&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Question_book-new.svg){kind=small} | This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2024) |
| Churches of Christ (non-institutional) | |
|---|---|
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Building_of_the_church_of_Christ_at_6111_Indiana_Ave.,_Lubbock,_Texas.png) A (non-institutional) church of Christ building in Lubbock, Texas | |
| Classification | Protestant[1][2] |
| Orientation | Restorationist |
| Polity | Congregationalist |
| Separations |
|
| Congregations | 2,757 (2020)[3] |
| Members | 113,656 (2009) |
The label "non-institutional" refers to a distinct fellowship within the Churches of Christ who do not agree with the support of parachurch organizations (colleges, orphans' homes, organized mission efforts, etc.) by local congregations. They contend that the New Testament includes no authority for churches' support of such institutions. Instead they feel that it is a responsibility and duty of the individual members to assist those in need. Similarly, most non-institutional congregations also oppose the use of church facilities for non-church activities (such as fellowship dinners or recreation); as such, they oppose the construction of "fellowship halls", gymnasiums, and similar structures. The belief is that, although such activities may be beneficial, they are not a proper function of a local congregation.
These local churches became separated from "mainline" (pro-institutional) churches of Christ because of these viewpoints, developing into a distinct segment of congregations by the 1960s. Whether a congregation supports the "sponsoring church" custom is one way to distinguish between the "non-institutional" and "mainstream" congregations. The congregations that advocate financial support or the pooling of resources for the benefit of other entities or organized external evangelical efforts are sometimes called "sponsoring churches" and identified as "mainstream."
- ^ "Churches of Christ (1906 - Present) - Religious Group". www.thearda.com. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
- ^ “Though some in the Movement have been reluctant to label themselves Protestants, the Stone-Campbell Movement is in the direct lineage of the Protestant Reformation. Especially shaped by Reformed theology through its Presbyterian roots, the Movement also shares historical and theological traits with Anglican and Anabaptist forebears." Douglas Allen Foster and Anthony L. Dunnavant, "Protestant Reformation", in The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement: Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Christian Churches/Churches of Christ, Churches of Christ, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2004, ISBN 0-8028-3898-7, ISBN 978-0-8028-3898-8
- ^ "Churches of Christ Online". The Good Fight. Retrieved March 20, 2020.