Isaac Errett was born in New York City on January 2, 1820. His father died in 1825. His mother remarried and moved the family to Pittsburgh in 1832. They identified with the Church of Christ in that city. In 1833 both Isaac and his older brother Russell accepted the Ancient Gospel and were baptized into Christ by Elder Robert McClaren. They became faithful members of the Church in Pittsburgh. Some of those who came to minister were Thomas and Alexander Campbell.
Errett gave his first discourse on April 21, 1839. He was set apart as an evangelist on June 18, 1840. He served the Smithfield Street congregation from 1840-44. Between 1844 and 1849 he labored with the saints in New Lisbon, Ohio. This was the congregation where Walter Scott first proclaimed the Ancient Gospel on the Western Reserve. The years' 1849-56 found him laboring with congregations in New Bloomfield and Warren, Ohio.
Between 1856 and 1862 he resided in Lyons, Michigan. In 1857 he became Corresponding Secretary for the American Christian Missionary Society. In 1861 he became a co-editor of the Millennial Harbinger and the Civil War broke out. Whether brethren should bear arms was an important question. Errett believed that they could. Men like McGarvey believed that they should not participate in carnal warfare. This was the position of also Tolbert Fanning and David Lipscomb. Mc Garvey tried to get Errett to throw his support against Christians engaging in war. He refused, for the cause of the Union was too dear to him.
In 1862 he began his labors with the Church in Detroit. While in Detroit he published what he called "A Synopsis of The Faith and Practices of the Church of Christ." This was at once condemned as a creed. Errett had published it to let the community know what Churches of Christ believe. Many opposed it, including Benjamin Franklin and Moses E. Lard.
In the text of the pamphlet itself, Errett had stated that it was not to be taken as a creed. In 1865 planned were made for issuing a paper to be called the Christian Standard. Nearly al the papers published the prospectus except the Gospel Advocate. Writing in the January 24, 1867 issue of the Advocate, David Lipscomb wrote.
"The Standard is edited with ability, and in a fair and liberal spirit. It is the only weekly that is an advocate of the organizations of human societies in religion. Whether from a refusal upon the part of the conductors or not, articles upon but one side of the question ever appear in the Standard."
On April 7, 1866, the initial issue of the Christian Standard came off the press. Isaac Errett was the editor. Errett chose the title. The masthead of the Standard bears this statement even to this day.
"We propose to lift up the Christian Standard, as a rallying point for the scattered hosts of spiritual Israel' to know only 'Jesus and Him crucified': His cross, His Word, His church, his ordinances, His laws and the interests of His kingdom."
The Christian Standard was to come out in favor of the Missionary Society and in favor of instrumental music in the corporate worship of the saints. We must note that the Standard as we know it today is not associated with the Christian Church (Disciples of CHRIST) but is associated with the independent Christian Churches.
They published the Standard from Cleveland, Ohio until moving to Cincinnati in July of 1869. It has remained in Cincinnati till the present. Isaac Errett died in 1888.