because it divides or denominates. We are members of the church of Christ, which was established by Christ through the instrumentality of the Holy Spirit inspired apostles on the day of Pentecost. Certainly this church was not a denomination, since to denominate means to divide, and the church then was one body.
    WE HAVE NO RULE OF DISCIPLINE over us except the New Testament. We have no creed except faith in Christ as God's Son and our Savior, the Founder and Foundation of the one true church. It is true that tracts, articles, and books have been written explaining this position of undenominational Christianity, just as I am writing this tract, but these are not authorized disciplines, being made tests of fellowship over any congregation.
    We have no ecclesiastical organization over any church or congregation. Every local congregation is free under the authority of Christ and His Word.
    WE HAVE NOT ADDED or subtracted any practice, teaching, or ordinance to that of the New Testament Church. We desire to restore the church founded by Christ and His apostles, as recorded in the New Testament. To do this we approach the New Testament historically, rather than theologically. That is, we do not impose theological views or opinion upon passages from the Scriptures, but simply attempt to do what the divinely inspired apostles did. Although man may differ over the meaning or interpretation of a passage of Scripture, or a practice, it is easy to ascertain what the apostles actually did.
    The universal mind of scholars is agreed on what these practices were. Thus we know that they preached Christ as God's Son, who died to effect men's salvation, that He arose, and that He ascended into heaven. They commanded people to believe this message and, believing, to repent, or change their way of life. They demanded of those desiring entrance into the church a confession of faith, and they baptized these by immersion. Thus, when individuals believed, repented, confessed, and were baptized, God added them to His Church. No man or group of men voted people into His church, neither did they set down the requirements for entrance into the church. These requirements were given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. For church life the apostles practiced prayer and the weekly observance of the Lord's Supper (Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 11:17-34), which was a simple spiritual remembrance of Christ's death by eating unleavened bread and drinking of the fruit of the vine.
    They urged people to live according to the teachings of Christ and to support the work of the church. For these historical records read the book of Acts, especially Acts 2 and Acts 8. We endeavor to imitate these practices. Our motto in this respect is, "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, love." Or, "No creed but Christ; no book but the Bible; no ordinances but those of the New Testament; no name but the name Christian."
    One can readily see that there were no denominations in the New Testament. There was one true church of Christ, His body, made up of penitent believers who were baptized into Him (Ga. 3:21). Through the years divisions, sects, and denominations arose over human opinions, doctrinal corruptions, and the pride of men who built denominations around themselves. Around the turn of the 19th century, there arose, simultaneously, in different places around the world, under the direction of different men, an effort to unite all professed Christians by restoring this true and only church of Christ, in doctrine, life, and practice.
    Those making up this movement identified themselves with the church of Christ (nondenominational) by following the New Testament pattern without human additions or subtractions, without denominational names, organizations, creeds, or practices. The growth of those taking this position has been astounding. It is true that in the last half century some who professed this position have been unfaithful to it, and have tried to form another denomination around the movement by crystallizing the name "Disciples of Christ" into a sectarian name, by making an organization known as the United Christian