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While Visiting the
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, 3:16-17), 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 practice
only within the guidelines 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 ordinary people with an
united faith in God's Word. We have varying backgrounds,
experiences, and stages of knowledge and spiritual growth. We
seek to please God and submit to His will. We are not perfect
and do fall short at times. (2 Timothy 1:8-9; Titus 2:11-14)
We come together understanding
that as repentant sinners we need the cleansing blood of Jesus
Christ (1 John 1:5-10).
What will happen
during Sunday worship?
Welcome!
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 or just observe, if you prefer.
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. (Colossians 3:17; Ephesians 5:17)
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. (Eph.4:15-16)
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. (1 Timothy 2:1-12; 1 Corinthians 14:34-35)
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. (Colossians 3:16; Ephesians 5:17-19; Hebrews 2:11-13)
Preaching
In congregations that have chosen
to hire a preacher, you will notice that the preacher does not
have a title; he will not be referred to as Pastor
or Reverend. You may hear him referred
to as brother, minister,
preacher, 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. (1 Peter 2:5,9; Rev. 1:6)
The sermon will be a Bible-based
lesson lasting approximately 15 - 35 minutes. For those
Sundays when the preacher is out of town (or in congregations
lacking a hired preacher), one of the leading men of the
church will prepare and preach the sermon. (2 Timothy 3:16-17,
4:1-5; Romans 10:17; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-2)
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. (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38, 22:16; Romans 6:1-8; Galatians
3:27)
(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. (Acts
20:7; 1 Cor. 11:23-26; Matt. 26:26-29; Luke 22:19-20)
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. (1 Corinthians 16:1-2;
2 Corinthians 9:6-10) 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. (1 Peter 3:15)
Supplemental
note: Expecting to need to use a nursery & cry room?
Most congregations have one
just ask any member where
to find it. Typically it will be located near or just outside
the main entrance to the auditorium and will be equipped with
a changing table or crib, a rocking chair or recliner, restroom
access or a sink, and a loudspeaker connected to the auditoriums
speaker system so you may still listen to the bible class or
worship service.
* 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. (Go back to place in article.)
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.) |