What We Believe

This congregation is a group of people who are drawn together by a common faith in Jesus Christ.  Following the teaching of the Lord, we are known only as "Christians" (Acts 11:26), and when spoken of as a group, we seek to be only His church, thus one of the "churches of Christ" (Romans 16:16).  The Bible is our only source of authority in doctrine, worship, and organization.  The Bible repeatedly warns about the danger of changing the divine message (Galatians 1:6-9).  As imperfect people, we pray to God for forgiveness (Acts 8:24), confess our shortcomings (James 5:16), and rely on each other for encouragement and support (Hebrews 10:23-25).

We are an independent and self-governing congregation under Christ alone as Head (Ephesians 1:22-23), with no denominational affiliation or earthly headquarters, though we recognize a special closeness to other churches of Christ.  We deplore the denominational divisions of today and pray for the time when all professed Christians will rid themselves of all humanly devised barriers and come into the unity of the faith that is in Christ, so that the world may believe that God sent Him (John 17:20-21).

Those who are not yet Christians are taught to believe in Jesus Christ with the whole heart (John 8:24), to repent of sins (Luke 13:3), to confess their faith in the Lord (Matthew 10:32-33), and to be buried with Christ in baptism for the forgiveness of their sins (Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16, Galatians 3:26-27, Mark 16:16, 1 Peter 3:21).  Since baptism must be preceded by faith and repentance, we do not practice infant baptism.  And since the baptism instituted by Jesus and practiced by the early church was immersion, we follow that practice today (Colossians 2:12).  Thus, baptism truly symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, and this becomes to the penitent believer his burial of the former sinful self and resurrection to the new life in Christ (Romans 6:1-7).  Following baptism, we encourage one another to live in righteousness (1 Peter 2:24).

As a congregation, we exist for the purpose of following Him who came to minister and to give His life a ransom for many (Mark 10:42-45).  Therefore, to the extent that we can, we are active in mission work and benevolence.  Our marching orders are the Lord's worldwide commission to teach and preach the good news (Matthew 28:18-20).  Our hope is His everlasting kingdom (2 Peter 1:11) and the resurrection of the dead (1 Peter 1:3-4).  Our message is "Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2).  Christ is our only creed, and the Bible is our only rule of faith and practice, "For we preach not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake" (2 Corinthians 4:5).

What to Expect

Our style of worship is simple, patterned after the teaching and example of the Christians in the New Testament.  The entire worship program is planned, but not rigid.  Our Sunday morning assembly normally lasts about an hour.

• According to the example of the Scriptures, we partake of the Lord's Supper on the first day of every week (Acts 20:7).  Jesus established the practice of sharing the bread and the grape juice so that Christians would remember the sacrifice of His body and blood (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).  We leave to each person the decision to participate in the Supper.  If you choose not to participate, don't be embarrassed.  Feel free to just pass the plate or tray to the person next to you.
• Typically following the Lord's Supper, we provide an opportunity to make an offering.  This is the means by which our members make their weekly contributions in support of the Lord's work.  As our guest, you are welcome but not expected to make a donation.  Our giving is generous and proportionate to our income (1 Corinthians 16:1-2).
• Our music is the praise of our lips without instrumental accompaniment (Hebrews 13:15).  We believe that a cappella congregational singing both enhances our personal involvement in the worship service and conforms to the New Testament pattern.  A cappella literally means, "in the manner of the church," or "as in the chapel," and was the only accepted form of church music for nearly a thousand years (Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16).
• Our prayers are genuine, and not just as a part of the program.  There will be several prayers during the service, and there may be prayers for specific needs and requests (Matthew 7:7-11).
• The preaching of the word of God has a prominent place in worship.  You will notice that the preacher doesn't have a title such as Pastor or Reverend.  He will probably be referred to as brother or simply called by his first name.  He won't be wearing any special robes to set him apart.  The reason for this is our belief in the priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:9).  We believe that all Christians are equal in God's sight.  The sermon, which usually lasts around 25 minutes, is the time when the "good news" of God's love and Jesus' redemptive life is proclaimed and applied to our lives today.  We believe you will find it encouraging, relevant, and Bible-based.  At the end of each lesson, we invite all people to obey Jesus' commands and accept the Lord's free offer of salvation (John 14:15).

When you visit with us, please feel free to sit anywhere - there are no reserved seats.  If you feel comfortable in doing so, please fill out a welcome card and drop it in the offering basket (we use it for recordkeeping and to thank our guests for coming).  You may also use the welcome card to submit prayer requests, to ask a question, or to request other information concerning the congregation.  Any sincere questions about the teaching of the Lord will always bring out our attitude of searching the Scriptures to find the answer.