The Churches of Christ (non-institutional)

The Churches Of Christ (non-institutional)

The label "non-institutional" refers to a distinct fellowship within the churches of Christ who do not agree with the support of para-church organizations (colleges, orphans' homes, organized mission efforts, etc.) by local congregations. They contend that the New Testament includes no authority for churches' support of such institutions. Instead they feel that it is a responsibility and duty of the individual to assist those in need. These local churches became separated from "mainline" (pro-institutional) churches of Christ because of these viewpoints, developing into a distinct segment of congregations by the 1960s. Whether a congregation supports the "sponsoring church" custom is one way to distinguish between the "non-institutional" and "mainstream" congregations. The congregations that advocate financial support or the pooling of resources for the benefit of other entities or organized external evangelical efforts are sometimes called "sponsoring churches" and identified as "mainstream."

This non-organized fellowship of non-institutional congregations is estimated at about 120,000 members, accounting for around 9% of the members of Churches of Christ in the United States and for about 15% of congregations. The degree to which members of a congregation associate and interact with members of other Churches of Christ varies greatly by area, from none at all to a considerable degree. Its preachers are trained in a variety of ways. Some study at Florida College, which has no formal ties to any church, and a faculty and student body who are largely non-institutional. Most of the preachers are mentored by a more experienced preacher or may be self-trained and proclaimed. No formal degree requirements are needed for an individual to preach.

These congregations generally accept the description "non-institutional", although they do not officially identify as such on signs, letterhead, or other distinctive "official" documents; they reject the epithet "anti" with which they were labeled by some in Churches of Christ in the 1950s and 1960s, and likewise the similar term, "non-cooperation movement". They identify as part of the original church started by Christ. The 19th century Restoration Movement resulted in an increase in the number of U.S. members.

Many outside of these churches sometimes conflate them with other Churches of Christ, which serve the Lord's Supper using a single cup, and/or which refrain from having divided, age-distinct Bible classes ("Sunday School"). In addition, another small group within the Church of Christ is known as the "mutual edification" congregations. They do not use preachers but encourage members of the congregation to lead the worship activities. While the one-cup, non-class, and mutual edification congregations are almost always non-institutional, they became independent well before the main division among congregations over institutions. Members of the three groups have little association, with the least occurring between the institutional and non-institutional branches.