Christian Restoration Association Celebrates Century Mark

By Rick Cherok

The Christian Restoration Association (CRA) and their long-standing publication, The Restoration Herald, are celebrating the centennial mark for their existence. The CRA began on September 1, 1925, and the first edition of their monthly magazine, The Restoration Herald, was sent to readers in September 1925.

At his death in 1871, businessman Sydney S. Clarke left a $50,000 endowment to the Richmond Street Church in Cincinnati, OH. Clarke stipulated that only the interest from the finances from his estate could be used, but they should be used for evangelism in areas with few Restoration Movement churches. Before long, the “Clarke Estate” was supplemented with a “Clarke Fund” that consisted of gifts given for evangelistic purposes that went beyond the acceptable parameters of the initial estate money. On September 1, 1925, the Clarke Fund was reorganized as the Christian Restoration Association.

The principal reason for the CRA’s development was the advancement of theological liberalism both at home and abroad within the Restoration Movement of the early twentieth century. The issue of open membership—the belief that there are no requirements (specifically baptism) for church membership—began to emerge in the final decade of the nineteenth century and became more prominent in the early twentieth century. And, when the United Christian Missionary Society (UCMS) was formed by combining the earlier missionary societies of the movement into one large entity in 1920, both open membership and comity agreements—the division of mission fields into denominational territories without overlapping work—became acceptable to the UCMS’s leadership. So, as conservatives who opposed the UCMS withdrew their financial support in the early 1920s, they chose instead to send it to the Clarke Fund.

In his memoirs, Adventuring for Christ in Changing Times, James DeForest Murch wrote, “As the missionary situation in the Brotherhood continued to worsen, it was proposed that the new Clarke Fund should be reorganized to serve as a clearinghouse for a whole new free agency complex.” And so, Murch resigned his position as editor of The Lookout with the Christian Standard Publishing Company and became the first president of the CRA and editor of The Restoration Herald.

Throughout the CRA’s one-hundred years of existence, the organization has worked to enable theologically conservative missionaries, like W.D. Cunningham (Japan), E.T. Westrup (Mexico), Leslie Wolfe (Philippines), J. Russell Morse (Southeast Asia), and others, to remain on the field as direct-support missionaries as threats of defunding and challenges of working within the more theologically liberal environment of the UCMS emerged. In addition to helping launch the direct-support missionary movement (which directly influenced the development of the Christian Church/Church of Christ fellowship), the CRA has assisted struggling churches, sent out evangelists, planted many Christian service camps, started Cincinnati Bible Seminary (which became Cincinnati Christian University), and published numerous books and pamphlets, along with their signature magazine, The Restoration Herald.

The CRA’s current director, John Mitchell, is quick to point out that the organization’s century of faithfulness to New Testament Christianity and the principles of the Restoration Movement is “not a ball and chain to the past.” Through the CRA, Mitchell explains, “we are trying to move the Kingdom forward with the principles of the Restoration Movement.” The Restoration Herald, Mitchell notes, “contains a nice spectrum of Christian writing with something for everyone. There’s still a lot of interest in sound Christian doctrine and Bible study, and we try to publish resources that allow people to apply these truths to their lives.”

Mitchell also points out that the CRA has recently embarked upon a few unique areas of ministry and service to the Kingdom. The CRA has traditionally had no tangible international presence, according to Mitchell, but recently they have teamed up with the Hippo Valley Christian Mission to publish a quarterly magazine to encourage and equip Christian leaders in Zimbabwe, Africa. Moreover, plans are underway for the creation of an African Bible Summit in early 2026 that would explore the fundamentals of New Testament Christianity.

In addition to their international work, the CRA recently hired Jim Book as Associate Director for the organization. Book is currently working with over a dozen congregations on behalf of the CRA to strengthen their witness within their communities. Book’s position, which is a new position with the CRA, enables him to focus on practical ministry activities within churches and to offer insights and suggestions for how best to leverage their strengths, facilities, and assets to more effectively carry the gospel message into their communities.

With a century of service to Christ, the church, and the Restoration Movement in their rearview mirror, the CRA is looking to the future with new plans and a continuing effort to promote the foundational truths of Scripture in applicable ways for the advancement of Christ’s Kingdom. See their website for additional information about the CRA and to subscribe to either electronic or hard copies of The Restoration Herald.

Rick Cherok serves as Managing Editor of Christian Standard, Executive Director of Celtic Christian Mission, and Director of Men’s Services at Kentucky Christian University. Cherok also writes a monthly article for The Restoration Herald.