Hear the stories of Christians from a Restorationist background whose journeys led them to become Catholic.
[Our family] attended Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday night services in a large, active Churches of Christ congregation. Our social as well as religious life revolved around this church… When I met my husband at our ten year high school reunion, one of our first conversations was about faith. He had been raised Catholic but had not been attending Mass regularly. I wasn’t deterred by the difference in our traditions; that, I felt, could be overcome.
– Rachelle Parker
A FEW GREAT VIDEOS
Lawain McNeil 13:20
Lawain McNeil grew up in a strong Christian home, and early on, felt a call to ministry. He pursued a degree in Biblical studies and ended up serving in the Church of Christ. A number of factors in his life led him to begin exploring the Catholic Faith, including an interest in the Catholic literary and artistic tradition, and friendship with others who shared his background and were also interested in Catholicism. He shares how all those threads came together as he made his way home to the Church. Watch Lawain’s story.
Dr. David Russell Mosley 8:42
Dr. David Russell Mosley’s journey led him to studies at Lincoln University, and his academic work took him to England, where his love for Tolkien, Lewis and Chesterton helped deepen his faith. When he and his wife were blessed with twins shortly after getting married, and one of their sons experienced major medical difficulties, it brought David’s intellectual journey into a very practical lived reality of trusting God, and started him on an even deeper journey that would lead him to consider the claims of Catholicism. Watch David’s Signposts.
Dr. Kenneth Craycraft 56:09
Ken Craycraft’s formation was in the Church of Christ/Restorationist movement. As he continued to study theology, he was bothered by the question of authority; who could validly interpret Scripture, and more importantly, how did the people who put the Bible itself together have the authority to do so? Along the way, he met several faithful and intelligent Catholics who could address some of these concerns, including Thomas Howard, who ended up being his sponsor into the Catholic Church. Watch Ken’s story.
A FEW GREAT WRITTEN STORIES
Unto the House of the Lord
Greg Westwood
“Unlike most other Protestant confessions, the Restorationist churches have historically believed in the efficacy and necessity of Baptism by water for salvation. Moreover, they put much more emphasis on the centrality of what they usually call “the Lord’s Supper” than do most other Protestants. So while the Restoration movement certainly doesn’t view Baptism or the Lord’s Supper as sacraments, there is enough similarity to Catholic belief here to make my own road to Rome a little shorter and less bumpy than it is for many Protestants.”
Read Greg’s story.
Sectarian to Sacramental
Jim Barnett
“For as long as I can remember, I have always been involved in church. Growing up, my family was in church every time the doors were open: for Sunday services, weddings, funerals, revivals, and church camp every summer as well. My Dad was a pastor in the denomination that evolved out of the Restoration Movement started by the father-son team of Thomas and Alexander Campbell, as well as Barton W. Stone and many others… I was very sectarian, thinking anyone outside the fold of our own denomination was doomed to hell.”
Read Jim’s story.
Christ in His Fullness
Deacon Bruce Sullivan
“The Stone-Campbell Churches of Christ introduced me to the biblical basis for believing that Christ established a visible, identifiable, and institutional Church. They showed me — from the Bible — that Baptism is for the remission of sins… they also presented me with the scriptural evidence for believing that justification is not by faith alone and that one can, indeed, fall from grace… Though I didn’t realize it at the time, the Churches of Christ were to become something of a stepping-stone from my Evangelical Protestant upbringing to the Catholic faith. Read Deacon Bruce’s story.
More Inspiration for the Journey
Explore the full archive of stories from former members of the Church of Christ.
Explore Full Archive
Recommended Books & Other Resources
Christ in His Fullness
by Bruce Sullivan
Christ in His Fullness details the journey of Bruce Sullivan, who was a Church of Christ minister for seven years before entering the Catholic Church.
Journeys Home
edited by Marcus Grodi
Journeys Home contains the stories of men and women who, having surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ, heard a call to follow Him more completely. Many of them were pastors or missionaries. Others were lay men and women who, though working in secular jobs, took their calling to serve Christ in the world very seriously. In each case, their desire to follow Christ faithfully, and to remain faithful to the truth He taught and the Church He established through His apostles, led them to embrace the Catholic Church.
Journeys Home 2
edited by Marcus Grodi
Journeys Home 2 gathers together more conversion stories of men and women, clergy and laity, who found themselves drawn to the beauty and truth of the Catholic Church.
