In any Christian movement there is diversity in belief and practice. There are also many features of each family that are shared by the whole church of Jesus Christ. What follows is an attempt to create an overall but simple picture of who Churches of Christ are and so it needs to be read as a whole. It also needs to be read in the context that no attempt is being made to separate this family from the universal Church but rather to describe our place within the whole Church.
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So what are the marks of Churches of Christ?
It is possible to choose ten major characteristics:
- A concern for Christian Unity
- A commitment to Evangelism and Mission
- An emphasis on the centrality of the New Testament
- A simple Confession of Faith
- Believers’ Baptism
- Weekly Communion
- A Biblical Name
- Congregational autonomy
- Lay Leadership
- Diversity/Freedom/Liberty