Restoration Movement History

Restoration Movement History explores the people, ideas, and events that shaped the Stone-Campbell/Restoration Movement and its ongoing influence on the church today. Discover articles on key moments, core convictions, significant leaders, documents, and the movement’s theological and cultural development. You’ll find historical context, biographies, and thoughtful reflections that help readers understand where the movement came from and how its story continues to inform ministry and discipleship. This hub is for anyone who wants a deeper grasp of Restoration Movement roots and legacy.

September 2, 2016

Christian Standard

DCHS Building Dedication Set for Sept. 10

BETHANY, WV””The Disciples of Christ Historical Society has completed its move into a new facility in historic Bethany. DCHS”s new home is located adjacent to the grounds of the Alexander Campbell study and mansion and across the street from the Campbell cemetery. The building was completed by renovating the Renner Visitor Center and adding an extensive archives room housing artifacts, portraits, institutional records, books, and journals from the early 19th century Restoration Movement to the present. A reading room, study carrels, and conference room provide space for research and meetings. Also, an outdoor hospitality area””the Peter and Lynne Morgan Gathering

August 4, 2016

Christian Standard

DCHS Archivist Named

Shelley L. Jacobs began serving as full-time archivist with the Disciples of Christ Historical Society, Bethany, WV, on July 25. DCHS is the repository for church files, personal papers, records, books and journals, artifacts, and memorabilia related to the three streams of the Stone-Campbell Movement. Jacobs”s primary responsibility is to organize that material so it is available for research to congregations, institutions, and individuals. Jacobs is a native of Saskatchewan, Canada, and a lifelong member of the churches of Christ. She received her BTh from Western Christian College (WCC) in Saskatchewan, and majored in church history focusing on Restoration studies

April 18, 2016

Christian Standard

Opening Doors

“You don”t have to leave the movement to lead beyond it.”Â  Six perspectives on a provocative statement ________ By Jennifer Johnson These leaders love the Restoration Movement and its principles, but they also work and minister “outside” of it with the churches they serve, the partnerships they pursue, and the parachurch ministries they lead.  Here are their thoughts on what it means to go beyond the movement, why it matters, and how it can honor God. Brent Storms The biggest question for me is how does one “get in” and “get out” of our movement?  We”re coming across planters and church

April 17, 2016

Christian Standard

Lloyd Pelfrey and the Future of the Restoration Movement

By T.R. Robertson “Nobody knows more about the Restoration Movement in Missouri than Lloyd Pelfrey. In fact, he lived most of it.” Those words, spoken by Dan Sites, a preacher from Mexico, Missouri, were partially intended as a joke. Nevertheless, they ring true. Lloyd Pelfrey has been active in the movement for nearly 70 years. Pelfrey”s personal definition of the Restoration Movement is, “Unity by restoration for evangelism.” He always adds, “I”ve been using that line for so long, I don”t even know if it”s mine. But I think it is.” Restoration Past I arrived at Central Christian College of

March 5, 2016

Christian Standard

Lexington Celebrating Restoration 200 on May 15

Restoration 200“”billed as a revival of unity, liberty, and love””happens May 15, 3:00 p.m., at the Courthouse Square Plaza in Lexington, KY. The gathering will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the first Restoration Movement church in Lexington. After the Cane Ridge Revival near Paris, KY, in 1801, Christians across the commonwealth shed their denominations to imitate the church of the New Testament. They said, “We are not the only Christians, but are Christians only.” This revival of the church, often referred to as the Second Great Awakening, brought to light the detriments of separation in the church, and emphasized the

October 22, 2015

Christian Standard

New Testament Church, New Insights on Ministry

By LeRoy Lawson Renewal for Mission: A Concise History of Christian Churches and Churches of Christ W. Dennis Helsabeck Jr., Gary Holloway, Douglas A. Foster Abilene: Abilene Christian University Press, 2009 A Dresser of Sycamore Trees: The Finding of a Ministry Garret Keizer HarperSanFrancisco, 1991, 1993 Priest, Prophet, Pilgrim: Types and Distortions of Spiritual Vocation in the Fiction of Wendell Berry and Cormac McCarthy Todd Edmonds Eugene: Pickwick Publications, 2014 When I was 9 years old, I made my nervous way down the aisle of my home church. I confessed my faith to our minister in front of all those people.

December 16, 2014

Mark A. Taylor

A Moving Decision

By Mark A. Taylor The Disciples of Christ Historical Society has decided to move its archive from the T.W. Phillips Memorial Archives building in Nashville, Tennessee, to a college or seminary affiliated with the Disciples of Christ. Dr. Todd Adams, interim president, said the Society”s directors plan to choose a place in March; actually preparing the archive to move could take three years, he said. A press release distributed in November explained the move, saying, “there are insufficient funds to maintain both an archive and the T.W. Phillips Memorial Library building.” Adams, associate general minister and vice president with the Disciples,

October 14, 2013

Christian Standard

New Signs of Hope in Eastern Canada

By Jim Tune Eastern Canada (Ontario and the Maritime provinces) was the seedbed for what finally became known as the Restoration Movement in Canada. Long before the thoughts of Barton Stone were circulated north of the 49th parallel, and several decades before Alexander Campbell visited the Canadian churches, a simple movement””similar, but not identical to that in the United States””took root in Canada. It was an appeal to model the church according to the simple doctrine and polity of the New Testament, to pursue unity, and to discard denominational labels and creeds. Scottish “restorationists” arrived upon the shores of New

December 10, 2012

Jerry Harris

Rediscovering the Sacred Stones

A church”s new multisite campus. A town steeped in history. The grave of a Restoration Movement pioneer”s wife. A reflection on what this frontier preacher stood for, and the message we still proclaim today.  By Jerry Harris There she was. Her stone lying on its back, broken and weathered among scores of neglected reminders of lives long since past. The inscription was hard to read because of a combination of age, moss, and dirt, but careful examination gave witness to the precious soul long forgotten to so many.   Celia W. Wife of Elder B.W. Stone Died Apr. 23, 1857

December 9, 2012

Christian Standard

The Passion of Barton Stone

By Jim Tune Barton Warren Stone was one of the foremost leaders for religious freedom on the western frontier during the first half of the 19th century. He led a movement with goals many—including me—are still pursuing today. Barton Stone was born in Maryland in 1772 and as a boy decided to become a preacher. At age 19 he was ordained a minister in the Presbyterian church. In 1801, Stone moved to Cane Ridge, Kentucky. As he took up his preaching ministry, he discovered that some of the things he read in his Bible seemed inconsistent with the strong Calvinist

November 15, 2012

Christian Standard

What”s the Point of Pursuing Unity?

By Mark A. Taylor “So what”s the payoff you”re expecting as a result of these meetings?” The question came from my roommate in the middle of a spiritual formation retreat sponsored by the Stone-Campbell Dialogue November 9, 10, outside Dallas. The Dialogue is a loosely organized group that has met at least annually since 1999 to build understanding and trust among members of a cappella churches of Christ, Christian churches/churches of Christ, and Disciples of Christ. In the late-19th and mid-20th centuries, these three “streams” diverged from each other while remaining a part of what we call the Restoration Movement,

February 18, 2012

Christian Standard

Heritage Center Ready to Add to Collection

By Jennifer Taylor   In the fall of 2009, Pepperdine University opened the Churches of Christ Heritage Center on its campus in Malibu, CA. Today the collection of books, photographs, congregational histories, speeches, and other documents fills a room in the school”s library. “Many of these “˜artifacts” are connected to Pepperdine, like the catalog from the school”s first year in 1937,” says Jerry Rushford, director. “But there are also unusual pieces like a device from the 1920s used to fill Communion cups. A church in Idaho donated it to us.” In fact, the collection was created primarily with donations from

February 3, 2012

Christian Standard

What Are We Trying to Restore?

By Gary Weedman For the past 100 years or so, churches and Christians in our fellowship generally have professed to be part of the Restoration Movement. We have not always been clear, however, about what exactly we are working to restore. To this day, perhaps with a bit too much hubris, we say of our early leaders that Thomas Campbell restored the ancient book, Alexander Campbell the ancient order, Walter Scott the ancient gospel, and Barton Stone the ancient life. Work done. Case closed. But for much of the 20th century, many of the heirs of this historical movement thought

November 23, 2011

Christian Standard

Biblical Interpretation in the Restoration Movement

By Mark Weedman The history of the Restoration Movement is diverse and complex, and summarizing it is necessarily difficult. But some general patterns do emerge, and we can use those patterns to gain an overview of how followers of the Restoration Movement have approached biblical interpretation. Three moments in that history stand out as especially important in shaping how Thomas and Alexander Campbell and their followers would interpret the Bible. The first was the appearance of Thomas Campbell”s Declaration and Address, a seminal document that established the movement”s governing plea. The second moment was a debate between Isaac Errett and

October 2, 2011

Christian Standard

Remembering J.W. McGarvey

By Andrew Paris This coming Thursday, October 6, marks the centennial anniversary of the death of John William “J.W.” McGarvey, a great Christian preacher, teacher, author, educator, and Scripture scholar who deserves to be remembered. McGarvey was a man of only one book””the Bible. He was firmly convinced it was the inerrant Word of God, and so he devoted his life to loving it, teaching it, defending it, and living it. In his day, McGarvey held the respect of all groups emerging from the Restoration Movement, and was recognized as the movement”s greatest scholar and writer. He has been a

July 20, 2011

Christian Standard

The Holy Spirit in the Early Restoration Movement

By Jim North The understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit has often caused energetic discussion within the ranks of the Christian churches/churches of Christ. This is the case today, just as it was in the early days of our movement 200 years ago. As a result, it might do us well to look at the thinking of some of our early leaders about this much-debated topic. For simplicity, we will look particularly at the thinking of Barton W. Stone and Alexander Campbell. Stone and Campbell were two of the most important leaders of this frontier movement. They agreed

June 17, 2011

Christian Standard

Dead Guys and a Living Church

By LeRoy Lawson Southern Seen: Meditations on Past and Present Larry T. McGehee, Edited by B. J. Hutto Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2005 The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt T. J. Stiles New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2009 The Church Awakening: An Urgent Call for Renewal Charles R. Swindoll New York: Faith Words, 2010 What so disappoints me about Larry T. McGehee is that he is dead. You read someone”s book, you become enamored of his wit and charm, you look forward to reading more and maybe even meeting him. Then you discover you can”t. As

June 16, 2011

Christian Standard

Our Finest Hour, Our Ongoing Challenge

By LeRoy Lawson My subject today is missions. Please don”t yawn. Sometimes preachers are made to feel a little defensive when promoting this essential part of a church”s life. Announce a “missions emphasis weekend” and watch the attendance plummet. Announce that giving has been falling behind and expenses have to be cut and you can count on a chorus of calls to slash missions giving. It”s a hard sell””this missions enterprise. That”s why I bring the subject up. Please don”t be cynical, either. You might object that I think this matter is so important only because I work for a

June 13, 2011

Christian Standard

What About Christian Churches?

We asked former contributing editor Robert Wetzel to get answers from scholars to a question we have considered in several different ways in recent months: What is the future of our movement of churches? By C. Robert Wetzel ________ The future always grows out of the past, of course, so this week we decided to put the question before three historians: Paul Blowers, Dean E. Walker professor of church history at Emmanuel Christian Seminary, Johnson City, Tennessee. Doug Foster, professor of church history; director, Center for Restoration Studies, Abilene Christian University, Abilene, Texas. Newell Williams, president and professor of modern

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