A Brief Introduction to the church of Christ
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The church of Christ dates back to the days of the New Testament (Romans 16:16). It was founded by Christ on the Day of Pentecost, A.D. 33 (Acts 2), not long after His ascension back to heaven. In the years that followed, it rapidly grew to fill Jerusalem, then Judea, Samaria, and finally the whole Roman Empire (Acts 1:8; Colossians 1:23). In America, the first churches of Christ were planted in the late 1700s as the result of a movement begun to go back to the Bible and do Bible things in Bible ways and call Bible things by Bible names (1 Peter 4:11).
We believe that Jesus is the Son of God (John 20:30-31), that the Bible is inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16-17), and that Christ will return to take His kingdom home to God (1 Corinthians 15:24). We emphasize sincere worship (John 4:24), every-member evangelism (Acts 8:4), godly living (Titus 2:11-12), love for each other (John 13:34-35), and helping those in need (James 1:27). We believe the Bible teaches that sinners are saved by learning of Jesus, faith in Jesus,repentance of sin because of Jesus, confession of Jesus, and baptism into Jesus (John 6:44-45; John 3:16; Mark 16:15-16; Romans 10:9-10; Acts 2:38). The church of Christ is organized with elders, deacons, preachers, and members, as in New Testament times (Philippians 1:1). It has no governing body on earth higher than the local congregation. |
The church of Christ is noted for its emphasis upon returning to the New Testament Christianity and for its desire to unite all Christians into one body (1 Corinthians 1:10). We believe that the New Testament is the only rule for faith and practice in religious matters (2 Timothy 3:17; 2 Peter 1:3), and that God’s Word must authorize all that is done in Christian worship (Colossians
3:17; Revelation 22:18-19). Thus we try to strictly follow the New Testament. We believe that it is possible to have religious unity in a day of division by simply following the New Testament pattern and putting aside human traditions. To put it simply, the church of Christ is seeking to be the same church one reads about in the New Testament. We aim to restore its doctrine, its practice, its lifestyle, and its zeal. 
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What do we believe about baptism?
When the multitude of people on the day of Pentecost realized they were living in sin, Peter told them to “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins;” (Acts 2:38). When Ananias came to Paul he said, “Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name” (Acts 22:16). When Philip taught the Ethiopian eunuch, “he preached Jesus to him” (Acts 8:35). This included baptism, because the eunuch said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?” (Acts 8:36). When Paul preached to a jailer and his family, they were baptized in the same hour of the night that they learned about Jesus (Acts 16:32-33).
We preach that baptism is essential because of what Jesus and the apostles taught concerning baptism (Mark 16:15-16; Matthew 28:18-20; 1 Peter 3:21).
We preach that baptism is essential because of what Jesus and the apostles taught concerning baptism (Mark 16:15-16; Matthew 28:18-20; 1 Peter 3:21).