I became a Christian in an Australian Church of Christ (a conference aligned one) and although at the moment I attend a Baptist church my basic outlook is still from the Aussie CoC. I'm trying to make sense of the US church, especailly in the light that a number of sources indicate that the nearest US church group to the churches I grew up in is the DoC's but I feel a long way from what I perceive you guys are like. (My church was in a deeply conservative rural area)
Are their any evanglelical rather then liberal DoC churches? (I'd never lable myself a liberal Christian)
Do all DoC have open membership? (I personally support membership through baptism following confession of faith and associate membership (Christian in Felllowship is the term I grew up with) for non baptised (ie both the unbaptised and the christianed) Although I might consider accepting open membership, I don't think I could ever concede that christianing infants is baptism)
Are their any non "open and affirming" congregations in matters of chastity?
Do all DoC pastors wear robes and use the title "reverend"? (To me this would be denying (in practice if not by confession) priesthood of all believers)
Do any DoC's allow any baptised member to preside at communion? (We are all priests therefore we can all share "priestly" duties)
Do any DoC congregations still believe in "restoring the New Testament" church? (I was always told that is why we did what we did)
Do DoC services have public reading of both OT and NT passages as part of the lead up to communion?
The questions are in part my trying to understand but also clarifying the suspicion that I would probably feel more at home at an ICC/CoC church despite believing that delegate conferences were part of the NT church pattern. Also that some DoC'ers might feel more at home in the Australian Uniting Church rather then some of thistorical Campbell/Stone church in Australia. (The fact that the divisions never occurred in Australia probably means that we have a wider liberal/conservative mix than any of the three US sections.)
Are their any evanglelical rather then liberal DoC churches? (I'd never lable myself a liberal Christian)
Do all DoC have open membership? (I personally support membership through baptism following confession of faith and associate membership (Christian in Felllowship is the term I grew up with) for non baptised (ie both the unbaptised and the christianed) Although I might consider accepting open membership, I don't think I could ever concede that christianing infants is baptism)
Are their any non "open and affirming" congregations in matters of chastity?
Do all DoC pastors wear robes and use the title "reverend"? (To me this would be denying (in practice if not by confession) priesthood of all believers)
Do any DoC's allow any baptised member to preside at communion? (We are all priests therefore we can all share "priestly" duties)
Do any DoC congregations still believe in "restoring the New Testament" church? (I was always told that is why we did what we did)
Do DoC services have public reading of both OT and NT passages as part of the lead up to communion?
The questions are in part my trying to understand but also clarifying the suspicion that I would probably feel more at home at an ICC/CoC church despite believing that delegate conferences were part of the NT church pattern. Also that some DoC'ers might feel more at home in the Australian Uniting Church rather then some of thistorical Campbell/Stone church in Australia. (The fact that the divisions never occurred in Australia probably means that we have a wider liberal/conservative mix than any of the three US sections.)
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