The First Christian Church of Palo Alto is part of the denomination known as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). This mainline Protestant denomination centers faith, not in a creed, but in Christ. We are called simply the Christian Church without human name, human creed (1 Corinthians 1:10-13, Galatians 1:6-10).
We refer to ourselves as Disciples. We allow room for differing personal beliefs, learning from our differences and rejoicing in our common Christ faith. Worship is familiar and comfortable to a wide range of persons of diverse religious backgrounds. Membership is by faith in Christ and baptism. Faith in Christ is renewed each Sunday through sharing in Communion around the Lord’s Table.
The symbol of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is the red chalice. It reflects the importance of Communion as the heart of our worship. The chalice bears the cross of St. Andrew as a reminder of our roots in the Scottish Presbyterian Church.
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The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), while founded on American soil in the early 1800s, is uniquely equipped to live up to its identity that it is a “movement for wholeness in a fragmented world.” The denomination was born in the 1800s, and continues to be influenced by its founding ideals of our unity in Christ with openness and diversity in practice and belief.
The Disciples Vision, Mission, Imperative and Covenant statement calls the communion to be a faithful, growing church that demonstrates true community, deep Christian spirituality and a passion for justice.
The Vision of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
To be a faithful, growing church, that demonstrates true community, deep Christian spirituality and a passion for justice.
- Micah 6:8
The Mission of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
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
The Confession of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
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.
- The Preamble to The Design of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
The church is identified with the Protestant “mainstream” and is widely involved in social and other concerns. Disciples have supported vigorously world and national programs of education, agricultural assistance, racial reconciliation, care of the developmentally disabled and aid to victims of war and calamity.
The denomination now counts about 700,000 members in the United States and Canada in about 3,700 congregations. Numerically, the strength of the Disciples of Christ runs in a broad arc that sweeps from Ohio and Kentucky through the Midwest and down into Oklahoma and Texas.
(excerpted from www.disciples.org)
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To read the entire Confession of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), click here. For more information about the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), visit www.disciples.org.