A Brief History
Disciples Christian Church was born in January of 1964 when 50 families from First Christian downtown were commissioned to start a new congregation on the east side of Bartlesville, with the Rev. Dr. G.L. (Andy) Messenger serving as our first minister.
We are part of a denomination known as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the oldest denomination with roots in American soil. Our denomination's name represents two movements that came together on the western frontier in the early 1800's.
Father and son Scottish Presbyterians, Thomas and Alexander Campbell, believed strongly that no Christians should ever be denied partaking of the Lord's Supper and preferred the name Disciples of Christ.
Another Presbyterian, Barton W. Stone, who liked the name Christian, was a zealous advocate of church unity, believing nothing should separate Christian people. The two movements united in 1832.
Today the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) consists of nearly 700,000 members in almost 4,000 congregations around the United States and Canada.
The Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins, pastor of Disciples Christian Church in Bartlesville from 1997 to 2006, serves as General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and preached at the National Prayer Service in Washington, D.C., the day after President Barak Obama's inauguration.
