What Is the Church of Christ?
One of the most outstanding statements of the Bible is recorded in Matthew 16:18. On that occasion, Jesus promised, “Upon this rock I will build my church.” Having promised to build his church, the Lord kept his promise and established his church in the city of Jerusalem as recorded in Acts chapter 2. The church began in that day when about 3,000 obeyed the Gospel and were added to the Lord’s church (Acts 2:41, 47). As the apostles and early Christians continued preaching God’s Word, Jesus’ church grew rapidly and congregations were established in various places (Acts chapters 2-28). These congregations were all part of the same church, the church belonging to Christ.
In fact, in that day, there was only one church. Jesus had promised to build his church, and he built it. The thousands of denominations of our day did not exist in the first century when Jesus built his church. This is why there is no mention of denominations in the New Testament. Rather, we read of “the church” (Acts 8:3), “the body of Christ” (I Corinthians 12:27), and “the church of God” (I Corinthians 1:2). All of these terms refer to the one church of the New Testament. Denominations were not started until long after Jesus had built his church.
Churches of Christ today believe and teach that it is possible to be members of Jesus’ church, without being part of any denomination. We do not identify ourselves as members of a denomination, but rather as Christians who are members of Jesus’ church. We use the term “church of Christ” in the same way it is used in the New Testament: “churches of Christ salute you” (Romans 16:16). It is our conviction that if we believe, teach, and practice what was believed, taught, and practiced in the first century, we can be today what they were back then: members of the church of Christ. We cordially invite you to attend any of our services.
