We are the Evangelical Christian Church in Canada (Christian Disciples). As a mainstream, nondenominational evangelical movement in North America, it traces its historical roots to the formal organization of the Christian Church in 1804 in Bourbon County, Kentucky, U.S.A., under the branch of the Evangelical Christian Church (Christian Disciples). The denomination in the United States was influenced by the leadership of Barton Warren Stone (1772-1844), a former Presbyterian minister. This group reformed their beliefs regarding Christian unity in the church during the Second Great Awakening of the early 19th century.

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EvangelicalChristianChurch in Canada (Christian Disciples)
The Evangelical Christian Church in Canada (Christian Disciples), abbreviated as
ECCIC, is a conservative Protestant denomination, a branch of the larger Stone-Campbell
Restoration Movement in the United States and other countries. They provide a perfect example
of how to research independent congregations, and what that really means. To place the ECCC
into context, it can be thought of as the fourth, more distant, a branch of the Restoration
Movement in Canada, whereas the United States usually has three main ones. The ECCC is more
evangelical in orientation than the others, which may explain why it evades the historical
accountings of the larger Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement. From the perspective of family
history, the topic is still developing, and, therefore, its background is necessary.
The mission of the ECCC is to unite Christians under the restored authority of the New
Testament, but unlike the overall Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement, the ECCC is distinctly
Canadian. It became evangelical, choosing to include all Christians in its mission while seeking
to continue the restoration of first-century New Testament Christianity. It is not exclusive, even
though some branches of the Restoration Movement are in North America. The ECCC is
headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario. In the historical records, such as the censuses, it is described
as “Christian Disciples.”
Each of its congregations, thought of in terms of an assembly, is independent and governs
its own affairs. The fellowships of like-minded congregations are members of the ECCC
organization, which functions to ordain ministers and assists the congregations under its care. Its
vision is for non-denominational Christianity to work effectively.
In the census reports, many Christian Disciples or some variation of the name can be
documented. Many of these people were born in Ireland. The assumption about them, although
perhaps not accurate for all, is that they joined in Canada. It may be within a congregation
currently belonging to the ECCC or another branch of the Restoration Movement that a
birthplace in Ireland is preserved. If it is not, as with all church records, additional clues may be
found that lead to another record that does have the information.
The ECCC history, as is researching it, is complex and convoluted because all
Restoration Movement congregations have traditionally been autonomous, being self-governing.
For most of its history, compatible congregations could form and close. No governing
headquarters bound them all together. Many congregations would align specifically with the
ECCC, but most eventually would join other like-minded evangelical denominations.
What did connect these congregations was the Restoration Theology, averring that the
hundreds of Christian denominations were unnatural and contrary to New Testament teachings.
Its logic is rather straightforward, even if the application has proved problematic at times. If all
Christians abandoned the artificial creeds and practices grafted into the churches over the
centuries and returned to only the teachings of the New Testament, they could restore the New
Testament Church as described in the Bible, with Jesus as the head. In other words, they could
bypass the errors of Catholicism, Orthodoxy, and Protestantism in favor of a purer, first-century
Christianity.
Restorationism is not a new idea and can be found in numerous faith groups, including
Adventists, Baptists, Mormons, and Pentecostals, to name only a few. In the United States, as a
result of the continuing influence of the Second Great Awakening, a distinct version of
restorationism emerged in the form of the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement, coalescing in

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1832. It shaped the array of restorationist congregations in Canada. The four distinct branches
with common roots in congregations in Canada today are:
 Christian Church/Churches of Christ
 Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
 Church of Christ (non-instrumental)
 Evangelical Christian Church in Canada (Christian Disciples)
The first three were the main branches in the United States, while the last was a uniquely
Canadian interpretation. The focus of this chapter is on the ECCC, which can and cannot be
divorced from the history of its larger American counterpart. For more information on the
American roots of the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement, see Dwight A. Radford’s
“Church Records” chapter in American Scots-Irish Research: Strategies and Sources in the
Quest for Ulster-Scots Origins (Orting, Washington: Family Roots Publishing, 2020).
Because the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement had such an impact on the Canadian
restoration congregations, some reference works, from both sides of the border, are helpful.
These also demonstrate the background works which can be used in reconstructing the idea of a
movement founded upon the idea of independent congregations. Recommended are:
Broadus, Edwin. How the Disciples Came Together in Early Ontario. Beamsville, Ontario:
Gospel Herald Foundation, 2009.
Butchart, Reuben. The Disciples of Christ in Canada Since 1830. Toronto, Ontario: Canadian
Headquarters’ Publications, Churches of Christ (Disciples), 1949.
Cummins, D. Durane. The Disciples: A Struggle for Reformation. St. Louis, Missouri: Chalice
Press, 2009.
Foster, Douglas A., Paul M. Blowers, Anthony L. Dunnavant, and D. Newell William’s The
Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans
Publishing Co., 2005.
Garrett, Leroy. The Stone-Campbell Movement: The Story of the American Restoration
Movement. Rev. Ed. Joplin, Missouri: College Press, 1994.
Hughes, Richard. Reviving the Ancient Faith: The Story of Churches of Christ in America.
Abilene, Texas: ACU Press, 2008.
Lavigne, Dr. David P. The History of the Evangelical Christian Church in Canada (Christian
Disciples. Waterloo, Ontario: ECCC, 2013.
McAllister, Lester and William E. Tucker. Journey in Faith: A History of the Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ). St. Louis, Missouri: Chalice Press, 1975.
North, James B. Union in Truth: An Interpretive History of the Restoration Movement.
Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Publishing, 1994.

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Webb, Henry E. In Search of Christian Unity: A History of the Restoration Movement. Rev. Ed.
Abilene, Texas: ACU Press, 2003.
Apart from congregations created, or at least influenced, through the American Stone-
Campbell Restoration Movement, there were restorationist churches not aligned with them. To
some degree, they embraced many similar restoration principles. These congregations and
fellowships, some of which can still be found today, include names such as:
 Canadian Evangelical Christian Churches
 Evangelical Christian Churches
 Christian Churches of North America
 Christian Missionary Churches
 Bible Evangelical Churches
 Community Churches
 Evangelical Congregational Churches
 Congregational Christian Churches
 Evangelical Protestant Churches
Some of these are Germanic in origin, arising from the Lutheran and Reformed traditions. At
some point, any of these congregations, within the greater fellowship, might or might not have
been associated or at least, inspired by the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement.
In the present discussion, the establishments of churches or denominations cannot be
thought of in terms of splitting or merging. Those are impossible concepts with independent
congregations. The consideration is only about what influenced the developing movement, and
with which one’s individual congregations aligned over the decades.
The beliefs of the Canadian restorationist congregations were affected by Scottish
Baptists from Scotland, the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement from the United States, the
Free-Will Baptists from Canada and the United States, and the Wesleyan-Holiness Movement
from both Canada and the United States. Consequently, when the word “merge” or “separate” is
used, it is not to be taken literally because independent congregations cannot merge or separate.
They can, however, choose to fellowship or not fellowship with another.
The first congregation was founded in 1810 when the Scottish Baptist immigrants
gathered as the first “Christians,” meeting at the Crossroads in Stratford, Queens County, Prince
Edward Island. The period was the same as the one in which restorationism was being explored
and preached in the United States. The Scottish Baptists were technically not Baptists in the
traditional sense; they acquired the label because they practiced believers’ baptisms, by
immersion, as opposed to Scottish Presbyterianism.
The congregations were also derived from the Christian Connection (Connexion).
Through the Christian Connection (Connexion) of New Englanders Elias Smith and Abner
Jones, 33 congregations had been planted in Ontario by 1834, introducing the ideas of the Stone-
Campbell Restorationists to Canada from America. The groups of independent, like-minded
restorationist-type congregations combined with the “Disciples,” who were influenced by the
American Scot-Irish reformer Alexander Campbell and his father Thomas Campbell as well as
Restorationists American Barton W. Stone and his “Christians.” In the United States in 1832,
these Christians and Disciples united. The writings of Alexander Campbell and Barton W. Stone
circulated among the Canadian restoration congregations in the 1830s, deeply impressing them.

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In Canada, they often called their churches “Christian Disciples.” The Canadian congregations
mixed British restorationism (Scottish Baptists) with the American Stone-Campbell
restorationism (Christians/Disciples), producing the Canadian version of restorationism
(Christian Disciples).
In 1860, the loose assembly of restoration congregations in both countries was known as
the Evangelical Christian Church (Christian Disciples). In 1905, most of The Evangelical
Christian Church unified with the Evangelical Christian Churches of America, the
Congregational Church, and the Christian Congregation. Other congregations affiliated with the
Stone-Campbell Disciples/Christian churches.
The name Canadian Evangelical Christian Church, the umbrella organization, was
conferred in 1992. It was reorganized to reflect the current name, Evangelical Christian Church
in Canada (Christian Disciples), in 2001.
ECCC Theology
The core Restoration Theology is to discard anything deemed artificially grafted over the
centuries into Christianity, including the name of the church. The belief is that a divine name, or
at least description, is Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, Church of Christ, Church of God,
and Christian Disciples. Names created by humans are rejected, those such as Methodist and
Lutheran, among many others.
The ECCC practices open communion with other Christians and baptism by immersion
for converts. It holds to an “open membership” wherein baptisms from other denominations are
recognized and received upon transfer into an ECCC congregation. Both men and women are
accepted into the ministry. Congregations are led by ordained ministers along with elders and
deacons, many of whom are women.
The ECCC motto is “Unity in the essentials, liberty in non-essentials, and love in all
things,” summing up the mission and relationship with other evangelical Christians. It also
separates itself from other expressions of the Restoration Movement. They include the Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ), which has moved to a Mainline Liberal Protestant position, taking
an ecumenical approach to Christianity at one end. On the other end of the spectrum is the non-
instrumental Church of Christ, in which independent congregations’ depictions of themselves
span from being “Christians only” to “the only Christians.”
The division in the main Restoration Movement is the balance between the concepts of
unity and restoration. While reformer Alexander Campbell could balance the two concepts, his
follows had a more difficult time. As a result, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) focused
on unity to the point that in 2019 a full communion agreement was reached with the United
Church of Canada. On the other hand, the non-instrumental Church of Christ focused on the
restoration portion of the message, seeking to identify what is “biblical” and acceptable practice
and what is not.
The ECCC considers itself a nondenominational expression of evangelicalism. Believing
in a creed or even an accepted biblical interpretation is not required. Thus, the clergy can serve in
other denominations while still holding ministerial credentials with the ECCC, and the members
are allowed freedom of thought and conscience and a personal interpretation of the Bible.
Two sacraments are practiced in the ECCC, baptism and the Lord’s Supper
(Communion). Another practice, although it is not a sacrament, is foot washing, taken from the
New Testament. The ECCC is not unique in this ritual. Other faith groups, such as the
Anabaptists and the Seventh-day Adventists, have foot washing services.

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Solid theological books from the three main branches of the Restoration Movement and
the ECCC can be useful in understanding influences and the evolution of thought in general:
Cottrell, Jack. The Faith Once for All: Bible Doctrine for Today. Joplin, Missouri: College Press
Publishing, 2002. (A major publication from the Christian Church/Churches of Christ
perspective.)
Lewis, Jack P. Basic Beliefs. Nashville, Tennessee: 21st Century Christian Publishing, Inc., 2013.
(Written from a mainstream non-instrumental Church of Christ perspective.)
Powell, Mark E., John Mark Hicks and Greg McKinzie. Discipleship in Community: A
Theological Vision for the Future. Abilene, Texas: ACU Press, 2020. (Written from a
progressive non-instrumental Church of Christ perspective.)
Sprinkle, Stephen V. The Disciples and Theology: Understanding the Faith of a People in
Covenant. St. Louis, Missouri: Chalice Press, 1999. (Written from a Christian Church (Disciples
of Christ) perspective.)
Turner, Rex A., Sr., Don Shackelford, Ed. Biblical Theology: Fundamentals of the Faith. Rev.
Ed. 1989. Montgomery, Alabama: Amridge University Press, 2010. (Written from a traditional
logic-based argument approach by the non-instrumental Church of Christ perspective.)
Wharton, Edward C. The Church of Christ: The Distinctive Nature of the New Testament
Church. Nashville, Tennessee: Gospel Advocate Company, 1997. (Written from mainstream a
non-instrumental Church of Christ perspective.)
Williamson, Clark M. Way of Blessing, Way of Life: A Christian Theology. St. Louis, Missouri:
Calais Press, 1999. (Written from a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) perspective.)
Christian Disciples Records
One of the main problems with researching ancestors who belonged to an assortment of
autonomous, nondenominational congregations is that their faith group is listed by numerous
names in the religion column of the censuses. They can be found as Christian Disciples,
Christian, Disciples of Christ, Christian Church, and the Church of Christ. Furthermore, many
congregations might have been under the care of, for instance, a local Baptist association,
resulting in “Baptist” even if they were not. Such was the circumstance of the first congregation
of Christian Disciples in Stratford, Queens County, Prince Edward Island, which was a charge of
local Baptists from 1907 to 1947.
However, of these terms, “Christian” is the most difficult because it is so vague. Does it
mean Christian Brethren, Bible Christian, or simply a nondenominational Christian? Unless
ahead of time, a family is known to have been Christian Disciples, the search term “Christian” is
almost too problematic for a census or civil registration database. “Christian Church” may offer
some relief in database searches, but be aware that people born in Ireland claiming these
descriptions as their religion are in all the recognizable Restorationists’ designations.
Before the formation of the Canadian Evangelical Christian Churches in 1992 as an
umbrella organization for like-minded congregations, the church was much larger than it is now.

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In the 1940s, 1400 congregations were scattered across Canada. The organization changed its
name in 2001 to the present name Evangelical Christian Church in Canada (Christian Disciples).
It has 150 member congregations across the country. Distinguishing the church becomes more
convoluted because today are also congregations that belong to the Christian Church (Disciples
of Christ), Christian Church/Churches of Christ, and the Church of Christ (non-instrumental)
branches of the Restoration Movement.
What happened to the majority of the 1400 congregations is part of the research strategy.
As independent, self-governing congregations, they were free to join or merge into whatever
evangelical church they chose. After all, they were already evangelical-oriented. In the 1940s,
congregations became Baptists, Mennonites, independent Methodists, Pentecostals, and a few
combined with the United Church of Canada. A significant number of them became Mennonite.
Once the religious history of a community is understood from a local history book, the search for
the former Christian Disciples congregation can be undertaken more successfully.
With the exception of perhaps Quebec, where churches had to send their yearly
births/baptisms, marriages, and deaths/burials to the appropriate courthouses, most registers are
still with local Christian Disciples congregations. If the congregation is now part of another
denomination, the policies and record retention of the new denomination have to be explored.
Are the records in a collection online? Have they been deposited at a provincial or church
archive? This is part of the process needed to identify current or former Christian Disciples
congregational registers.
Each congregation determined the appropriate method of keeping records. Customarily,
evangelicals in general had no standardized record keeping for memberships, baptisms, deaths,
minutes, and disciplinary matters. Ministers were ordained by the congregation until 1992.
Since the church practices believers’ baptism by immersion, these are in the records, not
a birth or christening. The ECCC does not currently link baptism with salvation, which has
allowed it to maintain relationships with other evangelical denominations. In the modern ECCC,
a person who wishes to join from another evangelical church, from which the preferred method
of baptism was sprinkling or pouring, does not require a rebaptism. The first baptism is accepted
in the membership transfer. Historically, a tradition of the Stone-Campbell Restoration
Movement linked baptism to salvation, and it still does in branches such as the Church of Christ
(non-instrumental). Therefore, a rebaptism by immersion of a convert may be found in the early
records.
The Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement’s various branches host websites with helpful
information. The “Canadian Churches of Christ Historical Society” Ccchs.ca website is affiliated
with the Church of Christ (non-instrumental) and has a variety of articles about history. The
website also has the paper “Religious Periodicals in the Restoration Movement in Canada,”
which lists, journals dating back to the early days of the movement and where they are located.
The Abilene Christian University website “Restoration Movement” seeks to document the
various branches and has a “Restoration Movement in Canada” page with many links and books.