Central Church of Christ 3.21

What We Believe

We make every effort to model our worship, doctrine and practice on the teachings of the New Testament. We have no creed or dogma and seek only to do the will of God, as set out in the Bible. We do what the New Testament church did.

Identifying with the New Testament church, congregations of the church of Christ are autonomous in organisation and leadership, with no headquarters or councils. Instead, congregations are shepherded by elders who are assisted by deacons in accordance with the biblical requirements of I Timothy 3 and Titus 1.

We believe that salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone. We receive salvation when we are obedient to the Gospel message (Romans 10:17) when, as a result of our faith in God (Hebrews 11:6) we repent from our sin (Acts 17:30), confess Jesus (Acts 8:37, Matthew 10:32) and are immersed in water for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38). We are then given the indwelling Holy Spirit as a gift (Acts 2:38, Romans 8:9).

What To Expect in our Worship

We believe that the pattern of our worship is important. The five items of worship observed by the first-century church were singing, praying, preaching, giving and partaking of the Lord's Supper.

Preaching – The sermons on a Sunday are designed to encourage, edify, exhort and inform on a variety of subjects. These messages have their foundation in the teachings of the Bible since it has everything needed for a godly and fulfilling life (II Timothy 3:16-17). This same approach is fundamental to the Bible study periods on Sunday mornings, Wednesday evenings and at Ladies’ Bible Class on Tuesdays.

Praying - We believe in the power of prayer and consider it to be essential for a spiritual relationship with God (Acts 2:42; I Thessalonians 5:17). Coming together as God’s family to express our adoration and gratitude to God and to bring Him our pleas and requests, is a privilege and a blessing.

Partaking of the Lord’s Supper (also called Communion) – In the New Testament (Acts 20:7) we read of the First Century Christians observing the Lord’s Supper every Sunday; we follow this example. During this time we are reminded of God’s grace, which was expressed through Christ’s death on the cross, His burial and resurrection (1 Corinthians 11:24, 25).

Singing – When you visit us you will notice that we sing a capella (without instruments). This is because we are seeking to worship according to the instructions of the New Testament. Since worship during New Testament times did not include musical instruments, we do not include them now. Only 8 verses in the New Testament mention music in worship and none speak of musical instruments (Matthew 26:30; Acts 16:25; Romans 15:9; I Corinthians 14:15; Ephesians 5:18, 19; Colossians 3:16; Hebrews 2:12; James 5:13).

Giving – Following the example of the New Testament church, we take up a collection every week (I Corinthians 16:1-2). About three quarter of these free-will offerings are used for evangelism and benevolence. The balance finances our ministers and mundane expenses.