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What to expect when you visit the Church of Christ...

We want you to visit us at the church of Christ. We want you to feel comfortable. However, we know an unfamiliar place can be intimidating; so, let us tell you what you can expect when you honor us with your visit.

Background:
A brief description of our background may help you understand us. We are a part of "The Restoration Movement." Our goal is to "restore" the New Testament church in our time --- to determine from the Bible what the church was from the beginning, and to be like that. We believe this is a worthy and reverent goal.
We want to be a Bible-centered church. And we try to be! Yet we know that our conclusions aren't flawless, and that our practices are sometimes colored by habit, preference, tradition, or convenience. Now, let us walk you through a service. There may be some variations from this description, because every church of Christ is autonomous. Self-governed. Independent from a centralized earthly leadership model.

The Setting:
Some churches of Christ meet in homes or rented facilities. However, most, for the sake of convenience, have erected a church building at which to meet. You will enter what we refer to as the "auditorium." There will be rows of chairs or pews for the worshippers. There are no reserved seats, so feel free to sit anywhere you choose.

Singing:
In a bookrack near you, there will be a songbook for your use during worship. When the song leaders announces a number, you can turn to that number in the songbook to find the words and music. One of the unique things about churches of Christ --- and something you may find strange --- is that the music is "a cappella." That is, we sing without the accompaniment of musical instruments. This is a conviction with us, not just a preference. It has its roots in our restoration heritage. We are seeking to worship according to the New Testament pattern. Since the New Testament leaves instrumental music out, we believe it is best to exclude it, too.¹You may consider us narrow on this point, but we believe you will respect our reason for it. We also believe that you'll find the singing meaningful because everyone is invited to participate in the singing.

Prayers:
There will be several prayers during the worship time. Prayer is personal communication with God. During the worship time, several men will lead the congregation by praying on behalf of the church. In this way, the entire congregation participates in offering up the prayer to God. There may be prayers for specific needs and requests.

Preaching:
You will notice that the preacher doesn't have a title. He won't be referred to as Pastor or Reverend. He may be addressed as Dr., but only if he has earned that academic credential. He will probably be referred to as brother or Mister. Most often, we will call him by his first name. He won't wear any special clothing or robes that set him apart from anyone else present. The reason for this is our belief in a priesthood of all believers. All Christians are on equal footing as far as status in the church.²
The sermon will likely be from 20 to 30 minutes long. We think you will be surprisingly refreshed at how Bible-centered it will be.

Invitation:
    At the end of the sermon, the preacher will "offer an invitation." This is simply a convenient time to invite those who are moved to do so to make a public commitment or request prayer support. The preacher will encourage those who wish to "respond" to come to the front of the auditorium while the congregation sings a song.
    Don't feel uncomfortable during this invitation. You will not be singled out in any way. There may be several who feel the need to respond, or there may be none. Some may respond, asking to be baptized. Some might need to confess sins. Some may ask for prayers for a specific need. Some may simply want to "identify themselves with this congregation, or place membership."
    If anyone responds for baptism, you will witness the baptism during this service. The baptism will be by immersion³ and it will be for the remission of sins.⁴

Lord's Supper:
   If you visit on a Sunday morning, the Lord's Supper will be included in the worship proceedings --- because churches of Christ observe this memorial every Sunday. Again, the reason for this is our desire to follow New Testament teaching. The first century church celebrated this observance on the first day of the week. ⁵ We assume from this that they did it on the first day of every week. We know from respected historians that in early centuries, the Lord's Supper was an every-Sunday commemoration.⁶
    During this memorial, plates containing pieces of unleavened bread will be passed throughout the congregation. The bread symbolizes the body of Jesus.⁷ Each participating person will break off a piece of the bread and eat it.
    Next, trays filled with small cups will be distributed. The cups will contain "fruit of the vine," usually grape juice, symbolizing the blood of Jesus.⁷ Each participant will drink the contents of one of the cups. If you choose not to participate, don't feel embarrassed. Feel free to just pass the plate or tray to the person next to you.

Offering:
If you visit on a Sunday morning, containers will be passed to collect the weekly financial offering.⁸ As our guest, you are not expected to make a donation. Feel perfectly comfortable in just passing the collection plate on down the row.

What Will Be Expected of You:
Nothing at all! You are welcome to participate, but don't feel obligated to. Just observe, if that is your choice. We would appreciate if you would fill out a Visitor's Card. This simply provides information so the church can write or call to thank you for your visit. Supply the information if you are comfortable doing so.

The People:
    What kind of people can you expect to find? Pretty much the entire spectrum, like any other group. You find traditionalists --- you'll also find people who prefer doing anything new over everything old. You will find those of us who mistake our traditions for absolute truth, and get pretty bent out of shape when they are tampered with. And you'll find those of us who are a bit smug at having been liberated from tradition. You will find legalists and liberals and everything in between
    You'll find happy people--- and grouchy people. Friendly people --- and unfriendly people. Loving people --- and cantankerous people. People who are learning --- and people who already know everything there is to know. We're kind of like the sign outside of the small West Texas town that reads, "Home of thousands of friendly people --- and a few ol' soreheads." You get the picture. We are a diverse group, coming from various backgrounds and at different stages of knowledge and spiritual growth.
    We don't know everything. We don't do everything right. We don't always treat each other as we should. We haven't arrived at our destination --- we're still on the journey. However, we were not brought together by any illusion of our being perfect. Actually, it is just the opposite. We were brought together because of a shared recognition of our need for the cleansing blood of Jesus.⁹ That is the reason we can worship together, stick together, and (with God's help) accomplish some things that will make a difference in our community and the world. You won't have to look far to find our failures. But the bottom line is that you'll find lots of people who love Jesus and love the Bible.

1. 1 Corinthians 14:15; Ephesians 5:18,19; Colossians 3:16; Hebrews 2:12
2. Matthew 23:8-12; Galatians 3:26-28; 1 Peter 2:5,9
3. Acts 8:35-39; Romans 6:3,4; Colossians 2:12
4. Acts 2:38
5. Acts 20:7
6