United States Religion the Restoration Movement (National Institute)

The Restoration Movement Defined
Very early in the 19th century, a significant indigenous American movement developed in which the chief effort was to restore the New Testament pattern of worship and service to God. This was the origin of the first churches to be founded in the United States as compared to those imported from Europe to North America Yet in one sense the roots of the Restoration Movement go back to the early Protestant Reformation, and then of course, still further, to the New Testament.

The Restoration Movement had its beginning when preachers of various denominations and in different parts of the United States sought to unite all professed believers by renouncing denominational creeds and be guided by the New Testament alone. The early leaders were James O’Kelly, Dr. Abner Jones, Elias Smith, Barton W. Stone, and Thomas Campbell. Campbell’s son Alexander was not one of the originators, but he rapidly became the leading champion of the Restoration Movement.

Groups came out of established denominations including the Methodists, Baptists, and Presbyterians. The common concern was that organized denominations had constructed rules and practices that did not come straight out of the Bible. Their goal was to abandon dividing denominations and become united as one church under God’s rule alone, with belief in Jesus as the only model and the Bible as the only sacred book. They wished to do away with creeds and human authority. The autonomy of the local church and the unity of all Christians was to be accomplished by recognizing and following the New Testament pattern of the church. The Bible as a whole was to be the sacred guide, with a proper distinction between the Old and New Testaments.

Three Churches of the Restoration Movement
Churches of the Restoration Movement overlap in their beliefs, resulting in some mergers; yet over the years, differences arose. Three sizable constituencies now exist from this Reformation Movement:


 * Christian Churches and Churches of Christ
 * The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
 * The Churches of Christ (non-instrumental)

Records
These records can be accessed through major collections and repositories as well as individual churches listed in Mac Lynn’s Directory and electronic sources and indices:

Timeline, 1794-1971
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