What Does the Name Christadelphian Mean?

The name “Christadelphian” is a combination of two Greek words meaning brothers and sisters in Christ. The name almost occurs exactly as that in Colossians 1:2 "To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae."

As Christadelphians, we are a worldwide family of brothers and sisters united in Christ and centred around the Bible as the Word of God.

What Do Christadelphians Believe?

Christadelphians are a small group who follow the faith and character of the first-century followers of Jesus. We base all of our beliefs on the teachings of the Bible only, because it is the inspired Word of God. We believe it is essential to understand the Bible for ourselves and develop our own personal faith.

We believe there is only one true gospel and that it is essential to salvation to believe the Truth. We only extend fellowship to those who have been baptised after a confession of faith in the one true gospel we share in common.

Our faith is centred around the promises of the gospel God made to Abraham and David that are fulfilled in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and his soon return to establish the kingdom of God on the earth. This is the “hope of Israel” which is the gospel of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, as taught by Christ and the apostles, (Acts 28:20-23, 30-31).

Are We Another Church?

Christadelphians are separate from the churches of Christianity as we believe they have departed from the one true gospel as taught in the Bible. We only recognise Christ as our Lord and the authority of the Bible as the inspired Word of God.

We are a lay community and are all equal as brothers and sisters in Christ. We have no central governing body, or paid ministry, or positions of authority in our congregations. We call our congregations an "ecclesia" (the Greek word translated as church in the New Testament), because the meaning of “ecclesia” (an assembly of called-out ones) is about the body of believers rather than the organisation and authority of the Church.

We do not identify ourselves as Christians and are often not accepted as Christians because of our rejection of the church doctrine of the Trinity.

How Are Christadelphians Organised?

We follow the first-century practice of the members of each ecclesia appointing a small management committee to administer the running of the ecclesia. They regularly report to the members of the ecclesia to whom they are accountable. Important decisions are often made by the members of the ecclesia on the principle of mutual consent.

Christadelphians are a close-knit community as a family, who support and encourage each other in our faith. The members volunteer their services and work together for the functioning of the ecclesia in various pastoral, outreach, and community spheres of activity.

Ecclesia have regular meetings (often weekly) for;

• Worship and communion

• Preaching the Gospel

• Sunday school and youth groups

• Bible study

Christadelphians only observe two ordinances as given by Christ and the Apostles;

1. Baptism as full immersion in water after a confession of faith in the one true gospel

2. Fellowship together in partaking of bread and wine in remembrance of Christ

Each ecclesia funds itself from the voluntary and confidential donations of its members. Christadelphians do not tithe and do not have any paid ministry.

Each ecclesia is independent and manages its own affairs, but Christadelphian ecclesias are united together by a common faith which is the basis of our fellowship together.

How Long Have Christadelphians Been in Existence For?

Congregations with our beliefs began forming in the USA and Britain in the 1840s. They eventually adopted the name Christadelphian in 1864.

The Christadelphian group was formed largely by the work of Dr John Thomas MD who researched the Bible for himself and embarked on various preaching tours in the USA and Britain. John Thomas did not have any special revelation or spirit guidance. He simply researched and understood the Bible for himself and came to the same conclusions as many others had before him.

Another Revival of Apostolic Faith

While the Christadelphians are a relatively new group, our beliefs are not. Historians have traced minority groups of believers with similar beliefs to Christadelphians down through the centuries. We are another link in a chain of minority groups with the same beliefs down through history from the times of the apostles. We are another revival of Apostolic faith.

One notable group was the "Brudder in Christo" (Brethren in Christ) in Europe during the 16th to 18th centuries, who have a very similar name to Christadelphian. The scientist Sir Isaac Newton, the philosopher John Locke, and the translator of one of the first English versions of the Bible, William Tyndale, all had very similar beliefs to the Christadelphians.

How Many Christadephians Are There Worldwide?

There are no statistics on the number of Christadelphians in the world, but they are a small minority. Christadelphians meet in approximately 120 countries around the world. There may also be others who share the same faith as us that we are not aware of.

Promoting Bible Understanding

As keen students of God's Word in the Bible, we are passionate about promoting Bible understanding. We want to help you to read the Bible for yourself and come to your own faith and conviction. If you are searching for truth and meaning in life please contact us for free and no obligation information about the Bible.