Central Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ)

Core Values

• Welcome All People and answer God's call into Christian community
• Bring Others To Christ and proclaim God's truths
• Seek Unity Of All Christians and share the Lord's Supper with any believer in Jesus
• Nurture Spiritual Growth through worship, prayer, bible study, fellowship and Lord's Supper as the New Testament Church in Acts 2:42
• Believe Everyone Is Called to a loving Christian ministry and each give time, talents,  finances
• Reach Out To A Hurting World in service to others, in the spirit of God's love
• Be Excellent In What We Do never for ourselves, but always for the sake of others

Basic Beliefs

As members of Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) we lack recognition of some denominations, which is good. We never set out to be a denomination but rather, to foster unity for the sake of Christ's mission to become a distinct group within the universal church and are unique.

Ten attributes identify and clarify the unique combination of qualities of Disciples of Christ. There is no single truth about us that is not also true of other Christians, but the combination is unusual.

The attributes that collectively identify the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ):

• Weekly Practice of the Lord's Supper: Disciples' lives center on The Table and, as such, are connected to God through Jesus and one another.
• Baptism by Immersion: Following the earliest tradition of the church, we demonstrate commitment to God by letting waters of baptism give witness to God's grace upon us and to our faith and belief in Jesus.
• Open Membership:  We do not insist that our baptism practice is the only valid one since we know it is God's action, far more than our own.
• Attitude of Tolerance and Rejection of Creeds as Tests of Faith: We celebrate diversity as a strength and we do not expect everyone's interpretation of the Bible or Christian life to be identical.
• Importance of Scripture: We believe the Bible is the inspired word of God and is best heard and understood within the community of faith with the diverse insight which that context provides.
• Congregational and Voluntary Connection: The local congregation is given authority over its life and ministries and yet shares resources freely with the connected church, our denomination, knowing the mission of the church is not just local.
• Inclusion of Leadership of Women:  We believe God provides spiritual gifts to all and does not restrict any office or role by gender.
• Emphasis on Lay Leadership:  Aside from performing weddings, which are  regulated by the state, lay persons in our church are permitted and encouraged to do all things, including presiding over and offering Eucharistic prayers at the Lord's Table, often restricted to ordained clergy in other denominations.
• Educated Clergy:  Educational and professional standards are set for ministers, licensed and ordained, and we hold our clergy to ethical accountability through denominational oversight.
• Ecumenical Life:  Disciples pray and strive for unity in the church and attempt to work in ways to bridge any separation in Christ's body.