INDEPENDENT CHRISTIAN
CHURCHES HISTORY
Christian Churches / Churches of Christ
Commonly known as the Restoration Movement
Hope International University's rich legacy of ministry and Restoration Movement roots were highlighted in a 3-minute video featuring HIU president Paul Alexander and present and former professors—K. C. Richardson, David Matson, and Joe Grana—quickly summarizes the foundational ideas and objectives of the Restoration Movement. Please take a quick look...
PIONEERING SPIRIT
The Restoration Movement was born on the frontier of America in the early 19th century. From its inception, it has had a fearless pioneering spirit. Some of today’s greatest church planting organizations and events have roots in the Independent
Christian Churches.
Early leaders of the Restoration Movement (clockwise, from top): Thomas Campbell, Barton W. Stone, Alexander Campbell, and Walter Scott
LACK OF PRETENSE
Because of the nature of
their beginnings, the Restoration Movements/Christian Churches.”
are traditionally simple and
not overly bound by extraneous traditions. The movement was formed to strip the local church of what was unnecessary and return it to its Acts 2 roots. No church leaders “keep it real” better than Restoration Movements/Christian Churches.”
Monksthorpe church of Christ meeting house. In 1701 it was one of the very first churches built specifically by a Restorationist congregation.
PRAGMATIC FAITH
An effective church has both
a commitment to God’s Word, and awareness of the practical realities of our world. No group of churches does a better job of balancing these than the ICC’s. They are quick to adapt strategies to be more effective without compromising their commitment to scripture.
Written in 1809, the Declaration and Address of the Christian Association is one of the founding documents that sketched out the vision for a restoration of the New Testament church.
EVANGELICAL HEART
The phrase “more and better”
best describes our efforts to
help churches increase their Kingdom impact. We want both: more and better disciples! This commitment to growth definitely comes from our roots in the Independent Christian Church.
The Cane Ridge Revival resulted in one of the largest and longest lasting Christian revivals in American history. From here the Restoration Movement gained popularity.
CHRISTIAN ONLY
Christians only, not the
only Christians. If we are going
to impact the world for Christ, we must do more to link arms
as church leaders in new and exciting ways. This makes us well suited to cross uncrossable boundaries and unify Christ-followers .
Before there were Independent Christian Churches, the Restorationists were Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians - all meeting together under the name: "Christian".
SCRIPTURE FIRST
The Restorationist
Movement taught us to
begin with scripture. Man-made doctrines and creeds are fine
for edifying the believer, but nothing but the Bible alone
is worth building a church on. Everything you need to
reach and grow people for
Christ is found there. We just need a great plan to unleash the inherent power of the Gospel.
The foundational concept of the Restoration Movement is simply that no creeds or doctrine should lead us to divide churches from one another.
SIMPLE VISION
In this digital age of information overload, its easy to over-complicate our church leadership strategies. Let’s get the big stuff right! Our focus is on preaching and worship, building eternal relationships, and sending people into the world to impact others in the name of Christ. Stripping away complexity is a conviction we embrace as an Independent
Christian Church.
Barton Stone & Alexander Campbell, two very different leaders with two very different ideas for a restored church collaborate on a simple premise: the Bible and the Bible alone to build a church on,