Disciples Ecumenical Consultative Council

Last updated
Disciples Ecumenical Consultative Council
Disciples World Communion
Type Communion
Classification Protestant
Orientation Restoration Movement (Disciples), Reformed
Polity Congregational
General SecretaryPaul S. Tché
ModeratorShernett Smith
Headquarters Indianapolis
Origin1979;46 years ago (1979)
Congregations15,528
Members4,819,635
Official website disciplesworldcommunion.org OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

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.

Contents

History

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

In 2024, the DECC had 18 members: [4]

Countrydenominational subfamilyDenominationNumber of congregationsNumber of membersYear
Argentina Disciples of ChristEvangelical Church of the Disciples of Christ77002006 [5]
Australia Churches of Christ Churches of Christ in Australia 43040,0002006 [6]
Canada Disciples of Christ Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Canada 252,6062006 [7]
Democratic Republic of the Congo Disciples of ChristChurch of Christ in Congo - Community of Disciples of Christ 193650,0002006 [8]


Ghana Churches of ChristUnited Churches of Christ of Christ (Ghana)---
India United Churches (Presbyterians, Anglicans, Methodists and Disciples of Christ) Church of North India 4,6002,200,0002023 [9]
Jamaica United Churches (Presbyterians, Congregationalists and Disciples of Christ) United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands 19414,0002025 [10]
Malawi Churches of ChristChurch of Christ in Malawi4,00075,0001991 [11] [12]
Mexico Disciples of ChristAssociation of Evangelical Christian Churches (Disciples of Christ)---
New Zealand Churches of ChristAssociation of Churches of Christ in New Zealand332,0002006 [13]
Paraguay Disciples of ChristDisciples of Christ Church in Paraguay12-2020 [14]
Puerto Rico Disciples of ChristChristian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Puerto Rico10519,0002024 [15]
South Africa Congregational United Congregational Church of Southern Africa 1,0001,500,0002024 [16] [17]
United Kingdom United Churches (Presbyterians, Congregationalists and Disciples of Christ) United Reformed Church 1,24235,8442022 [18]
United Kingdom Churches of ChristFellowship of the Churches of Christ in England632,6212020 [19]
United States Disciples of Christ Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 3,624277,8642022 [20]
Vanuatu Churches of ChristChurches of Christ - Vanuatu---
Zimbabwe Churches of ChristAssociation of Churches of Christ in Zimbabwe---
GlobalTotalEcumenical Disciples Advisory Council15,5284,819,6352004-2024

Beliefs

The Council is an associate member of the World Communion of Reformed Churches. [21]

References

  1. ↑ Ans Joachim van der Bent, Historical Dictionary of Ecumenical Christianity, Scarecrow Press, Lanham MD, 1994, p. 76
  2. ↑ J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann, Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, 2010, p. 891
  3. ↑ Disciples Ecumenical Consultative Council, About the DECC, disciplesworldcommunion.org, USA, retrieved December 5, 2020
  4. ↑ "Disciples Ecumenical Advisory Council" . Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Evangelical Church of the Disciples of Christ in Argentina". World Council of Churches. January 1975. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Churches of Christ in Australia". World Council of Churches. January 1948. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Canada". January 1948. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Church of Christ in Congo - Community of the Disciples of Christ". January 1965. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Church of North India Statistics". Archived from the original on March 21, 2025. Retrieved May 22, 2025.
  10. ↑ "United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands". Archived from the original on May 2, 2025. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  11. ↑ "A brief history of the Churches of Christ in Africa". November 1991. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  12. ↑ Erik Tryggestad (January 1, 2011). "The face of Malawi: In a small African Nation, Churches of Christ Thrive" . Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Christian Churches New Zealand". World Council of Churches. January 1948. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Disciples of Christ Church in Paraguay" . Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Puerto Rico" . Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  16. ↑ "United Congregational Church of Southern Africa" . Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  17. ↑ "History of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa". Archived from the original on July 25, 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
  18. ↑ Clive D. Field (January 1, 2023). "Counting Religion in Britain: A Monthly Round-Up of New Statistical Sources" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 2, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2025.
  19. ↑ "Statistics of the Fellowship of Churches of Christ in England" . Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  20. ↑ Jeffrey Walton (September 15, 2023). "Review: Disciples of Christ suffer huge drop in membership after 2019" . Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  21. ↑ World Communion of Reformed Churches, Members, wcrc.ch, Germany, retrieved December 5, 2020
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