We Are a Pro-Reconciling /Anti-Racist Movement

One of the Four Priorities of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

The Pro-reconciliation/Anti-Racism Initiative was founded upon the need to make visible God’s beloved community. It invites the church to listen to the once silenced voices of its racial/ethnic communities, learn from their wisdom and gain insight from their leadership. It calls the church to discernment and prayer, study of the scriptures and reflection, dialogue and table fellowship. The true goal is to transform, strengthen and deepen the church’s spirituality, resulting in a community that understands its mission to be about bringing justice and salvation to the world.

          We Welcome All to the Table of the Lord

We Practice Unity and Inclusion at the Lord’s Table

All are welcome to the Lord’s Table for the sake of mission and for the sake of the world as the one family of God. Most congregations do this by celebrating communion every Sunday. That’s why we use a chalice as our logo.

We Share in Ministry Together

By virtue of baptism in the church, every Christian enters into the corporate ministry of God’s people. Within the corporate ministry, each Christian fulfills her or his own calling as a servant of Christ sent into the world to minister. The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) shall seek to provide all of its members with opportunities to exercise this ministry. From The Design of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

We Answer God’s Call for Justice

We move to answer God’s call for justice particularly in the areas of care for the earth, the challenges for women and children, poverty and hunger and immigration. We seek to do this work in cooperation with other people of faith. Some say we “get dirty for Jesus” as a way of conveying the hands-on mission orientation of many of our faith communities.

We Study Scripture for Ourselves

We are called to study and read scripture for ourselves. Rather than having tests of faith or creeds, we critically and thoughtfully study scripture, taking into account the history and background – the context – in which it was written.

We Are a Re-Formation Movement

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) grew out of two movements seeking Christian unity that sprang up almost simultaneously in western Pennsylvania and Kentucky – movements that were backlashes against the rigid denominationalism of the early 1800s. We are an American born movement for unity and wholeness, reforming the body of Christ by bringing healing, hope, compassion and justice to a world fragmented by hate, violence, war, greed, poverty and oppression.