What kind of Church
WHAT KIND OF CHURCH IS THIS?
One thing is certain – there is no shortage of churches. You can take your pick among the hundreds of different kinds. In the midst of such diversity, what is special about this congregation? What kind of a church is it, anyway? In fact we deliberately seek not to be different, because our goal is unity, not division. Christianity has suffered long enough from deep divisions separating denomination from denomination, Christian from Christian. When Jesus prayed “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us” (John 17:21), He had us in mind. In the spirit of His prayer we seek unity with all others in Christ. We are Christians and pleading for the Biblical Christianity.How, then, shall we summarize what kind of church we are talking about? Perhaps the following terms will help.
A Christian church
Our message is that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.” We require no other creed. He alone is Lord and Savior.The Church of Christ, the church belongs to Him. We have no authority to change the teachings, rewrite the rules.
A church seeking unity
The members of this church seek to be one in Christ with all others He calls His own.
A church seeking to restore
As much as possible, we imitate the New Testament precedents. That is why our baptism is by immersion, our Communion is every Lord’s Day, our leaders are called elders, our preaching is about Christ, and our prayers are in Christ’s name. Even our church name is rooted in the earliest days, when disciples were called Christians and their congregations were often addressed as “churches of Christ" (Romans 16:16).
An apostolic church
The church, Ephesians 2:20 states, is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.” Whatever we know about Christ and the church we learned from Jesus’ closest companions, the apostles thinking church
In the same Ephesian letter, Paul prays that God will give a “Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. . . .” Christian faith demands the best our minds can give, so we are a studying church, seeking to apply biblical truth intelligently.
A sharing church
We share our faith and love with as many as we can reach and our possessions as persons who know that everything we have belongs to God to be used for His purposes.
A growing church
We want to grow, because we are under Christ’s commission to disciple the world. We haven’t completed the task yet, so Christian churches and churches of Christ are renewing our commitment to go unto the ends of the earth, preaching and baptizing and teaching, until the whole world knows the one Lord of all. If you are willing you too can join us in fulfilling the the great commission.
