Competency Areas
Aligned with Competency Area(s) 5, 15
5. Ecumenism
Exhibit a commitment to working with other Christians and denominations and with other faiths in programs of common witness and service, and to articulating the vision of the ecumenical and global church as a starting place for mission.
15. Understanding of Heritage
Have knowledge of and appreciation for the history and thought of Christianity and of the history, structure, practices, and ethos of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
The Birth and Growth of the Disciples of Christ Movement – in the United States and Globally
Taught by Rev. Dr. Joel Brown
This course surveys the history, polity, theology, and ethos of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) from its beginnings to its present expressions, including NAPAD, Obra Hispana, and National Convocation. We will explore the movement’s cultural roots and examine how the church continues to evolve in response to social, ethical, and theological needs.
This course is part of the DSF Certificate Program.
Meet Your Instructor,
Rev. Dr. Joel Brown
Rev. Dr. Joel Brown currently serves as president of the Disciples of Christ Historical Society. Joel is a scholar of American religious history and specializes in the study of race and religion in modern U.S. history. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and is currently finishing a book titled "Saving Black Metropolis: African American Club Women and Social Christianity in Turn-of-the-Century" Chicago. Joel is also in the early stages of writing a religious biography of Lyndon B. Johnson, a Disciple and member of National City Christian Church.
A product of two of the Stone-Campbell Movement’s three main streams, Joel has had the opportunity to study under several distinguished historians of the movement. He worked with Church of Christ historian and Alexander Campbell biographer Douglas Foster while completing his undergraduate (BA) and Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degrees at Abilene Christian University. Joel then studied under Disciples historian and Barton W. Stone biographer D. Newell Williams while completing his Master of Theology (Th.M.) degree at Brite Divinity School. During his doctoral studies, he studied Disciples history and thought with W. Clark Gilpin at the Disciples Divinity House of the University of Chicago.
Joel and his wife, Rev. Erin James-Brown, have two daughters, Margot (5) and Evelyn (2). They are members of Bethany Memorial Church (Disciples of Christ), where Erin is the pastor, and Joel teaches children’s Sunday school.