WHAT IS THE CHURCH OF CHRIST
The churches of Christ are the result of the Restoration Movement that took place in the 1800s in the United States. This movement was an effort to go back to the Bible and the church Jesus established in the first century (Mat 16:18). The result was a multitude of congregations with no national headquarters or central authority. The headquarters is considered to be in heaven with Christ as the head of the church (Eph 1:22-23). The Bible is considered to be the pattern or authority for all doctrine as well as the work and worship of the church.
Each congregation is independent or autonomous but have common practices and beliefs. The body of believers are united by (1) a common belief in God as the creator of the universe (Gen 1:1); (2) faith in Jesus Christ of Nazareth as the only begotten Son of God and the author of salvation (Jn 3:16, Heb 12:2); (3) a conviction that the Bible is the revealed word of God (2Tim 3:16-17).
The New Testament is the pattern for the work and worship of the church in the twenty first century as it was for the first century. Biblical authority is required for all doctrine and practices just as it was in both the Old and New Testaments (Rom 10:17, Col 3:17). The Scriptures are the inspired word of God and are profitable for doctrine and instruction in righteousness that completes the man/women of God for every good work (2Tim 3:15-17, 2Pet 1:3).
The primary function of each congregation is to conduct public worship and carry out the commission Jesus gave His apostles (Matt 28:18-20 and Mk 16:15-16).
Our Mission
It is our aim to follow the Bible in all matters of faith and practice (Colossians 3:17; John 12:48).
We seek to worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24) according to the example of the New Testament church. We partake of the Lord’s Supper upon the first day of every week (Acts 20:7), sing with acappella music (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16), give on the first day of every week as we have prospered (1 Corinthians 16:2), and preach and teach the Bible as our only doctrine (Proverbs 30:5-6; 2 Timothy 4:2).
We seek to live as Christians and a church of Christ because of what the New Testament reveals to us (Acts 11:26; Romans 16:16).
We teach salvation as taught and practiced in the New Testament and we seek to be saved by the same. We believe that we must hear the Word of God (Romans 10:17), believe that Jesus is the Son of God (Luke 13:3-5), repent of our sins (Acts 2:38), confess Jesus as the Son of God (Matthew 10:32), be immersed in water for the forgiveness of our sins and added by God to the church (Acts 2:38, 41, 47), and live faithfully by the teachings of the Bible (Luke 9:23). By being baptized into Christ, we “call upon the name of the Lord” in order to be saved (Romans 10:13; Acts 22:16).
We seek to love one another as Jesus loved us, because our Lord teaches us that by this love all men will know that we are his disciples (John 13:34-35).
“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU VISIT
When you visit the Pleasant Hill Church of Christ, you will be treated as our honored guest. People will shake your hand and introduce themselves. We will strive to make you feel welcome.
Jesus said, “God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). Because of our confidence in the Bible as God’s word (2 Tim 3:16), we pattern our worship after the teaching of the New Testament.
We observe the Lord’s Supper every Sunday as the apostles taught the early church (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
We take an offering each Sunday as taught in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2.
We pray and study the Bible just as you would expect. We all join in acapella singing, seeking to follow Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16.
Though the inclusion of the Lord’s Supper each Sunday and the absence of a piano or organ may seem unusual to some, we think you will find our worship spiritually uplifting and biblical.
We believe that you will find yourself paying more attention to the messages of the songs and thinking more deeply about the cross of Christ.