About Prairie Avenue
Prairie Avenue Christian Church is located on the east side of Decatur, Illinois at the south east corner of 22nd Street and Prairie Avenue. There is more to Prairie Avenue than our history and our building! Why are we proud of our history and building? We will use this page to provide the answer. The About Us page provides the following information:
- A Brief Disciples denomination history
- A Discussion of Disciples' beliefs and practices
- A Discussion of the official Disciples' symbol
History of Disciples
Who is in charge here?
Disciple churches practice a congregational form of government. The church calls its own ministers, owns its own property, determines its own policies, and elects its own leaders. Officers include trustees, elders, deacons, and other officers serving various terms along with a Moderator who is elected yearly to be the head of the congregation and chairman of the Church Council.
The congregation determines its own membership requirements. We practice baptism by immersion of believers upon confession of faith, but accept transfer of membership by any Christian from another denomination and recognize previous baptism, whether or not by immersion.
What Do Disciples believe?
This is a more difficult question that one would think!
Our movement began in the then-frontier lands of Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, when the limited ability to travel, and limited number of churches largely determined where one would attend. This allowed a variety of traditions and practices to come together. Our early leaders rejected the usage of creeds, which is simply a formal statement of belief. They discovered quickly, as others, that articulating a precise statement of faith is a very tedious task, causing division and exclusion.
The preamble to a document known as "The Design" is the nearest expression of a creed we have. While perhaps lacking in strict rules or guides, it fully expresses our central affirmation of the goodness of God that we know through Jesus Christ. The preamble follows:
As members of the Christian Church, We confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and proclaim him Lord and Savior of the world.
In Christ's name and by his grace we accept our mission of witness and service to all people.
We rejoice in God, maker of heaven and earth, and in God’s covenant of love which binds us to God and to one another.
Through baptism into Christ we enter into newness of life and are made one with the whole people of God.
In the communion of the Holy Spirit we are joined together in discipleship and in obedience to Christ.
At the Table of the Lord we celebrate with thanksgiving the saving acts and presence of Christ.
Within the universal church we receive the gift of ministry and the light of scripture.
In the bonds of Christian faith we yield ourselves to God that we may serve the One whose kingdom has no end.
Blessing, glory, and honor be to God forever. Amen.
Again, at the expense of being redundant, it is difficult to be specific about Disciple beliefs since we stress freedom and diversity—but most Disciples do share these basic beliefs:
· The Bible is a guide for Christian living and faith and truly reveals God’s purpose in the world: to free us from sin through Christ. Each person is free to explore and interpret the Scriptures according to his or her own experience.
· Through the teachings and grace of Jesus Christ and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, God is revealed in many ways.
· Christ is the Child of God, part of God’s own divinity; the Son of Man and Woman, living on earth as human, our Savior, with us always.
· Public Confession of belief in Christ and repentance of sins; acceptance of Jesus into our lives.
· Open communion and the unity of all Christians in love of Christ. Doctrines and human differences should not be allowed to divide believers from each other.
· Inclusive Ministry in the life and work of the church. All members are “ministers” - entitled to interpret the Scriptures and perform many church functions.
· The Ordinances of the Gospels are:
1. Baptism, an act by which a believer enters into the church universal and
2. Communion, the heart of worship.
In keeping with our plea for the unity of all Christians, we have contributed leadership and support to the church councils since their beginnings. We have also refused to exclude anyone from the communion service of our congregation for we only serve at the table; it is the Lord's Supper. We come to the table each Sunday, as was the practice of the early church.
We are actively affiliated with:
the Decatur Area Cluster of Christian Churches (Disciples of Christ)
the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Illinois and Wisconsin
the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the U.S. and Canada
the World Convention of Churches of Christ
the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.
the World Council of Churches
The Chalice
The chalice symbolizes the central place of communion in worship for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The X-shaped cross of the disciple Andrew is a reminder of the ministry of each person and the importance of evangelism.
