“The driving force that helped this school survive the early years was faith in the teachings of the Disciples of Christ.”
The Disciples of Christ, which currently has about 1 million members, is divided into 33 regions. Chapman has students from more than nine of these regions, with a majority from the three surrounding regions that include Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii and all of California. Chapman is a member of the Higher Education and Leadership Ministries (HELM) of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The division includes 18 universities and colleges, as well as seven seminaries. As part of Founders Day in 2005, Chapman renewed its covenant with the Disciples; thus, upholding the historically strong presence of Disciples among the university’s faculty, staff and students. This presence is particularly strong with more than 110 Disciples and United Church of Christ (a sister denomination) students and staff, including Rev. Dan Oliver, director of Church Relations; Cisa Payuyo, assistant director of Church Relations; and Dr. Ron Farmer, dean of the Wallace All Faiths Chapel. |
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The Disciples of Christ is a Protestant denomination that was established in 1832 with the purpose of ending sectarianism and uniting all Christians. While it developed into a congregational structure with much autonomy given to each congregation, all Disciples practice baptism by immersion and observe the Lord’s Supper weekly; the New Testament is the major source of their beliefs. Disciples tend to be ecumenical, service-oriented and uniquely inclusive in their ministry with laity. This was especially evident in the 1920s through 1940s on Chapman's Los Angeles campus, when students of various races trained to be ministers, missionaries and social workers.