The Mother Church , known officially as The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, is founded upon Mary Baker Eddy's discovery of the spiritual nature of all true being, is erected upon the understanding and demonstration of this truth, and is maintained by the spiritual activity of all who unqualifiedly accept her as the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science and the Leader of the Christian Science movement. The Church of Christ, Scientist, is more than a human organization. Even as the church Jesus established, it is built upon a spiritual foundation, the rock of Christ-healing. This rock is not a material stone or a human personality; it is the acknowledgment in the hearts of men of the truth of the teaching and practice of Christ Jesus, the Messiah, revealing the everpresence and omnipotence of God, Spirit, the divine Principle of all real being.

After Mrs. Eddy's discovery of Christian Science and her elucidation of it in the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," there came to her the divine impulsion to provide the proper means through which this healing and saving Science should be made available to all mankind. Consequently, in 1879, she took steps to organize a church founded and built upon the rock of spiritual healing, as practiced by the primitive Christian, which should save mankind from sin, disease, and death through the understanding and demonstration of the eternal facts of being as taught and practiced by the Master. A charter was obtained; Mrs. Eddy was called and ordained as pastor; and the church thus organized proceeded to hold services and otherwise promulgate the Science of spiritual healing.

Under our Leader's direction as pastor much healing was accomplished. So long as its members kept before them the divine Principle and law of spiritual healing, success attended their efforts; and the young church progressed and grew in numbers. But when Mrs. Eddy was obliged to withdraw from personal direction of the church, mortal opinions and human will began to whisper of a merely material organization, and a sense of confusion ensued.

After long and earnest prayer, our Leader saw that a church resting upon a material concept of law and organization would of necessity be subject to all the arguments, mutations, and limitations of finiteness. As such it would be the product of mortal thinking and planning. The Church as revealed to her was (Science and Health, p. 583): "The structure of Truth and Love; whatever rests upon and proceeds from divine Principle. The Church is that institution, which affords proof of its utility and is found elevating the race, rousing the dormant understanding from material beliefs to the apprehension of spiritual ideas and the demonstration of divine Science, thereby casting out devils, or error, and healing the sick." This Church is governed by divine Mind; and its purpose must be to reinstate spiritual healing for all mankind. Upon this rock it must rest, forever free from the control of human theories, opinions, and beliefs.

Jesus' church had been established and maintained upon the nature and practicability of the Christ-method of healing and teaching. Its inception was the acknowledgment in the hearts and lives of men of the divine origin of the works and teaching of Christ Jesus, as witness Peter's words, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." And it was upon this rock, the understanding and demonstration of Christ-healing, and not upon Peter's personality, that Jesus built his church.

The Church of Christ, Scientist, must have a spiritual foundation, even the identical rock upon which Jesus built. The time had come for adopting "the purely Christly method of teaching and preaching" (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 359). Human thought was now awakened to perceive the divine origin of Mrs. Eddy's discovery, revelation, and demonstration, and to accept her as spiritual Leader and guide. She proceeded to reorganize the church upon a spiritual basis, the demonstrable understanding of the Christ-method of healing the sick. She purposed founding the Christian Science church upon the acknowledgment and understanding of God's power to save mankind from sin, disease, and death. In September, 1892, under her leadership, there was therefore formed The First Church of Christ, Scientist, membership in which should consist of those with the ability to understand and demonstrate spiritual healing as taught in the Christian Science textbook.

The Church of Christ, Scientist, is thus an institution the sole purpose of which is to make practical the Christ-method of saving mankind from sin, disease, and death, and it is erected, primarily, in our hearts and lives. It is elevating the race; it is awakening it from age-old beliefs in material thinking and living, and is revealing the spiritual nature of all true being. The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, is under the voluntary agreement of its members to be governed by the revelation, teaching, and demonstration of Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science and Leader of the Christian Science movement. Mrs. Eddy will always be the Leader of the Christian Science movement. She will never have a personal or human successor. Her published works will remain to lead on The Mother Church.

Our Leader writes (Science and Health, p. 35), "We can unite with this church only as we are new-born of Spirit, as we reach the Life which is Truth and the Truth which is Life by bringing forth the fruits of Love,—casting out error and healing the sick." The governing agency of the Christian Science church is the Manual, the By-Laws of which our Leader has instructed her followers never to abandon. The success and continuity of the church will never be assailed if Christian Scientists are faithful to their high calling; for its success and continuity are dependent upon Christhealing—the purity and spiritual activity in the thoughts, hearts, and lives of the followers of the Master and of our Leader, whose words and works shall never pass away.

Copyright, 1929, by The Christian Science Publishing Society, Falmouth and St. Paul Streets, Boston, Massachusetts. Entered at Boston post office as second-class matter. Acceptance for mailing at a special rate of postage provided for in section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized on July 11, 1918.