Disciples affirm the 66-book Protestant biblical canon and regard Scripture as the primary witness to the gospel and the authoritative guide for faith and life. However, the Disciples hermeneutic has evolved significantly from the early Restoration Movement's more legalistic 'pattern theology': modern Disciples scholarship emphasizes Scripture as a narrative of God's redemptive activity rather than as a detailed rule-book for church order.

The creedless tradition means that the Bible itself — rather than any interpretation of it — is the formally authoritative standard. But the denomination's progressive trajectory has embraced historical-critical scholarship and has moved away from the direct applicability of every New Testament practice as a binding pattern.