Replanting a Denomination: 20th Century Growth of the Churches of Christ

During the decades between 1889 and 1906, additional division occurred, largely over instrumental music and missionary societies. By 1906, the division was so well established that David Lipscomb advised the US Census Bureau that the a cappella Churches of Christ had become a fellowship separate from the rest of the Restoration Movement. At this time, the a cappella Churches had only about 160,000 members.

Although Lipscomb had rejected the 1889 division led by Sommer, by 1906, the Southern Churches, influenced by Lipscomb’s Gospel Advocate, were in common fellowship with Sommer’s churches, influenced by his Octographic Review.

The a cappella Churches of Christ (hereafter “Churches of Christ” or “Churches,” although many congregations named “Church of Christ” were instrumental or otherwise not part of the Gospel Advocate/Octographic Review group) grew rapidly, the 1,600,000 by 1980, a rate of growth of about 3.1% per year, well above the rate of growth of the general population. Historians aren’t agreed on the reasons. I have my own theories —

* Despite protestations to the contrary, the Churches were persuaded that they were the “Lord’s church” or “the brotherhood,” that is, the only people going to heaven. Therefore, they worked diligently to convert believers in other denominations to their point of view.

* The Churches vigorously planted new congregations. This was often quite intentional as the product of mission-mindedness. Sometimes it was because Church members in a town without a Church of Christ could not worship in good conscience anywhere else.

* The mainline denominations were torn apart by theological liberalism in the early 20th Century, with their national leadership and academic institutions often denying the resurrection or even the historicity of Jesus. The Churches of Christ managed to entirely escape this controversy, and their conservative views of inspiration were attractive to many.

* The 20th Century Churches were pugnacious debaters, and in the pre-television age, a good debate was great entertainment.

* The Churches were overwhelmingly Southern. After the Civil War and Reconstruction, Southerners were looking for ways to feel justified compared to the more prosperous North. The Churches had a theology that taught we were the only ones who truly cared to read and understand the Bible correctly, giving a sense of superiority — a deeply addictive feeling in a society that felt looked down on.

* The United States was undergoing the beginnings of the scientific revolution. The Churches offered a highly rationalistic, humanistic approach to religion — salvation comes from obeying the 5-step plan of salvation (what man does) and practicing 5 acts of worship (what man does) and the Holy Spirit only acts through the word (what man does). It seemed very scientific and suited the mood of an age when mankind seemed capable of overcoming countless obstacles through logic, study, and hard work.

* The emphasis on perceived “positive” commands, such as baptism, acts of worship, and form of church organization, gave many members a sense of confidence before God, because it’s quite possible to get all the positive commands exactly right.

* The Southern Baptist Convention and Landmark Baptist Churches separated around the turn of the century, with the Convention churches considering Landmarkism creedal and the Landmark Baptists opposing the formation of societies to do mission work. Landmarkism was centered in Nashville, taught that they had been founded at Pentecost and had been in continuous existence ever since, were shown to be the one true church by certain “marks” of the church, including having the right “acts of worship,” and rejected “alien immersions.” I suspect that many Church of Christ conversions were from Landmark Baptists who found the Churches more comfortable than Southern Baptist Churches.

* Although the Churches were very counter-cultural in the early 20th Century, rejecting all participation in the government, even voting and military service (and being largely abolitionists before the Civil War), by World War II, the Churches had accommodated to a worldview not greatly different from secular America. Indeed, until the 1960s, in terms of race relations, equal rights for women, and many other issues, it would be hard to distinguish the views in the Churches from those of the surrounding culture.

* The Churches did not place many demands on their members — other than regular weekly attendance in a service consisting of only the 5 acts conducted by a scripturally organized congregation. The Churches rejected most “innovations.” Indeed, the Churches rejected or split over a number of issues that just happened to involve financial or other costs —

— Organs

— Expensive buildings (Churches of Christ historically refuse to build on Main Street and refuse stained glass, steeples, and ornate facilities)

— Missionary societies (although many churches have been active in foreign missions)

— Works that smack of the “social gospel,” such as hospitals, soup kitchens, medical clinics (other than in foreign mission fields), and affordable housing

— Orphans homes (the occasion of a split between the Sommerite and Lipscombite Churches in the 1950s)

— The “Herald of Truth” national television program (same split as for orphans homes)

— Christian colleges

— Fellowship halls

— Located preachers

— Youth ministers

— Providing financial support to non-Christians (In Birmingham, during the 1950s, two young children lost both parents. The church supported the older child, who’d been baptized, but refused to support the younger child, who had not)

I don’t believe the Churches were consciously tight-fisted, but neither is it a coincidence that ideas that might cost money were almost always controversial, even divisive. Indeed, even those churches that supported foreign missions generously almost always did so over the objection of some members.

The Churches prospered in the years following World War II, which was a time of active foreign missionary work, as soldiers came home with a deeper awareness of the rest of the world and jet airplanes made overseas travel much easier.

During the 1960s, the Churches believed they were growing at 5% per year, based on false information reported to the New York Times. The Churches even sponsored an exhibit at the 164-65 New York World’s Fair, featuring a novelty called a “computer.” (You could ask the computer any of 300 questions, and the computer would spit out a Bible verse giving the answer.) In fact, later research demonstrated that growth hadn’t been nearly that fast, and the end of the Churches’ rapid growth was dawning.