Central Christian Church of New Albany, Indiana, is one of nearly 4000 congregations of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) which was the first Protestant denomination founded on American soil. The denomination grew out of two movements that sprang up almost simultaneously in the early 1800s. Thomas and Alexander Campbell, a Scottish Presbyterian father and son in Pennsylvania, rebelled against the dogmatic sectarianism that kept members of different denominations and even factions within the same denomination from taking the Lord's Supper together. Barton W. Stone in Kentucky, also a Presbyterian, objected to the use of creeds as tests of "rightness" of belief, feeling that such statements dealt with nonessentials and were a cause of disunity. The two movements merged in 1832 hoping to restore Christian unity by returning to simple New Testament practices.

Although we honor no human-made creed, the preamble to The Design for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) expresses our shared affirmiations this way:

As members of the Christian Church, we confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and proclaim him Lord and Savior of the world. In Christ's name and by his grace we accept our mission of witness and service to all people. We rejoice in God, maker of heaven and earth, and in the covenant of love which binds us to God and to one another. Through baptism into Christ we enter into newness of life and are made one with the whole people of God. In the communion of the Holy Spirit we are joined together in discipleship and in obedience to Christ. At the table of the Lord we celebrate with thanksgiving the saving acts and presence of Christ. Within the universal church we receive the gift of ministry and the light of scripture. In the body of Christian faith we yield ourselves to God that we may serve the One whose kingdom has no end. Blessing, glory and honor be to God forever. Amen.

The two most important sacraments we celebrate are baptism and the Lord's Supper. Baptism "in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit" is the means of initiation into church life following public confession of "Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, and Lord and Savior of my life." We practice immersion, mirroring New Testament practice and rich with symbolism: it is dying with Christ and rebirth to new life; it is a putting on of Christ; it is a recollection and imitation of Jesus' own baptism; it is an obedient response to the Lord's command; Persons who have previously been baptized in other Christian traditions and who wish to join our congregation need only to affirm their faith in Christ and need not be rebaptized.

Weekly celebration of the Lord's Supper allows us to testify to and discover our unity in Christ and with all of Christ's followers. The bread and the cup are elements of the "new covenant" established in Jesus declaring God's love to the whole of creation. Gathering around the Table is a time when we remember and celebrate the death of Jesus "for our sakes"; it is a time for self-examination and confession of sin, and renewal of personal commitment to Christ; it is an encounter with the living presence of Christ in partaking of his body broken, his blood poured out in forgiveness of sins. Christians of any persuasion are free to share in the Lord's Supper.

As Disciples we are each called to share in the ministry given by God to the church for the salvation of the world. The gift of ministry in the Disciples church is entrusted to the entire people of God in Christ as affirmed by the slogan, "The priesthood of all believers." Therefore, the shared ministry of laity and clergy together, particularly in presiding at the Lord's Table, has provided a unique witness to the wider church and has contributed to our mission of bringing the gospel message to bear upon the life of the world, especially in the elimination of all injustice, discrimination, and poverty.

- Shari Bennett

For more information about the Disciple's of Christ Tradition, check out this link!