Monday 29 October 2018

The History Behind Church Of Christ Services Waco

By Patrick Allen


When looking for a place of worship in a local area or while away from home, it can often be difficult to find one at which a visitor feels comfortable and welcome. Although, there are more options in some areas than others. For example, there are a number of Church of Christ services Waco, Texas as well as other denominations.

The Church of Christ, one of the first congregations of the restoration movement, is also one of the earliest denominations in the United States. For, James O'Kelly withdrew from the Episcopal Methodist congregations of Baltimore in 1793, which was established at the same time as the Episcopal church in Williamsburg, VA.

The reason behind the withdrawal, to build a place of worship which would preach and teach only from the Bible, eliminating the use of additional texts. In most areas, the early history of the Church of Christ goes back to the time of the Disciples of Christ. One of the earliest religious movements in the United States which took place in the early 19th century.

Most records show, that initially there were more than six thousand members whom withdrew from the original place of worship. After which, these individuals along with religious leaders set up a more pure form of Christianity, based solely on New Testament teachings. Later, the Baptist congregation of New England followed suit when Elias Smith and Abner Jones started a similar movement.

During this time, many congregational leaders were concerned about alternative creeds and denominational names which had occurred in earlier the movement. As such, the Baptists followed suit by viewing the Bible as the only true creed and word of God. In addition, the Baptists were also one of the first to view all believers as simply as Christians.

As the movement grew, the Presbyterians followed suit in teaching and preaching solely from the Bible. After which, Thomas and Alexander Campbell were the last to make such changes. Leaders and members of the Disciples of Christ, the two were in agreement with many others with regards to preaching and teaching only from the New Testament.

The four movements eventually became a strong force in the restoration movement. It should be noted that none of those involved advocated for a new branch of Christianity. Rather, to a return to the original primitive place of worship as described in the Bible.

While the Church of Christ, Baptists, Methodists and Presbyterians share the same basic belief system, there are varying views among members. In some cases, there are branches of Baptists and Church of Christ which are happy to welcome LGBTQ+ individuals to services. In most cases, individuals can call the home office with any questions as to whether these individuals are welcome and what services might be provided such as Baptisms and same-sex weddings and receptions.

At the same time, there are far more whom still hold onto Old Testament laws even though the premise in the beginning was to preach and teach solely from the New Testament. As such, when planning on attending any place of worship, these individuals may want to inquire in advance as to whether nor the location has a welcoming congregation or holds true to Old Testament laws.




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