The Central Plea
Unity was not a secondary concern for Stone-Campbell leaders—it was the movement's organizing conviction. Thomas Campbell opened his 1809 Declaration and Address with the declaration that 'The Church of Christ upon earth is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one.' Division among Christians was not just unfortunate; it contradicted the church's very nature and wounded its witness.
“Division among Christians is a horrid evil, fraught with many evils.” — Thomas Campbell
Unity as a Lived Practice
Unity was pursued through open communion, shared Scripture, and refusing divisive tests of fellowship. The plea called believers to gather around Christ’s commands rather than human creeds.
Christians Only, Not the Only Christians
Barton W. Stone and his colleagues championed a slogan that became definitive: 'Christians only, not the only Christians.' They wore no denominational name, subscribed to no human creed, and claimed no exclusive franchise on salvation. Instead, they sought to recognize all who confessed Christ as Lord, welcoming them to the table and baptismal waters without requiring adherence to theological systems.
“Christians only, not the only Christians.” — Attributed within the early movement
This was not indifference to truth, but confidence that unity could be found on a simpler foundation: the person of Christ, the testimony of Scripture, and the practices of the early church.
Scripture Over Creeds
Alexander Campbell argued relentlessly that creeds—however well-intentioned—had become barriers to Christian unity. Each denomination defended its particular formulation, and each statement of faith became a test excluding believers who could not affirm every clause. Campbell proposed a radical alternative: let the Bible alone be the church's creed.
“Nothing ought to be received into the faith or worship of the church, or be made a term of communion, that is not as old as the New Testament.” — Thomas Campbell, Declaration and Address (1809)
By returning to the 'ancient order of things,' Christians could unite on what the apostles taught and practiced, leaving later doctrinal elaborations as matters of opinion rather than tests of fellowship.
Unity in Practice
The unity plea took tangible form in shared practices: believer's baptism by immersion, weekly observance of the Lord's Supper, congregational singing without instruments, and local church autonomy. These were not arbitrary traditions but deliberate choices meant to restore New Testament simplicity and provide common ground for all Christians.
Practices That Gather
- Open table: Christ’s, not ours to fence.
- Believer’s baptism: a simple, shared entrance.
- Shared names—‘Christian,’ ‘Disciple’—pointing to Christ alone.
The Lexington Merger of 1832
The unity plea bore visible fruit when Stone's 'Christians' and Campbell's 'Disciples' merged in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1832. Raccoon John Smith and Stone shook hands before thousands, symbolizing the possibility of Christian union without creedal conformity. The merger was imperfect and later fractured, but it demonstrated the movement's commitment to its founding vision.
“Let us, then, my brethren, be no longer Campbellites or Stoneites, New Lights or Old Lights, or any other kind of lights, but let us all come to the Bible, and to the Bible alone, as the only book in the world that can give us all the light we need.” — Raccoon John Smith, Lexington merger (1832)
Unity and Liberty
The unity plea was paired with a commitment to freedom of conscience. Campbell's maxim—'In essentials, unity; in opinions, liberty; in all things, charity'—became a guiding principle. Unity did not require uniformity of thought, but shared allegiance to Christ and willingness to reason together from Scripture.
Why Unity Mattered
For these reformers, division dishonored Christ and hindered evangelism. A fractured church contradicted Jesus's prayer 'that they may all be one' (John 17:21) and made the gospel less credible to a watching world. Unity was not organizational merger but visible fellowship: one table, one baptism, one Lord.
Legacy and Ongoing Tension
The unity plea remains central to Churches of Christ, Christian Churches, and Disciples of Christ—even as these groups themselves divided over questions of instruments, missions, and biblical authority. The irony of a unity movement fragmenting has prompted ongoing reflection: Does unity require agreement on practice, or only on Christ? Can a movement remain reformable and still hold together?
The plea endures, not as a realized ideal, but as a persistent call to recognize the church's essential oneness and to seek visible expressions of that unity in every generation.