Disciples Ecumenical Consultative Council
Disciples Ecumenical Consultative Council Disciples World Communion | |
---|---|
Type | Communion |
Classification | Protestant |
Orientation | Restoration Movement (Disciples), Reformed |
Polity | Congregational |
General Secretary | Paul S. Tché |
Moderator | Shernett Smith |
Headquarters | Indianapolis |
Origin | 1979 |
Congregations | 14,529 |
Members | 2,926,272 |
Official website | disciplesworldcommunion |
The Disciples Ecumenical Consultative Council (DECC), also named the Disciples of Christ World Communion, is a worldwide council of member churches associated with the Disciples of Christ, including United and Uniting Churches which Disciples churches have joined. It is an associate member of the World Communion of Reformed Churches. The headquarters is in Indianapolis.
History
[edit]The Council has its origins in a meeting organized by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Nairobi during the World Council of Churches conference in 1975.[1] The Council was officially founded in 1979 in Kingston, Jamaica by 12 denominations.[2] According to a denomination census released in 2020, it claimed 19 member denominations and 4.5 million members.[3]
Member list
[edit]In 2024, the DECC had 18 members:[4]
Country | denominational subfamily | Denomination | Number of congregations | Number of members | Year |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Argentina | Disciples of Christ | Evangelical Church of the Disciples of Christ | 7 | 700 | 2006[5] |
Australia | Churches of Christ | Churches of Christ in Australia | 430 | 40,000 | 2006[6] |
Canada | Disciples of Christ | Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Canada | 25 | 2,606 | 2006[7] |
Democratic Republic of the Congo | Disciples of Christ | Church of Christ in Congo - Community of Disciples of Christ | 193 | 650,000 | 2006[8]
|
Ghana | Churches of Christ | United Churches of Christ of Christ (Ghana) | - | - | - |
India | United Churches (Presbyterians, Anglicans, Methodists and Disciples of Christ) | Church of North India | 4,000 | 1,250,000 | 2018[9][10] |
Jamaica | United Churches (Presbyterians, Congregationalists and Disciples of Christ) | United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands | 204 | 60,000 | 2006[11] |
Malawi | Churches of Christ | Church of Christ in Malawi | 4,000 | 75,000 | 1991[12][13] |
Mexico | Disciples of Christ | Association of Evangelical Christian Churches (Disciples of Christ) | - | - | - |
New Zealand | Churches of Christ | Association of Churches of Christ in New Zealand | 33 | 2,000 | 2006[14] |
Paraguay | Disciples of Christ | Disciples of Christ Church in Paraguay | 12 | - | 2020[15] |
Puerto Rico | Disciples of Christ | Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Puerto Rico | 105 | 19,000 | 2024[16] |
South Africa | Congregational | United Congregational Church of Southern Africa | 450 | 500,000 | 2013[17] |
United Kingdom | United Churches (Presbyterians, Congregationalists and Disciples of Christ) | United Reformed Church | 1,383 | 46,481 | 2018[18] |
United Kingdom | Churches of Christ | Fellowship of the Churches of Christ in England | 63 | 2,621 | 2020[19] |
United States | Disciples of Christ | Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) | 3,624 | 277,864 | 2022[20] |
Vanuatu | Churches of Christ | Churches of Christ - Vanuatu | - | - | - |
Zimbabwe | Churches of Christ | Association of Churches of Christ in Zimbabwe | - | - | - |
Global | Total | Ecumenical Disciples Advisory Council | 14,529 | 2,926,272 | 2004-2022 |
Beliefs
[edit]The Council is an associate member of the World Communion of Reformed Churches.[21]
References
[edit]- ^ Ans Joachim van der Bent, Historical Dictionary of Ecumenical Christianity, Scarecrow Press, Lanham MD, 1994, p. 76
- ^ J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann, Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, 2010, p. 891
- ^ Disciples Ecumenical Consultative Council, About the DECC, disciplesworldcommunion.org, USA, retrieved December 5, 2020
- ^ "Disciples Ecumenical Advisory Council". Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ "Evangelical Church of the Disciples of Christ in Argentina". World Council of Churches. January 1975. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ "Churches of Christ in Australia". World Council of Churches. January 1948. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ "Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Canada". January 1948. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
- ^ "Church of Christ in Congo - Community of the Disciples of Christ". January 1965. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
- ^ "Church of North India". World Methodist Council. November 9, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- ^ "Church of North India". January 1948. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
- ^ "United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands". World Council of Churches. January 1967. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
- ^ "A brief history of the Churches of Christ in Africa". November 1991. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ Erik Tryggestad (January 1, 2011). "The face of Malawi: In a small African Nation, Churches of Christ Thrive". Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ "Christian Churches New Zealand". World Council of Churches. January 1948. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ "Disciples of Christ Church in Paraguay". Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ "Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Puerto Rico". Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ "History of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa". Archived from the original on July 25, 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
- ^ "United Reformed Church Statistics". Retrieved April 1, 2019.
- ^ "Statistics of the Fellowship of Churches of Christ in England". Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ Jeffrey Walton (September 15, 2023). "Review: Disciples of Christ suffer huge drop in membership after 2019". Retrieved April 15, 2024.
- ^ World Communion of Reformed Churches, Members, wcrc.ch, Germany, retrieved December 5, 2020