Restoration Movement

The Restoration Movement is a Christian movement that began during the Second Great Awakening in early 19th-century America. The movement sought to return to apostolic Christianity, to restore "the unification of all Christians in a single body patterned after the church of the New Testament." Although motivated by the spirit of Protestant spiriutality, followers of the Restoration Movement did not not consider themselves to be traditional Protestants.

Two groups were central to the movement.  One group, led by Barton W. Stone (Kentucky), called themselves “Christians”; the second, led by Thomas Campbell (Pennsylvania, Virginia), use the name “Disciples of Christ”.

They were united in the belief that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; that Christians should celebrate the Lord's Supper on the first day of each week; and that baptism of adult believers by immersion in water is a necessary condition for salvation. Because the founders wanted to abandon all denominational labels, they used the biblical names for the followers of Jesus. Both groups promoted a return to the purposes of the 1st-century churches as described in the New Testament.

The Restoration Movement has since divided into multiple separate groups. There are three main branches in the U.S.:
 1) Churches of Christ
 2) Christian churches and churches of Christ
 3) Disciples of Christ

The three churches are divided between the goals of restoration and ecumenism (Christian Unity).