Independent Christian Church Evolution: 6 Key Events Since It Began

Independent Christian Church members focus on their common beliefs in Jesus as Savior and the Bible as scripture. This way of practicing the faith grew up alongside the rugged individualism that built America and its ideals.

According to Faith Communities Today, a partnership which studies Christian denominations, the Independent Christian Church movement really started taking root with a spin off from the Churches of Christ in the late 1960s.

Here are 6 key factors in the development of the Independent Christian Church:

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1. Most Independent Christian Churches are conservative: According to Faith Communities Today, theologically conservative believers are drawn to the Independent Christian Church. The movement focuses on what they call a return to the New Testament church and generally avoids doctrinal rigidity.

2. The churches are part of the Restoration Movement: According to the Disciples of Christ History Society, the Independent Christian church, had roots in the Stone-Campbell tradition, also known as the Restoration Movement. This movement of the early 1800s emphasized lay leadership in the church and the ability of people to interpret scripture on their own without the help of a priest or other clergy member.

3. Independent Christian Church did not choose to become a part of a denomination: Disciples of Christ denomination formed in the mid-20th century. Instead, the Independent Christian Churches have only loosely associated with each other. They share a common emphasis on personal salvation and the "restoration of the New Testament church."

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4. A belief in the "Priesthood of the Believer:" All of the churches that grew out of the Stone-Campbell Restoration movement share a belief in the "priesthood of the believer." Those churches believe that all members of the church share in the priesthood. They also emphasize emersion baptism, weekly communion and a belief that congregations should be independent.

5. These Christians aren't necessarily appropriately called "Protestants:" The Christian Restoration Association points out members of the Independent Christian Church are not really "protestants." They emphasize belief in Christ and stress that they are not out of the "denominational" tradition of Christians who were established over the "protest" of various doctrinal issues. Instead, the churches are attempting to restore what they believe to be the church as it existed in the Book of Acts and the New Testament.

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