Who are we - the people who gather at 8641 Downsville Pike? Well, we’re Christians certainly, but why here? Why this place- this corner of Christianity? Let me give you a short history lesson and a short theology lesson in answer to these questions.
We are the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Downsville, Maryland. In 1836 Christian evangelists began preaching in this area. We’ve been an established congregation here in Downsville since 1844 and we’ve been at 8641 Downsville Pike since 1953. We were on the square in Downsville before that. That’s what we are - not who we are.
The who is that we are Christians, and we are Disciples of Christ - the non-denomination of the 19th century - the Brotherhood - if, for a moment, you will. We are the people of Alexander Campbell and Barton Stone. We are the people who acknowledge no creed, but Christ and continue to believe to this day, as Campbell said, “The Church of Christ upon earth is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one; consisting of all those in every place that profess their faith in Christ.”
Alexander Campbell grew up and was educated in Scotland. He and his father Thomas were Presbyterians who never understood, much less condoned, the practice of splitting a congregation along very thin theological lines. After a split in 1806 Thomas found himself to be a minister of the Old Light Anti-Burgher Seceder Presbyterian Church - as opposed to the New Light Anti-Burgher Seceder Presbyterian Church - as opposed to the Anti-Burgher Seceder Presbyterian Church. It really was that confusing.
One Sunday at worship he was given a token which, when presented at the communion table, entitled him to take communion. The token meant that the presbytery had authorized him - and all with tokens - to receive communion. Alexander refused communion that day saying that if all were not welcome, he was not welcome.
He believed as we do today, that no believer - no believer - can be turned away from the table of the Lord because it is the table of the Lord. We are merely invited guests as the Lord is the host.
Alexander came to affirm believer’s baptism rather than infant baptism. He believed, as we do today, that each of us is responsible to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and that no one can or should make that decision for us.
The Campbells broke with the Presbyterians and also the Baptists before finding themselves a part of the movement they called The Disciples of Christ. The Disciples of Christ desired to restore the New Testament Church to it’s beginnings. Hence the belief that, “Where the Bible speaks, we speak. Where the Bible is silent, we are silent.”
Barton Stone was born in Maryland, was educated in North Carolina, and became a Presbyterian preacher. He was looking for a place to plant a church in Kentucky in the 1790s. Daniel Boone recommended a cane break ridge near Lexington. The church became the Cane Ridge Church and it hosted the largest frontier revival meeting in American history in August of 1800. But Barton had a streak of independence like Alexander did and he and some friends broke with the Presbyterians in 1804 and formed a movement dedicated to Christian unity which they called simply Christians.
To make a long story short. Barton Stone shook hands with one of Alexander Campbell’s representatives in Lexington, Kentucky in 1832 and joined the Christians and the Disciples of Christ in one brotherhood. The movement was called the Brotherhood even into the second half of the 20th century because the desire for the union of all Christians was seen as a movement rather than a denomination. Since 1968 we have realized that union or not the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a denomination.
Because we are so accepting when it comes to theology we have been branded as a denomination which doesn’t believe much of anything. WRONG!
What we believe is truly at the core of Christianity. We believe that to be a Christian, a believer in Jesus Christ, you need only confess Jesus Christ as the Son of the Living God and accept him as your personal Lord and Savior. The belief in Christ as Lord and Savior is a recognition and belief in his life, death, and resurrection.
We affirm believers baptism. We think you should know what you are doing as you are baptised. This comes from our Enlightenment roots - care of Alexander Campbell. We baptise by immersion because we read that as the proper way in the New Testament.
We believe that the Lord’s Supper - communion - the eucharist - should be celebrated each week and during every worship service AND that all believers in Jesus Christ are welcome at the table. (It has been said that where two or three Disciples are gathered there will be communion).
And that, my friend is all we can say we believe together. We might believe that Mary was a virgin when she birth’d Jesus....we might not. We might believe that Jonah lived in a fish for three days....or not. We might believe Adam and Eve are everyones ancestors...or not! That is because those things and others don’t matter in the huge scheme of believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God.
This congregation is steeped in Discipleship. As a Disciples of Christ congregation we call our ministers ourselves, we govern the local church ourselves, and the congregation owns our buildings and land. We support Disciples Mission Fund which funds our missions at home and globally. We send our youth to Camp. We support the Christian Church Capital Area.
We are fundamentally Disciple. And what is fundamental? Our belief that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
Yet not everyone can be a Disciple. It’s hard work. You have to think for yourself - no one will tell you what to think - if they insist on telling you, you are not obliged to listen. We have a tradition of inclusion which makes any Christian exclusion painfully embarrassing. We have a tradition which sees education as one of the highest human goals. We have a tradtion which both allows and demands that we take an active part in the life of the congregation. AND, unfortunately, we have a tradition of fighting amongst ourselves - which should not be surprising considering we are such free thinkers. Yet if gold is not refined by fire, it is useless.
In 1968 the Christian Church restructured itself. Area Secretaries became Regional Ministers, we began to do mission more ecumenically. We wrote a document called a design rather than a constitution so we could RE-design if need be. The preamble to that design explains us very well. It’s offered below.
I am a Disciple. Members of this congregation are Disciples. We are Disciples because we understand the call of Jesus Christ differently than many of our Christian friends, yet we understand that all of us - differences and likenesses - are followers of Jesus Christ.
Our uniqueness doesn’t make us special. It simply allows us to worship, teach, learn, and go into the world without the many encumbrances which excessive dogma makes necessary. Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God? Then come join us!