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The Churches of Christ
Peter said to them, "Repent and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Acts 2:38
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People of Restoration
Members of the churches of Christ are people of restoration spirit; wanting in our time to restore the original New Testament church.
The only way to restore Christ's churc is to go back to the scriptures to see what the church was in the beginning, and then to recover in the twenty first century the essence of the original church. In this way we can be sure we are obedient to the will of God and have assurance of salvation. This is what the churches of Christ are seeking to do. Going back to the Bible does not mean the establishment of another denomination, but rather a return to the original church. Members of the churches of Christ are enthusiastic about this approach. With the Bible as our only guide we seek the truth of God; to find what the original church was like and to retore it.
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Not a Denomination
For this reason we are not interested in man made creeds, but simply in the New Testament pattern. We do not conceive of ourselves as being a denomination, nor as Catholic, Protestant, or Jewish, but simply as members of the church which Jesus established and for which He died. That is why we wear His name. The term "church of Christ" is not used as a designation, but rather as a descriptive term indicating that the church belongs to Christ.
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Each Congregation is Self-Governed
Churches of Christ are self-governed having no earthly headquarters and no man-designated organization.
Each congregation is self-ruled and is independent of every other congregation. The only tie which binds the many congregations together is a common love and allegiance to Christ, the bible, and each other. Each congregation is governed locally by a plurality of elders selected from among the members. These are men who meet the specific qualifications of office in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.
There are also deacons in each congregation. These men must meet the qualifications of 1 Timothy 3.
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Unity Based Upon the Bible
Since God has vested "all authority" in Christ (Matt. 28:18), and since Christ serves as God's spokesman today (Hebrews 1:1,2), it is our conviction that only Christ has the authority to say what the church is and what it should teach.
Since only the New Testament sets forth Christ's instructions to His disciples, it alone must serve as the basis for all religtious teaching and pratice. This is fundamental with churches of Christ. We believe that teaching the New Testament without modification is the only way to lead men and women to become Christians.
We believe religious division is wrong. Jesus prayed for unity (John 17). Later, the apostle Paul begged those who were divided to unite (1 Corinthians 1).
We believe the only way to achieve unity is by a return to the Bible. Compromise cannot bring unity. Surely no person, nor group of persons, has the right to draw up a set of rules by which everyone must abide. Let's unite by following the Bible.
Therefore, churches of Christ plead for religious unity based upon the Bible. We believe that to subscribe to any creed other than the New Testament, to refuse to obey any New Testament command, or to follow any practice not sustained by the New Testament is to add to or to take away from the teachings of God. Both additions and subtractions are condemned in the Bible (Galatians 1:6-9; Revelation 22:18-19). This is the reason the New Testament is the only rule of faith and practice we have in churches of Christ.
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