What is the church of Christ OLD

What is the church of Christ

Almost anyone would be nervous about visiting a church without knowing something about it. So with that in mind, let me give you this brief introduction that hopefully will help you understand a little more about the church of Christ.

The overall goal of the church of Christ here at Buckingham Road is to restore the original New Testament church you read about in the Bible, to go back to the beginning, to the simplicity and purity of that first church. We want to use the Bible alone as our guide as they did. We want to be a loving family, supporting and helping one another like they did. We want to reach out with the good news of Jesus to as many as we can here at home and around the globe just like they did.

You may wonder about the name “church of Christ”. We don’t mean that name to be a denominational distinction. We see the name as a descriptive term, indicating that the church belongs to Christ. Our desire is for all Christians to unite on the Bible alone as our only rule of faith and practice, to not add to the Bible or take away from it.

You might like to know how the church of Christ is governed. Christ is the only head of the church. Churches of Christ have no earthly headquarters, no governing committee, no ruling convention, and no acting president. Each congregation is autonomous, or independent, of every other congregation. Each congregation is led by a group of elders who oversee and shepherd the members.

You may have questions about worship in the church of Christ. Worship services on Sunday include five main activities: Prayer, teaching and preaching the Bible, giving of our means, singing, and taking the Lord’s Supper. You may be surprised to know that our singing is a cappella, without the accompaniment of instruments. This is our practice because singing is what is commanded in the New Testament, and instruments are not mentioned. You also might be surprised to know that we partake of the Lord’s Supper every week. We do so because this is the example we see in the New Testament church (Acts 20:7).

You might wonder about how one becomes a member of the church of Christ. In the New Testament, church membership was gained by obeying the gospel. The gospel is the good news that Jesus died for our sins, was buried and then was raised for our justification. We respond to this gospel of grace by placing our faith in Christ alone to save us, by repenting or turning away from our sins, by confessing Jesus as Lord, and by being baptized into his death, burial, and resurrection for the forgiveness of our sins. Upon our baptism, we receive the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit and we are added to the church by God.


Perhaps you’d like to know what kind of people you’ll find here. Well, pretty much all kinds – young and old; black, brown and white; single, married; some with kids, some without; lots of teenagers. You’ll find some happy, friendly folks and a few grouchy ones. Most are loving and learning, but no one has all the answers. We’re all sinners, people who need Jesus and lots of grace. But you’ll find folks who are like family; worshipping together, sticking together, serving together – all with lots of faults and failures, but folks who love Jesus.


You may wonder what would be expected of you if you visit; not much really. Just come and observe, watch and listen. Ask questions if you’d like. Participate in the singing and Lord’s Supper if you choose to. You’re not expected to give to the contribution unless you want to. Fill out a visitor’s card at the Welcome Center, if you don’t mind. If you do mind – you don’t have to. We hope you’ll feel welcome as our honored guest.


Thank you for taking time to read this brief introduction. If you have questions, or if you would like the scripture references for this teaching, please let us know.  

May God bless you.

Richard Blaisdell

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