The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) will open their General Assembly on Saturday in Portland. The Disciples, as they are known, make up a progressive Christian denomination with historic roots in America.
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) was born on the American frontier in the early 1800s as a movement opposing the rigid denominationalism imported from Europe and seeking Christian unity on a simple New Testament basis. Its founders were Thomas and Alexander Campbell in western Pennsylvania and Virginia, and Barton W. Stone in Kentucky. The basic principle was a fellowship built around the Lord’s Table and tolerance of widely divergent viewpoints concerning “non-essentials.” Counting the Churches of Christ and the so-called independent Christian Churches which gradually separated from the Disciples, the Stone- Campbell development represents an indigenous American religious movement second only to the Mormons in size. Both Campbell and Stone had been Presbyterians.
The United Church of Christ and the Disciples have a special ecumenical relationship in which our clergy can have standing in both denominations and we conduct our global mission projects jointly.
The General Assembly of the Disciples of Christ will bring thousands to Portland and will consider many important issues.
The representative body of the church meets biennially and may involve 5,000-7,000 persons, about half of them official voters from congregations and regions. All persons who register have the right to speak. The voters include all ministers, two lay persons from each congregation (more from a few larger congregations), some 260 regional representatives and the church’s General Board. The General Board is a 123 voting-member-body with 51 ex officio non-voting members that meets annually. A 40 member Administrative Committee meets twice annually.
You can read the different resolutions that will considered by clicking here.
The Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, will be one of the main speaks at the event.
Disciples clergy will also be preaching at many area churches on Sunday. Two churches worth visiting: First United Methodist Church (1838 SW Jefferson Street) at 10:30 am and First Congregational United Church of Christ (1126 SW Park Ave) at 10:25 am. Both these congregations will host visiting Disciples clergy.
