Shelbyville Church

Shelbyville Church of Christ Welcomes You!

Sunday Services/Bible Class: 9:30 am; 10:20 am; 6:00 pm
Wednesday Bible Class: 7:00 pm

To get more information go to:
shelbyvillechurch.com
shelbyvillechurchofchrist.com

What is the Church of Christ in Shelbyville?

Introduction :

As one looks around Shelbyville he sees a number of different churches. They all worship the same God, but not together. In fact, some churches don’t endorse the others or even recognize them as being valid churches. Why is that? They all (including the Church of Christ ) believe one must have faith that Jesus is the risen Son of God and espouse faith in Him as their savior in order to be saved from the consequences of their sins and returned to fellowship with God. Interestingly, it’s estimated that all those who believe in Christ agree on 80% of the things they believe and teach. Thus, to have so many churches seems rather illogical and very much contrary to the prayer of Jesus that all of His disciples be united.(1) In the beginning there was only one church, but sadly, that 20% area of disagreement has all too often overshadowed the 80% area of agreement resulting in division after division. Some of the divisions are the result of major doctrinal differences while others are over more trivial things such as traditions or even loyalties to teachers from the past.

Each church in Shelbyville is in some way different from all others in town. Some of the differences are small and inconsequential while others are very significant. Please allow us to describe some of the areas that distinguish the Shelbyville Church of Christ from the other churches in town. As you read, you will also find many similarities as well.

Governed Only by Christ :

One fundamental difference between the Church of Christ in Shelbyville and some other religious organizations is that we do not recognize any man on earth as the head of the church. Jesus the risen Christ and Jesus alone is the head of His body, the church. (2) Consequently, no man or group of men has the right to originate teaching or establish rules of faith and practice for the church which belongs to the Christ.

Non-Denominational :

Since Jesus is the only head of the church, there is no need for an earthly head. There are Churches of Christ in every state in the United States and all around the world. There are tens of thousands of congregations totaling millions of members, but each congregation is independent of all others, linked only by love for their common Savior. Therefore, the Church of Christ in Shelbyville is not organizationally linked to any other religious body. The local congregation is not overseen by, financially obligated to or in any way answerable to any organization beyond the local congregation. The local congregation is overseen by elders ( also called shepherds, pastors, bishops, overseers or presbyters ) which are selected from the local congregation to feed, direct and protect that congregation.

The Bible :

Christians view the bible as the blueprint for their lives and for the church as well. If all Christians and all churches would strictly follow the same blueprint, the 20% area of disagreement would largely be eliminated and the divisions could be healed. This is the way to restore religious unity, by all returning to the pattern given by God and in so doing allowing Christ to rule His church.

We of the Shelbyville Church of Christ believe the bible to be the way that God speaks to His church and to his people today. We believe that the bible and only the bible is the verbally inspired word of God; that it is without error, it is complete and is the final revelation of God to mankind. It is via these Holy Scriptures that Jesus rules His church today. Therefore, we do not accept any other authority for matters of faith and practice in the church; only the revealed word of God.

Since the entire bible, both the Old and New Testaments, comes from God, we accept the entire bible as being authoritative. It is a grave error to take any one passage of scripture out of context to prove a point. One only has the will of God on any subject when he has all that the scriptures reveal about that subject. Thus, it behooves all Christians to study the scriptures in search of God’s will for their lives (3) and for the conduct of God’s church.

Weekly Assemblies :

The Church of Christ assembles for worship each Sunday morning and evening. Our worship consists of the weekly communion service, prayers, congregational singing, bible reading, a lesson from the bible and a free will offering is taken. An hour before the Sunday morning worship service and again on Wednesday evening, we gather together for a time of bible study.

Open Communion :

Open communion is practiced, but it is emphasized that the unleavened bread is to be partaken of in remembrance of Jesus having offered His body on the cross as a sacrifice for the sin of man and the fruit of the vine is partaken of as a remembrance of the innocent blood Jesus which was shed to wash away the sins of mankind. We make this remembrance on the first day of every week.

You Are Invited :

Visitors are welcomed into all of our assemblies. You are invited to worship with us at your every opportunity. It is our desire to maintain a warm and loving environment in the church (4) so your visit should be a positive experience. We hope to see you soon. Meanwhile, if you have questions or would like more information about us, please click on the little green contact mailbox or call ( 217 ) 774-5063.

John 17: 20-23
Eph. 1: 18-23
Eph. 5: 10
John 13: 34-35

Tags: Religious Organization