History of First Christian Church

The history of First Christian Church is rooted in three movements. First, the movement of God as recorded in the Book of Acts; second, the movement of restorationists in the 1800’s; and third, the movement of church planters in 1953.

First, the movement of God. The church came into actual existence on the Day of Pentecost after the resurrection of Jesus. We read about Jesus and His Church in the New Testament. That doesn’t mean we don’t study or believe what is written in the Old Testament; it is God’s word to study, learn, and apply. Yet it is very important for us to understand the Old Testament was the Covenant (contract) with Israel. God used Moses to mediate for Him to the people. The contract basically stated that if the nation would keep the commandments recorded in the law, God would prosper the nation of Israel forever.

The Old Testament gives the creation, history, and fall of the Jewish nation. Their destruction was not God’s fault, rather the people’s. They failed to keep their end of the contract, which was to serve and worship only God. Their fall began through compromise. By mixing the worship of God with idols and the gods of other nations, they rejected their Creator and His wonderful plan of prosperity. Later, around 500 BC, the nation totally left God and the result was destruction.

God spoke through the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel and others (called the Minor Prophets-the last twelve books in the Old Testament), telling the people why their nation would be destroyed and how.

The beauty of the prophets is seen in the promise of God to restore the relationship with His people through a Savior, who would bring the people back to God. The promises of a Messiah are given in prophecies. There are over 300 specific prophecies of a coming Messiah. Salvation, in this era, would be for Jews and all the people of the world. God offers a New Testament (contract) to anyone who wishes to have this relationship restored.

The truth is, not only has Israel rebelled and sinned against God, but we and everyone else has. Sin is breaking God’s commands. The good news is in the New Testament called the “Gospel.” It states Christ died for our sins and offers cleaning and a restored relationship with God. Christ is that promised “Messiah.” Accepting Christ is the most important decision a person could ever make. It means salvation from hell and salvation unto eternal life. For that reason, we must be very careful to learn about our salvation, the benefits and requirements. We do not want to take our salvation lightly and fall into the same situation Israel did, who by compromise left God and His blessings.

The church began at Pentecost (Acts 2). Pentecost simply means fifty days after Passover. The church means the “called out ones.” God has called us out of the world to be His very own children, reflecting His character and glory. Some of the names of the church recorded in the New Testament are: Churches of God, Churches of Christ, and House of God. I Corinthians 1:2- “To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ-their Lord and ours.” Romans 16:16-”Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the Churches of Christ send greetings.” Acts 20:28- “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseer. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with His own blood.” I Timothy 3:15- “. . .if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth.”

The worship of the church was a very important part of their lives. They met on the first day of the week, Sunday, to worship (Acts 20:7-”On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.”) I Corinthians 16:1-2-“Now about the collection for God’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. They engaged in singing, praying, teaching, communion, and giving of offerings to support the work.” Acts 2:42- “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.” Ephesians 5:19-”Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.” Colossians 3:16- “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”

The terms of membership include faith in Christ, repentance of sins, confession that Christ is Lord, and baptism for remission of sins. Mark 16:16- “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Acts 2:38- “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” Romans 10:9-10- “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Romans 6:4- “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” I Peter 3:21- “. . . and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also-not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

The organization of the church is very simple. There is no need for synods, councils, creeds, popes, or other governing agencies. The New Testament teaches each congregation manages their own affairs under the oversight of elders. I Timothy 3:8- “Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain.” Titus 1:5- “The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.”

Deacons, or servants, are given authority to carry out specific tasks, or ministries, within the church. Philippians 1:1- “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons.” Acts 6:1-6- “In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, ‘It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.’ This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.”

Some examples are building, grounds, bus, finance, and benevolence. This doesn’t mean only the deacons and servant leaders can do work for God. The New Testament teaches that every member is a minister of Christ and called to use whatever talents and resources he has to advance God’s Kingdom. Finally, the principal attitude or attribute of the early church may be summarized in one word: LOVE. Jesus said, “By this will all men know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  (John 13:35)

Second, the movement of restorationists in the 1800’s. Departure from this divine pattern had crippled the church over the ages. As men began to mix their ideas with the word of God, denominations began to develop, which actually splintered and divided the body of Christ. The introduction of human ideas had led the Catholic Church to the teaching of apostolic succession and the introduction of the Pope as representing Christ on earth. The Catholic Church introduced other teachings not found in the Bible, such as infant baptism. Protestant churches, developed in the 1500’s, left Catholicism and created denominations with their own creeds that marked their identity. Lutherans had the Augsburg Confession of 1530, Anglicans had the Thirty-Nine Articles of 1563, Catholics had the Decrees of the Council of Trent (1563), Presbyterians had the Westminster Confession of 1646 and Baptists had the Philadelphia Confession of Faith of 1742.

The church of our Lord was not united and continued to fight amongst themselves. Believers were divided, arguing over who was “right,” instead of saving the lost.

That’s why Methodists like James O’Kelly (1735-1828) in Virginia and North Carolina, Baptists like Elias Smith (1769-1846) in New England, Presbyterians like Barton Stone (1772-1844) in Maryland, and  Presbyterians like Thomas Campbell (1763-1854) in Pennsylvania left their denominations, with hundreds of thousands of other believers, to be “Christians only.” Their goal was to restore the unity of all believers, the way Christ had commanded. John 17:23- “I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

The method was to follow the simple pattern of faith and polity found in the Scriptures. In areas of opinion they would be liberal, but in areas of doctrine they would be Biblical. They would be non-judgmental, claiming not to be the only Christians, but to be Christians only. This movement of God was called the Restoration Movement. Today there are millions of believers attending non-denominational Christian churches around the world, still seeking unity amongst all believers and the lost for salvation. The First Christian Church is one of those churches.

An important fact to remember: you are the Church. You can be involved and make First Christian Church a great congregation that moves forward, or your lack of involvement will make it mediocre and ineffective. Christ calls you to be the Church!

Here’s First Christian Church

Around 1870 a number of people who were members of Christian churches in East Tennessee were moving to the growing town of Johnson City, and they began it realize the need for a Christian church here. Fifteen of them organized the First Christian Church on November 12, 1871, in the home of William H. Young on Cedar Place just beyond the familiar tree streets. They agreed to meet to read from the Book of Acts weekly, to receive teaching from appointed leaders, to enjoy fellowship in Christ, and to observe the Lord’s Supper.

Later they met downtown in the building of the Science Hill Male and Female institute and then in a small frame building on the current site of Massengill’s. When that building burned, they constructed a white brick building up the hill on East Main Street in 1906. The congregation grew substantially with the ministries of several out-standing ministers. In 1921, the church began a five-year campaign, which resulted in the formation of Christian churches in Greeneville and Morristown and the following local churches: Second (now East Unaka), Third (now Walnut), and Fourth (now Grandview). They also assisted in starting First Church in Kingsport and the Lynnwood Church.

Several additions were made to the downtown building during the early decades of the 1900s. When a need arose for further space for growth and parking, the congregation purchased 27 acres in North Johnson City in 1961. A sizeable portion of the land was used in starting Appalachian Christian Village for the elderly in 1965-66. (Some members chose to remain at the East Main Street location and organized the Downtown Christian Church.) The church began construction of a new building on the current site in 1971, and as it continued to grow, the building was remodeled and enlarged in 1996. The current membership is over 1,200, and over 200 members were added in 2002.

A staff of over 20 ministers and assistants provides competent leadership for the church with Tim Wallingford as Senior Minister. There is a renewed emphasis on winning others to Christ and also a growing participation in benevolent ministries in the community such as Good Samaritan, Laves and Fishes, and Habitat for Humanity. Many opportunities for learning the scriptures and discerning and using one’s talent in the ministries of the church are provided on Sunday mornings and evenings and Wednesday evenings as well. The church’s dynamic children’s ministries reach about 250 children of the community, and similar youth ministries reach about 50 middle schoolers, 150 high schoolers, and 100 college students. The church provides a weekday preschool program and daily childcare. There are also extensive ministries to women, men and senior adults.

The church participates in cooperative ministries of East Tennessee churches such as the Christian Student Fellowship at ETSU, the Christian children’s home in Elizabethton, the Christian ministry to the handicapped near Knoxville, the Appalachian Christian Camp near Unicoi, and Appalachian Christian Village. The annual budget is over $1,000,000 and over 20% is contributed to the ministries of missionaries in New York City, Mexico, India, Kenya, Brazil, Germany, and other countries and to the educational institutions such as Milligan College and Emmanuel School of Religion locally and to Johnson Bible College near Knoxville. The church participates in union worship services with other local churches and also supports the fellowship of Christian churches throughout the Mountain Empire and both nationally and world-wide.