Welcome to Churches-of-Christ.com
You will find no physical headquarters for the churches of Christ. The Bible is the foundation for the church.
Our goal here is not to dictate, but to provide a place where people can come together to find more general answers.
[This text might be condensed to better provide an introduction to the Churches of Christ. Other pages within the Site should explain the Churches of Christ in detail, such as history, organization (elders, etc.), theology, practices and beliefs, etc.]
The Churches of Christ trace their roots to the New Testament church, and strive to replicate the ancient model in the modern world. Essentially, much of Christendom follows creeds and traditions that have limited or no scriptural basis and as a result simply contribute to religious confusion and multitudes of denominations. The Churches of Christ believe that there is but one true Church, and that of Christ, created on Pentecost, and further that denominations are works of men.
The Churches of Christ strive to "Do Bible things in Bible ways," and to "Speak where the Bible speaks, and to be silent where the bible is silent." These, and several other phrases, have historically been used to explain the difference between the Churches of Christ and the denominational world.
Historically, this concept dates to the middle ages, and some of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation. Sometimes it's called "sola scriptura" or, the sufficiency of scripture alone, as the guide and measure for Christian living and the organization of the church. Churches of Christ use several principles of hermeneutics (the interpretation of Scripture). The first is Command, the second Example, the third Necessary Inference. A fourth principle, which creates the most conflict, is the principle of silence.
"Command" are direct commands within Scripture, which are instructions on some activity or practice. (The "dispensation" principle used by many mainstream churches affects this: Clearly, the command to build an ark was directly given solely to Noah, not all of Christendom.)
"Example" is sometimes spoken as "an approved Apostolic example," and includes things that were specifically done by the Apostles or the New Testament church; or were specifically condemned in the epistles and the Acts of the Apostles. (Negative example.)
"Necessary Inference" describes how some activity is considered approved because it is part of something that is already approved by example or command. All things necessary in order to carry out a clear command would also be authorized. (Some examples include radio and television broadcasts and printing of tracts and magazines for evangelism, fulfilling the Great Commission.)
The "principle of silence" marks the difference between various sectors of the Churches of Christ, because how one applies Scripture's silence on a subject determines one's position on permission or rejection. Basically, there are some things (such as orphanages, the use of many cups in communion, and church buildings) which are not mentioned in any way in Scripture. The most conservative Churches of Christ believe that the silence of scripture means that these are to be rejected. However, many of these items are considered by some to fall under "necessary inference" in that although they are not mentioned they are expeditious and contribute to or enhance the ability of the church to fulfill its mission, and do not fall under God's condemnation. Some churches, however, do take a permissive view, believing (as did Thomas Campbell in Declaration and Address in 1809) that the silence of scripture means God does not condemn the subject.
Naturally, there are many disagreements regarding which issue falls under what principle of hermeneutic. For example, the most conservative reject the idea of congregationally-owned houses of worship (church buildings). When the Bible does not specifically or indirectly authorize a practice, it is considered unauthorized. As the Bible is the authority on all things. One should not presume to authorize what God has not. However, most understand the commands to assemble together for worship and edification as inferring a location, and owning a building satisfies this need. Similarly, using a microphone and a public address (speaker) system to make sure the congregation can hear the sermon also is not described in the Bible, yet it answers the need to preach the Good News.
Statistics
In 1999, there were about 15,000 individual congregations of the Churches of Christ, with about 2,593,000 adult members in 2001. This ranks the Churches at 11 on the list of Christian religious affiliations. To confused things, there are other religious bodies worldwide with similar names, but no affiliation, such as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons); the United Church of Christ; Church of Christ, Scientist; and Church of Christ, Instrumental. None of these are closely related to those for whom this Wiki applies.
[add pages on history, etc. This page should be limited to a brief overview of the Churches of Christ and disambiguation]