Page "Springfield Presbytery" Paragraph 7

By 1804 the ( SpfP ) Presbytery had attracted 15 congregations in Ohio and Kentucky.

The leaders of this newer presbytery became concerned by its growth, because they did not want to create a new denomination or " party ".

Ultimately convinced that their newer ( SpfP ) Presbytery was sectarian, the six ministers dissolved it on June 28, 1804.

To publicize the dissolution, they signed a document entitled The Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery.

This tract willed that “ this body die, be dissolved, and sink into union with the Body of Christ at large .” It expressed the desire for Christian union and identified the Bible as the only standard of Christian faith and practice.

In addition to signing the Last Will and Testament, they agreed to take " no other name than christians " on the basis that it was " the name first given by divine authority to the disciples of Christ.

" Soon, they adopted the name " Christian " to identify their group.

Thus, remnants from the Springfield Presbytery eventually became known as the Christian Church.

It is estimated that the Christian Church numbered about 12, 000 by 1830.