Differences between Christian Church and Church of Christ?

[caspershadow]

Hi all,

I am considering visiting my local Christian Church and was wanting to know the main differences between them and Church of Christ.  I am somewhat familiar with Church of Christ and I know they are basically the same when it comes to theology.  How do the worship services differ?  Is one more conservative that the other? 
I am currently attending a Missouri Synod Lutheran Church but I use to be baptist.  If you mix Lutherans and Baptists you may find me somewhere in the middle.  I really believe in baptism by immersion and that it is tied to salvation.  I cherish communion every Sunday and so I am kinda a Bapti-Ran.  I made that up just now lol.  I feel like maybe from what I know so far that maybe I would be better suited in a Christian Church.  I love musical instruments in worship and I believe the bible to be true and is all we really need for our faith.  Creeds and doctrines can be useful but the bible is all we really need.

Todd.   

[DCR]

Usually, the primary difference is that churches that go by the name "Church of Christ" in most parts of the country do not use instrumental music.  Worship is non-instrumental or a capella.  That is not always the case though, since some instrumental Christian Churches go by the name "Church of Christ."  It really depends on where you are.

As far as which is more "conservative," that really depends on what issues you're talking about.  There are some instrumental Christian Churches that are more conservative than a lot of non-instrumental Churches of Christ on issues other than instrumental music.

[JERRY C]

"caspershadow"?!  that's pretty ethereal.

now to the question -- the previous post is right on.

my experience with the Independent Christian Church has been positive.
I was raised in the Church of Christ, but often find myself at odds with leaders, for one reason or another.
but, there seems to be a different spirit, a better attitude, a warmer atmosphere in the Xn Churches I have known.

I am sure there are some ICC's out there that are negative and legalistic; but, the ones I have known had a love for God, one another, the Scriptures, the lost. 

From your profile, I see NC as your home.  I once visited a ICC in Plymouth, NC on a business trip, and was wonderfully uplifted by their warmth and kindness.

I hope you find what you need when you visit!

for Him, Jerry C

[HRoberson]

There are a few major differences between CoC and CC. The one you will notice immediately is that CCs use instruments in their worship times while most CoCs do not.

Depending on the congregation, polity will look similar except that in many CoC, at least lip service is paid to the elders being responsible for the congregation. In CCs, it is usually the senior pastor who is so seen. This is a difficult item to describe because there are often many nuances around polity and there are plenty of CoCs that are ran by the preacher.

I have found that many CCs are actually more conservative than CoC is many areas aside from worship considerations, but this likely won't show up in a regular church service.

[blituri]

Trying to define the ICC is like trying to define any congregational church.  One of the truths pushed by the Campbell's was that there are DISPENSATIONAL DISTINCTIONS.  While the church fathers understood the truth, many groups developed using the whole New and Old Testament for its patternism or "acts" of worship.  This is a result of a historic pattern of lifting isolated "commands, examples and inferences" without caring about the context or story line.

Most if not all efforts to defend instruments in any of the groups build on the foundation of the Scribes who recorded the events of the Monarchy when abandoned "to worship the starry host."  A church of Christ preacher:

The first two reasons assert that under the Old Testament, God did not just allow instrumental music, He commanded and blessed it. Rick offered the following passages for these contentions: 2 Chronicles 5:13-14; 7:6; 29:25-26; Psalm 33:1- 3; 92:1-3; 150:1-6.

CHRIST IN THE PROPHETS WARNED ABOUT THE LYING PEN OF THE SCRIBES.

Trust ye not in lying words, saying,
       The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord,
       The temple of the Lord, are these. Jeremiah 7:4

Jer. 8:8 How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is WITH US?
       LO, CERTAINLY IN VAIN MADE HE IT;
       THE PEN OF THE SCRIBES IS in vain.

For I spake NOT unto your fathers, nor commanded them
       in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt,
       concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices: Jeremiah 7:22

God did NOT speak through the lying pen of the Scribes who recorded the Monarchy which God had NOT commanded.

Heb. 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners
       spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophet
Heb. 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us BY HIS SON
       whom he hath appointed heir of all things,
       by whom also he made the worlds;

For those who SAY that God said through the Lying Pen of the Scribes:

Jer 23:17 They say still unto them that despise me,
       The Lord hath said, Ye shall have peace;
       and they say unto every one that walketh
       after the imagination of his own heart,
       No evil shall come upon you.  

Despise tthe Word of God of God and using your own words is:

Blasphēm-eō , pf. A. "beblasphēmēka

[notreligus]

The main difference is that the Churches of Christ are non-instrumental in their worship services, and Christian Churches use musical instruments. 

They were all part of the Disciples of Christ back in 1901, when the Churches of Christ split from the Disciples over the use of musical instruments in worship.

Independent Christian churches also commonly have kitchens in their buildings, they use separate communion cups, and they are not hung-up over things like when you give an offering (they'll gladly take it on Wednesday where many Churches of Christ consider that sinful). 

I used to be a decision counselor at a local Independent Christian Church and a couple that came forward to join the church had a next-door neighbor who was of the Church of Christ; she had warned them that they would go to Hell if they joined our church because we had a kitchen in the building. 

These days you'll find Independent Christian Churches who are considered evangelical.  There is one in my city that has 25,000 members and they are members of the Willow Creek Association.  Now the Churches of Christ would largely consider that to be like making a pact with the Devil. 

[DCR]

Independent Christian churches also commonly have kitchens in their buildings, they use separate communion cups, and they are not hung-up over things like when you give an offering (they'll gladly take it on Wednesday where many Churches of Christ consider that sinful).  

I used to be a decision counselor at a local Independent Christian Church and a couple that came forward to join the church had a next-door neighbor who was of the Church of Christ; she had warned them that they would go to Hell if they joined our church because we had a kitchen in the building.  

To be fair... the majority of Churches of Christ don't have a problem with kitchens either and also use separate communion cups.  There is a segment of churches within Churches of Christ that are against kitchens and fellowship halls along with certain peculiar beliefs about other things.  But, they only make up 10% of the total.  The "one-cup" churches are even more rare.  But, those churches may be more prevalent in certain areas compared to everywhere else.

Every Church of Christ I have ever been a member at has had some sort of kitchen or fellowship hall.  The neighbor you referred to holds a minority opinion for sure.  But, there are some congregations where those beliefs are held.

I've never heard of anyone having a problem taking up an offering on other days of the week.  That's odd, though all congregations I know of do take up an offering on Sunday.

That's not to say I've ever seen a "formal" offering taken up on any day other than Sunday (as in the general funds that go into the church treasury for general use).  But, I've seen collections taken up for various needs or causes many times (certainly not limited to Sundays), though those instances were probably not considered to be the formal "offering."  However, I'm not sure collections taken up in the New Testament were anymore formal than moneys collected for specific causes anyway.  I'm not sure the situations of the collections in the New Testament were ever intended to be the mandate for a formal weekly offering as a matter of course.  But, that's another discussion.

With that said, if someone wants to write a check to a church during the week, I don't know of any Church of Christ congregation that would refuse it because it wasn't given on a Sunday.  

[notreligus]

Independent Christian churches also commonly have kitchens in their buildings, they use separate communion cups, and they are not hung-up over things like when you give an offering (they'll gladly take it on Wednesday where many Churches of Christ consider that sinful).  

I used to be a decision counselor at a local Independent Christian Church and a couple that came forward to join the church had a next-door neighbor who was of the Church of Christ; she had warned them that they would go to Hell if they joined our church because we had a kitchen in the building.  

To be fair... the majority of Churches of Christ don't have a problem with kitchens either and also use separate communion cups.  There is a segment of churches within Churches of Christ that are against kitchens and fellowship halls along with certain peculiar beliefs about other things.  But, they only make up 10% of the total.  The "one-cup" churches are even more rare.  But, those churches may be more prevalent in certain areas compared to everywhere else.

Every Church of Christ I have ever been a member at has had some sort of kitchen or fellowship hall.  The neighbor you referred to holds a minority opinion for sure.  But, there are some congregations where those beliefs are held.

I've never heard of anyone having a problem taking up an offering on other days of the week.  That's odd, though all congregations I know of do take up an offering on Sunday.

That's not to say I've ever seen a "formal" offering taken up on any day other than Sunday (as in the general funds that go into the church treasury for general use).  But, I've seen collections taken up for various needs or causes many times (certainly not limited to Sundays), though those instances were probably not considered to be the formal "offering."  However, I'm not sure collections taken up in the New Testament were anymore formal than moneys collected for specific causes anyway.  I'm not sure the situations of the collections in the New Testament were ever intended to be the mandate for a formal weekly offering as a matter of course.  But, that's another discussion.

With that said, if someone wants to write a check to a church during the week, I don't know of any Church of Christ congregation that would refuse it because it wasn't given on a Sunday.  

I can't link you to another discussion forum, but if I could, I could send you to one where some Church of Christ folk argue over whether or not humming a hymn is a sin.  They would especially say that you can't hum a hymn on any day besides a Sunday. 

I have been involved with Restoration churches for over 35 years, and never had I heard of such nonsense until I learned that there is an element within the Churches of Christ which have created their own form of the Law which is based on those things which they find to not be "authorized" in the Bible.  They also consider those outside of their "law" to be lost, even those within the Restoration movement who are not part of "the Lord's church," and that would be only those who believe exactly as they do. 

[Tim L]

Well I'm not the first to point out that the main difference is music (no muscial instruments in the Church of Christ).  As far as theology; I'm aware of no other difference.  However, from what I have observed over the years, the Churches of Christ are more closed in their associations with other churches (not taking part in church athletic leauges that contain different churches, not taking part in social ministries such as Angel Food and local prison ministries, etc.).  The independent christian churches seem to have more dealings with other groups.