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Church of Christ: What can you expect? |
Prepared by David Churchill
You Can Expect ...
Worship That Is Simple And Devout
Expect to find a group of Christians assembled
as a family (Ephesians 3:14-19) to worship God “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). This worship consists
of studying the Bible (2 Timothy 2:15), praying (1 Timothy 2:8), singing
from the heart (Ephesians 5:19), serving the Lord's Supper each Sunday (Acts
20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26), and giving “as prospered” (1 Corinthians
16:1-2). It is our desire to worship God as He instructs in the New
Testament... as did the first Christians. We have no practices outside
those prescribed in the Bible.
A Plea For Unity
Expect to hear a gospel preacher pleading
for all who would follow Christ to obey the original pattern of Christianity
as revealed in the Bible. Since the Word of God is the seed of the
Kingdom (Luke 8:11), when it is planted in the hearts of men it will produce
the same fruit today as it did in the first century.
We earnestly plead for the unity of all believers
on the scriptural platform of no creed but the Bible, no name but Christ's,
no organization but the church, and no worship but that authorized by God's
Word. This is the only real answer to Christian unity and fellowship
in Christ (Ephesians 4:4-6; 1 Corinthians 1:10).
Respect For The Bible As God's
Word
Expect this church to respect the Bible as
the fully inspired Word of God (2 Peter 1:21; 1 Thessalonians 2:13). The
Bible is the complete and only authority in true religion (2 Timothy 3:16-17;
1 Peter 4:11). Since the Word of God is the all sufficient rule of
faith and practice, expect this church to reject all human creeds and man-made
bindings (Galatians 1:8-9; Revelation 22:18-19). We believe that to
follow and bind traditions of men is to worship God in vain (Matthew 15:8-9).
Because of our respect and confidence in the
Bible as God's Word, we study the Bible regularly as a congregation and
as individuals. We welcome you to join us for Bible classes¹
on Sunday and Wednesday. We are also glad to examine the Scriptures
with you in your home or by correspondence, if you desire to do so.
Ordinary People
We are common people with an uncommon unity
in God's Word. We have varying backgrounds, experiences, and different
stages of knowledge and spiritual growth. We need and submit to God's
will. We are not perfect and do fall short at times. We come
together understanding that as sinners we need the cleansing blood of Jesus
Christ (1 John 1:5-10).
What will happen during Sunday worship?
As
a visitor, you probably have questions about the order of the worship service
and about what is expected of you. The following information should
answer some of those questions and help you to feel more at home during
our worship. We welcome you to participate, but please do not feel
obligated — just observe, if that is your choice.
Please keep in mind: we believe in a Bible-based,
Christ-centered worship. Where the Bible provides specific guidelines,
we believe there is no room for alterations. Where the Bible provides
more general guidelines, then within those guidelines we have made choices
that reflect our preferences and customs.
Announcements
At the beginning of the service, the songleader
or another member will announce information items that are of general interest
to the congregation. These items usually concern upcoming events,
prayer requests, ill members, traveling members, public thank-you's, and/or
mention of special visitors.
Public prayers
Prayer is very important to our worship as
we speak with God in praise and request for specific needs. These
prayers will be led by the male members of the church. Typically there
will be at least five public prayers during the service. An opening
prayer will follow the announcements or the first song(s). Two prayers
will be led at the Lord's Supper and one led at the collection. A
closing or dismissal prayer will conclude the service. Occasionally,
the songleader or the preacher may lead or request other prayers.
Congregational singing
Songs are selected by the songleader from
the hymnal provided at each seat. One of the unique things about the
churches of Christ is the “a cappella” singing (we sing without
the accompaniment of musical instruments). This is a conviction with
us, not just a preference, and reflects our desire to worship according
to the New Testament pattern.
Preaching
You will notice that our evangelist does not
have a title; he will not be referred to as Pastor or Reverend. You
may hear him referred to as brother, minister, or simply by his first name.
He will not be wearing any ecclesiastical clothing that set him apart
from all other believers. We believe in the scripturally defined priesthood
of all believers and their equality on this basis.
The sermon will be a Bible-based lesson lasting
approximately 15 - 30 minutes. For those Sundays when our evangelist
is out of town, one of the leading men of the church will prepare and preach
the sermon.
Invitation
At the close of the sermon an invitation may
be extended to all in attendance. This invitation provides an opportunity
for anyone desiring to request prayer support or to make a public commitment
such as requesting baptism; confession of sin; or identifying as new members.
(Of course, we also welcome people to present these needs to us
less publicly or outside of the assemblies.) The preacher will
encourage those who wish to “respond” to come to the front of
the auditorium while the congregation sings a hymn. Although the response
may involve several people to none, you will not be singled out in any way.
Please do not feel ill-at-ease during the invitation.
If the response is to request baptism, we
invite you to witness this event and to rejoice with us — we practice
a scriptural baptism of full submersion for the remission of sins.
(Please note: The personal information
presented in these reponses is intended for the other members of our congregation
family and not neccessarily for our visitors. We expect you as our
guest to politely respect the sometimes private nature of this information
and to practice appropriate confidentiality.)
Lord's Supper
Churches of Christ observe the Lord's Supper
every Sunday. We believe this is the New Testament teaching practiced
by the first century church.
During this memorial of Jesus Christ, trays
containing unleavened bread will be passed throughout the congregation.
The bread symbolizes the body of Jesus. Each person participating
will break off a piece of the bread and eat it.
Next, trays filled with small cups will be
distributed. The cups contain “fruit of the vine,” grape
juice²,
symbolizing the blood of Jesus. Each participant will drink one cup.
If you choose not to participate, do not feel
embarrassed; just pass the tray to the person next to you.
Collection of the offering
During the collection, plates³
are passed to collect offerings for the financial needs of the church. The
collection will usually be gathered just before or after the Lord's Supper
-- not because one is part of the other, but simply out of convenience for
those assisting with both tasks.
As our guest, you are not expected to contribute
a donation. Feel perfectly comfortable in passing the collection plate
to the next person.
If you have any questions about the service or about anything said during the service, please feel free to ask any of the members before we begin worship or after we have completed. We'll be happy to answer them as best we can.
This article was prepared by summarizing a number of vistor's-brochures collected from several churches of Christ in the United States.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the “HOLY BIBLE, NEW KING JAMES VERSION, Copyright (C) by Thomas Nelson, Inc. 1982, 1992.”
¹ Almost all local churches of Christ provide Bible classes on Sunday mornings for their members and any visitors. Most congregations customarily provide Bible classes on Wednesday evenings and on Sunday afternoons/evenings. However, since providing and scheduling of Bible classes is at the discretion of each individual congregation, some congregations may choose to provide fewer Bible classes or on a different day of the week. (Go back to place in article.)
, ² In English, we tend to distinguish “grape juice” as unfermented and “wine” as fermented, but this is different from the Greek language of the New Testament. The Greek word translated into English as “wine” literally means “fruit of the vine,” i.e. the juice of the grape, and can refer to either fermented or unfermented grape juice. When it was important to make a clear distinction, the speaker would refer to “old wine” for fermented and “new wine” for fresh like Jesus did in a parable in Luke 5:36-39. When Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper (Matt. 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:14-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-26), He made no such distinction. Therefore, each local church of Christ may choose either unfermented or fermented grape juice to satisfy Jesus' instructions for the Lord's supper, but most congregations find it more expedient to use unfermented. (Go back to place in article.)
³ While the collection is specifically commanded in the New Testament, the necessary collection utensils are not so specifically described. The local church of Christ you visit might use metal or wooden plates, baskets, or even cloth bags for gathering up the collection. (Go back to place in article.)