I am the Restoration Movement. Carolands have been a part of the movement since its beginning. My great great great grandfather had his diploma from Bethany College signed by Alexander Campbell. My grandfather, aunt and cousin have all been employees of the Disciples of Christ.My brothers and I were all raised in a CoC/CC, and all attended Great Lakes Christian College. I have been a minister at a Stone Campbell church for all of my adult life. Add to this how thick my social networking is with Stone-Campbellites. There is some unintentional, built-in pressure to stick around and tow the party line.
Whenever I go back and study the early history, I find the dreams and deeds of the founders to beautiful and inspiring. The dream of Christian unity resonates with me, gets me rather excited. I am the Restoration Movement.
However, I am confronted, from time to time, with elements of the this brotherhood which can be disheartening. There are some things this unity movement does that hinders unity. I'll not detail that here. It has been discussed elsewhere, and divisive behaviors are not unique to this movement.
I do not write this to bash the Restoration Movement. I am the Restoration Movement.
Instead, I write this as I begin an experiment of to foster relationships with other churches in town. I believe that this has to be the first step toward "being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose." i.e. Unity.
Today, I will make an appointment with another minister in town to meat and pray for the community. Baby steps. This is an attainable goal for me. We'll call this "step one". And I will report back. It's time to be the Restoration.
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 15:5-6)
However, I am confronted, from time to time, with elements of the this brotherhood which can be disheartening. There are some things this unity movement does that hinders unity. I'll not detail that here. It has been discussed elsewhere, and divisive behaviors are not unique to this movement.
I do not write this to bash the Restoration Movement. I am the Restoration Movement.
Instead, I write this as I begin an experiment of to foster relationships with other churches in town. I believe that this has to be the first step toward "being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose." i.e. Unity.
Today, I will make an appointment with another minister in town to meat and pray for the community. Baby steps. This is an attainable goal for me. We'll call this "step one". And I will report back. It's time to be the Restoration.
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 15:5-6)
Posts
1 comment:
Well said. It seems that unity can only be attained when we put down our pride and cease seeing other churches as competition, as theologically incorrect, or as anything other than the body of Christ. So good for you in making this step.
One thing you might try in your church is getting youth groups from different denominations together. We do that down here and it is pretty cool to see teens worship with their classmates though they attend different churches.
Post a Comment