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Barton W. Stone, Cane Ridge, the Springfield Presbytery, and the Christian Messenger.

Barton Warren Stone (1772-1844) was the founder of the Christian movement in the West. Ordained a Presbyterian minister in Kentucky, he became a leader of the 1801 Cane Ridge revival and then of the Springfield Presbytery, which he and his colleagues dissolved in 1804 with the Last Will and Testament. Stone's followers called themselves simply Christians, rejected creeds and human names, insisted that the church on earth is one, and published the Christian Messenger from 1826 to 1845. In 1832 Stone's Christians united with Alexander Campbell's disciples, creating the single Restoration Movement from which the modern churches descend.

Stone's ClaimAll Christians are one in Christ and should drop sectarian creeds and names, take the Bible alone as their rule, and unite as the one church of the New Testament.

Main ReceiptsThe Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery (1804); Barton W. Stone, The Christian Messenger (1826-1845).

Live DisputeStone's emphasis on revival feeling and the direct work of the Holy Spirit differed from the Campbell stream's emphasis on the testimony of Scripture; the united movement never fully reconciled the two temperaments.

Component Map

6 pieces that have to be kept distinct.

Stone's Early MinistryOrdained a Presbyterian minister in Kentucky, Stone was shaped by the frontier revivals and grew uneasy with the denominational machinery and creeds that divided Christians.

The Cane Ridge RevivalAbout twenty thousand people gathered at Cane Ridge, Kentucky, in 1801 for one of the largest revivals of the Second Great Awakening; the interdenominational and emotional worship convinced Stone that God worked beyond sectarian lines.

The Springfield PresbyteryAfter the revival, Stone and five colleagues formed the Springfield Presbytery to advance evangelical unity; when the presbytery itself became a denomination in miniature, they dissolved it.

The Last Will and TestamentThe 1804 manifesto dissolved the Springfield Presbytery, declared that the church on earth is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one, and took the Bible alone as the standard of faith and practice.

The Christian MessengerPublished from 1826 to 1845, Stone's journal carried the Christian movement's emphasis on heart religion, the Holy Spirit, salvation, and the union of Christians without creeds.

The Western Christian MovementStone's followers wore no name but Christian, refused human creeds, and spread the plea for primitive Christianity and unity across Kentucky, Ohio, and the expanding frontier.

Receipt Trail

Start here before drawing conclusions.

Last Will and Testament (1804)The satirical farewell of the Springfield Presbytery, dissolving its own authority and taking the Bible alone.

Christian Messenger (1826-1845)Stone's primary periodical advocating Christian union, salvation, the Holy Spirit, and the rejection of creeds.

Declaration and Address (1809)Thomas Campbell's parallel founding plea, showing how Stone's and Campbell's streams pointed in the same direction.