CEA Mission and Purpose

The Restoration Movement began in the early 19th Century when a conglomeration of members from different Christian groups and denominations decided that they had gotten away from the basics of Christianity. It is called the "Restoration Movement" instead of a "Reformation" because the idea was not to make church reforms, but to begin fresh by casting off all the baggage added to the church for the last 2000 years (such as creeds and man-made names) and be "Christians Only". Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, and others abandoned their formal denominations with hopes of establishing a church based solely on the primitive Christianity taught in the New Testament. With their beliefs in Jesus as the only model and the Bible as the only sacred book, they endeavored to reestablish Christ's church as it had been during Jesus' time.The dream is to "restore the church to what it was intended to be by returning to pure New Testament Christianity, not adding more "Reforms".

Therefore, members of "restoration" churches (often identified as Christian Churches, Christian Church (Disciples), or Churches of Christ), do not conceive of themselves as a new church started near the beginning of the 19th century. Rather, the whole movement is designed to reproduce in contemporary times the church originally established on Pentecost, A.D. 30. The strength of the appeal lies in the restoration of Christ's original church.

It is this type of church that the Christian Evangelizing Association seeks to promote, plant, and strengthen across Kansas.

The CEA program is administered by representatives chosen from supporting congregations. These serve voluntarily, selecting sites for new churches, recruiting church planters, providing financial assistance, and giving spiritual oversight until the congregation is able to be self supporting.

Finances for the work of CEA are received from churches and individuals who share this vision and purpose. The spirit of brotherhood is encouraged as churches and Christians share in the common cause of reproducing themselves through church planting and strengthening. The association is deeply appreciative of those who share their resources that the vision might become reality - that the Kingdom of God spread across Kansas.