Independent Christian Churches

Independent Christian Churches/ Churches of Christ (Instrumental)

The Independent Christian Churches/Churches of Christ are a part of the Restoration Movement and share historical roots with the Christian Churches (Disciples of Christ) and the a cappella Churches of Christ

These churches are best defined as those in the Restoration Movement who have chosen not to be identified with the denomination styled as The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The main difference between the Independent Christian Churches/ Churches of Christ (Instrumental) and the a cappella Churches of Christ is the use of instrumental music in worship, the churches are otherwise fundamentally identical. There are no denominational ties, and therefore, no official statistical data, but the 2006 Directory of the Ministry^, documents some 5,500 congregations. Many estimate the number to be over 6,000.

"No Name But the Divine"
The churches are independent congregations and typically go by the name "Christian Church" (without the tag "Independent"), but often use the name "church of Christ" as well. Though isolated exceptions may occur, it is generally agreed within the movement that no personal or family names should be attached to a congregation which Christ purchased and established with his own blood, though geographical labels are acceptable. Thus, it is common for a congregation to be known as "[City Name] Christian Church," but in some areas they may be known as "[The/First] Christian Church [of/at] [City Name]." In recent history, individual congregations have made the decision to change their formal name to break with traditional nomenclature and to adopt more generic names like "Christ's Church at [City Name]", "[City Name] Community Christian Church", or "[City Name] Community Fellowship". The tendency in Restoration churches to choose names such as "Christian Church" and "Church of Christ" can cause difficulties in identifying the affiliation (if any) of an individual church based solely on its name.

Our Name comes from the bible "the churches of Christ solute you" and several other references in the Bible.
Christian Church and Church of Christ mean the same thing because Christian means to be "of Christ"
(I.E.- "The Flag of America" means the same as "The American Flag")

Separation from the "Christian Church, Disciples of Christ" Churches
(why we are not the same church)
The Independent Christian Churches/churches of Christ (Instrumental) and Christian Church, Disciples of Christ (DoC) parted ways due primarily to disagreements on the denominationalization of the DoC. The split occurred as local congregations refused to take part in rapidly developing extra-congregational organizations that eventually evolved into a General Assembly, and as a "Denomination" which is what drove the Restoration Movement in the first place. The purpose of the Restoration Movement is to "Restore" the new testament church, which is nondenominational. They were also disturbed by what they saw as liberal/modernist influences on DoC teaching. This came to a head at the 1926 DoC Convention in Memphis, Tennessee. The official DoC split from the Restoration Movement Independent Christian Churches/Churches of Christ is difficult to date.
During this time the DoC Denomination made several attempts to take over facility and property ownership from many Independent congregations and Independents attempted to take over facility and property ownership from many DoC congregations. In this 45+ years both types of congregations were forced to seek legal representation. Representation was necessary in order to maintain ownership of their property and to prevent eviction and forfeiture of assets.
The Disciples of Christ Denomination tried to cease the property of the Paden City Christian Church (at the time called Main Street Church of Christ) at this time. The church won its case against the DoC.

Identity
Because the Independent Christian Churches/churches of Christ are independent congregations there is no set creed, but The Directory of the Ministry contains the following general description:
"Members of Christian Churches and churches of Christ believe in the deity and Lordship of Jesus Christ, the inspiration of the Bible, and the autonomy of local congregations. Following the basic principles of the Restoration Movement they accept and teach believers' baptism (by immersion) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins; they assemble for worship on the first day of the week, making the observance of the Lord's Supper (Communion) a focal point in such worship. They seek the unity of all believers on the basis of faith in and obedience to Christ as the divine Son of God and the acceptance of the Bible particularly the New Testament as their all-sufficient rule of faith and practice."