What makes the churches of Christ different?

The churches of Christ share a message of love and religious unity based upon the teachings of the Bible alone. Sadly, our world is greatly divided in matters of faith and religion.  We believe that the Bible is the only possible common denominator upon which God's people can unite. So, we seek the restoration of "nondenominational' Christianity. We appeal to people everywhere let go of the divisive denominational doctrines and traditions of men and to simply "abide in the teaching of Christ" (2 John 1:9) in all matters that pertain to our Christian faith and practice. By doing that, we can all learn to love one another and unite as members of that one body of Christ that we read about in the Bible.

Where did the churches of Christ originate?

The Lord's church was originally established on the Day of Pentecost, that we read about in the second chapter of the Book of Acts, in about the year 33 A.D.  Our prayer is that we, by faith, can be that original church by believing and practicing now as they believed and practiced in Bible days.

How many churches of Christ are there?

There is really no way of knowing the answer to this question because Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20). Christians throughout the United States and the world over may be meeting together regularly in homes and in various other settings that are not immediately identifiable as a traditional "church." However, the most recent dependable estimate lists more than 15,000 independent churches of Christ in the United States.  The "Christian Herald," a publication that presents statistics concerning all the churches, estimates that the membership of identifiable churches of Christ throughout the United States may now be upward of two million.

What do the churches of Christ believe about the Bible?

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The original sixty six books, which make up the Bible, are considered to be the divinely inspired written word of God.  The Bible is held to be infallible and authoritative. Reference to the scriptures is made in settling every religious question.  God's written word, the Bible, is considered the final word, or ultimate authority, for all that the church teaches and practices.

 

How are the churches of Christ organizationally connected?

Following the plan of organization found in the New Testament, all authentic churches of Christ are nondenominational, independent, autonomous, local Christian fellowships. Their mutual love and allegiance to Christ, as well as their common commitment to the teachings of the New Testament, are the only ties which bind them all together.

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There is no central headquarters of the church on earth and no organization beyond that of the local elders and deacons who shepherd and serve each local congregation of which they are members. However, independent congregations often cooperate voluntarily in supporting various benevolence and disaster relief projects; and in preaching the gospel on both domestic and foreign mission fields around the world.

How are the churches of Christ governed?

Each local congregation is governed according to the teachings of Christ and the pattern and principles set forth in the New Testament.  Christ Jesus, Himself, is the only "head" of the church. His holy and inspired word, the Bible, is the only authority to which the church adheres for all that is taught and practiced.

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In each congregation that has existed long enough to become fully organized, there is a plurality (two or more) of elders, or "shepherds," who serve as spiritual counselors and tend to the spiritual needs of the members. Following the teaching of the New Testament, elders are selected by each local congregation on the basis of qualifications set down in scripture - (1 Timothy 3:1-8).

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Serving under the oversight of the elders are deacons (designated "servants") who tend to the many physical needs of the church; along with teachers and evangelists (ministers) who preach and teach the word of God.

Do members of the churches of Christ partake of the Lord's Supper (Communion) together regularly?

Churches of Christ typically assemble for Bible study, fellowship, and worship every Sunday. A central part of our worship is partaking of the Lord's supper, or "communion" (Acts 20:7). Unless providentially hindered, each member typically considers the opportunity to share together in the Lord's supper a divine appointment with the Lord, a binding personal commitment, and a beautiful privilege.

What kind of music is used in the public worship?

Music is hugely important to the culture of the New Testament church. The Apostle Paul encouraged the church to "speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit" and to "Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:19).  And so, singing is an important and inspirational part of our worship and praise unto God. As a result of the distinctive plea of the church - a return to New Testament faith and practice - acapella, congregational singing is generally the type music used in the public worship assemblies.

By what means do the churches of Christ secure financial support?

Each first day of the week the members of the church "set aside and save as they have been prospered" (1 Corinthians 16:2). The amount of any individual gift is generally known only to the one who gave it and to the Lord. These free-will offerings are the only call for financial support that the church makes.

What do the churches of Christ teach about salvation and becoming a member of the church?

While many people who are not yet Christians may fellowship together with the churches of Christ, one cannot simply "join" the church.  The only way any one can actually become a member of the church is to be saved.  The moment a person is saved (becomes a Christian) they are added to the church by the Lord Himself.  No man or group of men decides who is in the body of Christ, the church, or who is not.  No one votes you in or otherwise authorizes your membership. If you are a saved child of God, a Christian, then you are a member of the church of Christ, the body of Christ, God's forever family.

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Regarding our eternal life with God, our salvation is completely dependent on God's love for us and His grace toward us which He has made available through the sacrifice of His Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  The Bible says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift if God; not of works, that no man should glory" (Ephesians 2:8-9).​  God's love for us caused Him to send Christ into the world to redeem lost humanity. The life and teaching of Jesus, His sacrifice on the cross, and the proclaiming of the Gospel (Good News) to all people everywhere constitute God's part in our salvation.​  But, in response to God's love for us, we humans have a part in our salvation as well:  
 

• LOVE born of FAITH in God and all that He has done for us through the sacrificial gift of His Son:  "And without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing unto Him; for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that seek after Him" (Hebrews 11:6). Jesus said that the greatest of all commandments is to "...love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets”  (Matthew 22:37-40).  Apart from a genuine LOVE for God and for others that comes from hearing, believing, and having an authentic faith in God, no amount of "commandment keeping," or anything else we do, will make any difference in our eternal destiny!  To become a Christian and be saved, every person must first believe the gospel message of God's love for them; and then make the personal choice to love God and to "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33).

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• REPENTENCE born of LOVE for God: "The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now He commands all men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30). Jesus made the statement: "...unless you repent you will all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3).  "To "repent" means to turn away from sin and selfishness and to live for God. The Apostle Paul said, "For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf" (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). Repentance involves making the personal choice to surrender one's heart and life to the Lord and to seek to please Him in all our decisions, words, and actions for the rest of our lives.  We do this out of an authentic love for the Lord and, "We love because He first loved us" (I John 4:19).

 

• CONFESSION of Jesus as Lord: Jesus said, “Therefore, everyone who confesses Me before people, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before people, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 10:32-33).  The Apostles Paul reminds us that, "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation" (Romans 10:9-10).  Neither of these two passages is talking about a one time event in our lives, but rather, Jesus and Paul have in view a lifestyle of continually confessing our faith in God and our love for Christ to people all around us as we go through life. So, "confession," like "repentance," is a continual way of life.  As Christians, we must always be ready and willing to confess before men our belief in God and our commitment to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

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• BAPTISM into Christ as an Expression of our Faith:  And Peter said unto them, 'Repent and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38), "Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for the one who has died is freed from sin" (Romans 6:4-7). "Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (I Peter 3:21).

 

• Every authentic child of God knows and understands that it is not our faith alone, or even our own obedience to God, and certainly not the the water of baptism itself that saves us - we do not believe in a "water salvation." We are saved only by the sacrificial death of Christ.  His death alone is the only thing that can pay the price for our sins so that we can have eternal life with God.  As the passages noted above, and many others, explain, baptism (a simple burial in water) is the expression of faith that God has chosen whereby we are put "into Christ" and "into His death" (Romans 6:3). When we express our faith in this way, we are "united with Christ in the likeness of His death" (Romans 6:5); and it is at that moment that we are "justified by His blood" (Romans 5:9), "we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our wrongdoings, according to the riches of His grace" (Ephesians 1:7), "and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin" (I John 1:7).

 

• Remain FAITHFUL to Christ: The Bible says, "Take care, brothers and sisters, that there will not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another every day, as long as it is still called “today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we keep the beginning of our commitment firm until the end" (Hebrews 3:12-14).

 

• Contrary to what many of the denominations around us believe, the Bible clearly teaches that following Christ and enjoying a life-giving relationship with Him is a continual choice that we, His people, make as we walk through life.  God has not, and does not, take away our free will. Love must be given freely and willingly, or how can it really be called "love?"  So, God does not override the freedom He has given us to make our own personal decisions and to choose to love Him and submit to His will for our lives. The Bible verses above teach us that people's hearts can be "hardened by the deceitfulness of sin" so that they "fall away from the living God."  This is one reason why we seek to obey God's word when it tells us: "let’s consider how to encourage one another in love and good deeds, not forsaking our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near" (Hebrews 10:24-25).

AN OPEN INVITATION
 

In the parable that Jesus told about a farmer planting his seeds (Luke 8:4-14), He made the point that good seed produces a good crop. When the simple truth of the gospel is planted in a good and honest heart, it will still produce today what it produced back in Bible times - a beautiful child of God, a disciple of Christ, a Christian; nothing more and nothing less.

 

We urge you to open your heart and mind to the good seed of God's word and allow Him to plant His message of love deep in your heart.  Study God's word carefully for yourself and then decide for yourself whether or not you wish to surrender your heart and life to Him and become a member of His forever family, the church.

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We invite you to come visit with us at the church of Christ meeting together in Roscoe, TX or to reach out to us with regard to any further questions you may have about your personal walk with the Lord. Our hearts desire and our prayer unto God for you is for your salvation. We want you with us when this earth and all its works are destroyed by fire and God's children inherit that "new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwells" (2 Peter 3:10-13).