World Convention of Churches of Christ
Encyclopedia
The World Convention of Churches of Christ is a Christian
world communion that links an international family of churches known by a range of names including Christian Churches, Churches of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
. The first Global Gathering of the World Convention was held in Washington, D.C.
in 1930. Jesse Bader
was instrumental in its formation. The convention continues to organize international gatherings every four years and facilitate communication between these events. The 17th (2008) Gathering was held in Nashville, Tennessee
, USA. The 18th (2012) is slated for Goiânia
, Goiás, Brazil, July 25-29, 2012.
The churches who participate all grew out of the 19th Century Restoration Movement
with origins in both the United Kingdom
(with leaders such as William Jones
and James Wallis
) and the United States of America
(with leaders such as Barton Stone and Alexander Campbell). Congregations participating in the Convention come from more than 178 countries and represent a range of beliefs and practices. National profiles are made available for many.
In keeping with much of the movement's focus on Unity it highlights both the features it has in common with the wider Christian Church and unique gifts it has to offer the whole church.
Former General Secretaries of the World Convention of Churches of Christ Lyndsay and Lorriane Jacobs list these major distinctive characteristics:
The offices of the World Convention are located in Nashville, Tennessee. Gary Holloway serves as Executive Director (General Secretary). In addition to planning the quadrennial gathering of the Stone-Campbell Movement, the day-to-day ministry of World Convention seeks to build fellowship, understanding, common purpose and effectiveness within the global family of churches known as Christian, Churches of Christ and Disciples of Christ. The Executive Director travels the world preaching, teaching, encouraging and mentoring Christians on behalf of World Convention. He also represents the Stone-Campbell Movement family at a number of international ecumenical/world communion meetings. The World Convention website has a number of features, including National Profiles of some of the nearly 180 countries where Stone-Campbell Movement Churches have or have had a presence.
Global Gatherings:
Forthcoming
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
world communion that links an international family of churches known by a range of names including Christian Churches, Churches of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
The Christian Church is a Mainline Protestant denomination in North America. It is often referred to as The Christian Church, The Disciples of Christ, or more simply as The Disciples...
. The first Global Gathering of the World Convention was held in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in 1930. Jesse Bader
Jesse Moren Bader
Jesse Moren Bader was a 20th century evangelist, ecumenist and global leader. He was a significant and visionary leader during the twentieth century, not only within his own communion, helping establish the World Convention of Churches of Christ but also within the wider church...
was instrumental in its formation. The convention continues to organize international gatherings every four years and facilitate communication between these events. The 17th (2008) Gathering was held in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, USA. The 18th (2012) is slated for Goiânia
Goiânia
-Climate:The city has a tropical wet and dry climate with an average temperature of . There's a wet season, from October to April, and a dry one, from May to September. Annual rainfall is around 1,520 mm....
, Goiás, Brazil, July 25-29, 2012.
The churches who participate all grew out of the 19th Century Restoration Movement
Restoration Movement
The Restoration Movement is a Christian movement that began on the American frontier during the Second Great Awakening of the early 19th century...
with origins in both the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(with leaders such as William Jones
William Jones
-Academics and authors:* William Jones , Welsh mathematician who proposed the use of the symbol π* Sir William Jones , English philologist who proposed a relationship among Indo-European languages...
and James Wallis
James Wallis
James Wallis may refer to:*James Wallis , writer, games designer and publisher*James Wallis , New Zealand politician*Jim Wallis, Christian writer and activist*Jimmy Wallis, English field hockey player...
) and the United States of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(with leaders such as Barton Stone and Alexander Campbell). Congregations participating in the Convention come from more than 178 countries and represent a range of beliefs and practices. National profiles are made available for many.
In keeping with much of the movement's focus on Unity it highlights both the features it has in common with the wider Christian Church and unique gifts it has to offer the whole church.
Former General Secretaries of the World Convention of Churches of Christ Lyndsay and Lorriane Jacobs list these major distinctive characteristics:
- A concern for Christian UnityEcumenismEcumenism or oecumenism mainly refers to initiatives aimed at greater Christian unity or cooperation. It is used predominantly by and with reference to Christian denominations and Christian Churches separated by doctrine, history, and practice...
- A commitment to EvangelismEvangelismEvangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
and Christian MissionMission (Christian)Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged... - An emphasis on the centrality of the New TestamentNew TestamentThe New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
- A simple Confession of FaithConfession of FaithA Confession of Faith is a statement of doctrine very similar to a creed, but usually longer and polemical, as well as didactic.Confessions of Faith are in the main, though not exclusively, associated with Protestantism...
- Believer's BaptismBeliever's baptismBeliever's baptism is the Christian practice of baptism as this is understood by many Protestant churches, particularly those that descend from the Anabaptist tradition...
- Weekly CommunionEucharistThe Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
- A BiblicalBibleThe Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
Name - Congregational autonomy
- LayLaityIn religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
Leadership - Diversity/Freedom/Liberty
The offices of the World Convention are located in Nashville, Tennessee. Gary Holloway serves as Executive Director (General Secretary). In addition to planning the quadrennial gathering of the Stone-Campbell Movement, the day-to-day ministry of World Convention seeks to build fellowship, understanding, common purpose and effectiveness within the global family of churches known as Christian, Churches of Christ and Disciples of Christ. The Executive Director travels the world preaching, teaching, encouraging and mentoring Christians on behalf of World Convention. He also represents the Stone-Campbell Movement family at a number of international ecumenical/world communion meetings. The World Convention website has a number of features, including National Profiles of some of the nearly 180 countries where Stone-Campbell Movement Churches have or have had a presence.
Global Gatherings:
- 1930 Washington D.C., USA, Jesse Bader, President
- 1935 Leicester, England, John Wycliffe Black, President
- 1947 Buffalo, New York, USA, George H. Stewart, President
- 1952 Melbourne, Australia, Reginald Enniss, President
- 1955 Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Edgar G. Burton, President
- 1960 Edinburgh, Scotland, Charles K. Green, President
- 1965 San Juan, Puerto Rico, Florentino Santana, President
- 1970 Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, Sir Philip Messent, President
- 1974 Mexico City, Mexico, J.Daniel Joyce, President
- 1980 Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, W.B. Blakemore, President (died in office, 1975), Forrest Haggard, President
- 1984 Kingston, Jamaica, Richmond Nelson, President
- 1988 Auckland, New Zealand, Lyndsay Jacobs, President
- 1992 Long Beach, California, USA, Harold R. Watkins, President
- 1996 Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Marj Black, President
- 2000 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, Ron W. Brooker, President
- 2004 Brighton, England, David M. Thompson, President
- 2008 Nashville, Tennessee, USA, C. Robert Wetzel, President
Forthcoming
- 2012 Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil, Bafundi (B.J.) Mpofu, President
- 2016 Seoul, Korea, Kang Pyeong Lee, President