First Christian Church of Warner Robins
(Disciples of Christ)

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WHO ARE THE DISCIPLES?

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a community of about 850,000 Christians in 3,800 congregations in the United States and Canada.  Two groups of frontier Christians came together in 1832 to form the foundation of today's Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). They shared the view that people should not be excluded from fellowship in the church because they didn't adhere to a particular human-made creed.  They used to say there is "no creed but Christ." Today's Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) still thinks that way. We study the Bible to deepen our connection to God through Jesus Christ, and to discover what God wants us to do.  

We believe that God is calling the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of the 21st century to be a faithful, growing church that demonstrates true community, deep Christian spirituality and a passion for justice. Our mission is to be and to share the good news of Jesus Christ, witnessing, serving and loving from our doorsteps to the ends of the earth.  We are devoted to strengthening our congregations for this mission.  

Many Disciples have conservative views.  Many others have liberal views.  But we share the belief that we are united in our faith that "Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, the Savior of the World."

Two really important things to Disciples are communion and baptism.  We celebrate communion, or the Lord's Supper, each time we get together to praise God.  The communion table is open to all believers. We like it when there are a lot of different people at communion. We believe that Christ heals the pain of human separation around the communion table. 

People who become Christians in a Disciples congregation do a couple of things.  First, they say "I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and I accept him as my personal Savior."  Then, usually on another day, they are baptized - that is, they are lowered fully under water (we call that baptism by "full immersion") in a small pool right in the church.  When they come up they are new people in Christ and their congregation pledges to support them and help them grow into a deeper relationship with God through Jesus Christ. People who have been baptized in another way in another Christian tradition are welcome. They don't have to be immersed to get in. 

Disciples' congregations own their own property and have full control of their budgets and program. They decide whom to call as a pastor.  Pastors may be men or women. 

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) does a lot to help people in need in North America and around the world.  It also is very active in developing relationships and ministries that try to bring together Christians from a variety of traditions.  

Disciples helped organize the National and World Councils of Churches. The denomination also contributed the first lay president of the National Council (1960-63) -- Indiana industrialist J. Irwin Miller.

The Rev. Paul A. Crow Jr., retired president of the Council on Christian Unity, was first general secretary of the Consultation on Church Union, which is striving for visible unity among nine U.S. churches. The Disciples are the fifth church body to approve the covenanting plan which stresses shared worship life, mutual recognition of ministers, and shared evangelism and justice ministries.

In 1985, the Disciples and another COCU church, the United Church of Christ, entered into an "ecumenical partnership" involving joint mission, the "reconciliation" or reuniting of ordained ministries, and shared worship.

In our quest to embody Christian unity, led and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we believe God calls us:

OUR VISION

To be a faithful, growing church, that demonstrates true community, deep Christian spirituality and a passion for justice. (Micah 6:8)

OUR MISSION

To be and to share the Good News of Jesus Christ, witnessing, loving and serving from our doorsteps "to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

OUR IMPERATIVE
To strengthen congregational life for this mission. (Ephesians 4:11-13, 15-16)

To accomplish this, we shall:

• Become the Good News:

*Nurturing faith
*Practicing and teaching the spiritual disciplines
*Fostering Disciples identity
*Renewing congregational life
*Developing leaders

• Share the Good News:

*Emphasizing ministry with children, youth, young adults and families
*Doing evangelism
*Establishing new congregations
*Creating ministries with older adults

• Serve from "our doorsteps to the ends of the earth":

*Engaging in ministries of reconciliation, compassion, unity and justice.

OUR COVENANT
In accepting our Vision, Mission and Imperative, we affirm our need to: be an anti-racist/pro-reconciliation church, strengthen relationships among all manifestations of the church, share mutually and more fully the stewardship of God's gifts of our life in Christ, encourage our growing diversity within our church family and community, work with our many ecumenical and global partners to heal the brokenness of the body of Christ and the human community.

If you want to know more about our denomination, visit our national site for more details.