane Ridge Revival of 1801, one of the largest revivals of all time with 35,000 people attending (Cane Ridge Meeting House and Shrine), he and several others formed the Springfield Presbytery denouncing all human creeds and appealing to the Bible as the only rule of faith and practice.

They soon dissolved the Springfield Presbytery, and published the Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery, one of the documents the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) considers key in its development. In this document, they proclaimed the right of each individual Christian to read and interpret the Bible for himself or herself. It affirms that each local church is part of the “body of Christ” as well as expressing a strong desire for Christian union. They dissolved their denominational ties to enter into unity with "the body of Christ at large." They called themselves, simply, Christians.

Thus began the Christian Church movement in the West. Barton Stone became the leader of this movement as it slowly spread and soon contact was made with the East. Stone worked as a preacher, farmer, and teacher, and published his own magazine, The Christian Messenger. Many of those who agreed with him and shared his vision were also farmers and small business owners.

Thomas Campbell

Thomas Campbell was born in County Down, Ireland, February 1, 1763. He died in Bethany, Virginia (now West Virginia), January 4, 1854. He came to America from Scotland in 1807.  He was chastised by Pennsylvania church authorities for refusing to use Presbyterian creeds as terms of communion. In 1808 he and others founded the Christian Association of Washington, Pennsylvania. That group adopted the motto, well-known by Disciples, "Where the scriptures speak, we speak; where the Scriptures are silent, we are silent." 

Campbell and others were called "Reformers," for their desire to restore the Church's first century roots. This way of life came to be known as the "Restoration Movement." 

Near Washington, Pennsylvania, Campbell and his son, Alexander, and the Christian Association established the Brush Run Church, which, in 1815, became part of a nearby Baptist Association. 

Reformers and the Baptists differed on key issues.  By 1830, the Reformers cut their last ties with the Baptist Association and became known as Disciples.

Thomas Campbell's passion for Christian unity is summed up in his proclamation that :   "The church of Christ upon earth is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one." This statement is the first and key proposition of Thomas Campbell's Declaration and Address, a work called by some the "Magna Charta" of the movement that preceded the denomination known as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Alexander Campbell

Alexander Campbell was born September 12, 1788 in the County of Antrim, Ireland. He was raised as a Presbyterian. He attended the University of Glasgow, Scotland.

In 1809, Alexander arrived in America from Scotland, and joined his father, Thomas, in western Pennsylvania.  He carefully read and fully endorsed the principles of Thomas' Declaration and Address.  Biographer Nathaniel Haynes says that Thomas and Alexander Campbell were "one in their aims, spirit and work."

The younger Campbell was a prolific writer.  In 1823, he founded the periodical The Christian Baptist.  After the Reformers dissolved ties with the Baptists, Campbell founded a new publication called The Millennial Harbinger.  He was a talented debater, and in 1829 drew attention to the Restoration Movement in a widely known debate with social reformer Robert Owen. In 1837, he engaged the Roman Catholic John B. Purcell, archbishop of Cincinnati, in a widely publicized eight day debate on the traditions and beliefs of the Catholic Church. 

His public speaking skills, writing, and articulation of the place of reason (but not pure rationalism) in Christian faith propelled him into the leadership of the "Disciples of Christ."

A dedicated scholar and educator, Alexander Campbell founded Bethany College, Bethany, Virginia (now West Virginia) in 1840 and served as the school's first president.

The Early Pioneer Spirit

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) was founded in the early 1800’s in the United States.  Seeking to move beyond denominational disagreements, the founders envisioned only one Christian Church, modeled on the New Testament. The pioneer image comes close to describing our forebears of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). These were people who differed from many around them. They tended to move west as the United States opened up to pioneers. They rejected “Old World” church structures, creeds, and practices, and they adopted freer styles of life and religion.

The kind of religious ideas embraced by Thomas and Alexander Campbell and Barton W. Stone would not have been possible anywhere except in a new world where there were no precedents, no “good old days” to imitate. The frontier exalted individual liberty. People were free to follow the guidance of their own consciences and to interpret the Bible for themselves.

In early years of the Disciples/Christian movements, both groups had considerable contacts with Baptists, and, at points in their existence, shared some common ministries. Alexander Campbell became convinced that baptism was meant for those old enough to be “believers,” and should be administered by immersion. His father did not accept this position so readily, but did finally submit to immersion himself. This practice brought the Brush Run Church closer to the Baptists, so the Disciples joined the Redstone Baptist Association in 1813. It was an uneasy alliance, ending in 1830 when the Brush Run members desired more freedom than did their partners.

In the Kentucky region, a colorful New Testament Baptist preacher named “Raccoon” John Smith became a vigorous evangelistic preacher for the Disciples after hearing one of Alexander Campbell’s debates. His frontier ministry in Kentucky parallels the presidency of Andrew Jackson, who served from 1829 to 1837. Like “Old Hickory” in the White House, “Raccoon” John Smith represented the simple, rugged, frontier characteristics that were so popular.

The church grew rapidly across the American frontier, in part because it shared many values of the early settlers.

Some Key Dates in the Church's Development:

1832:  The "Christians" and the "Disciples of Christ" agreed on basic beliefs and aims and united with a formal handshake in Lexington, Kentucky, and created a new Christian movement on the American frontier.

1832-1968:  The "Christians" and the "Disciples of Christ" functioned and grew as a "movement," often referred to as the "Stone-Campbell movement." During this period, Disciples often described the relationship of the Christians and the Disciples of Christ as a "brotherhood." In 1960, the Commission on Brotherhood Restructure started the task of designing a new form of organization. Throughout the 20th century, American Asian, Hispanic and African American Disciples congregations multiplied.  

1968:  A representative assembly meeting in Kansas City overwhelmingly approved the Provisional Design for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Church historian D. Duane Cummins writes: "Approval of the Provisional Design marked the passage of the Disciples into denominational maturity. Officially named the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), they became a church."

Last modified: 10/10/06

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