Who Are We? By Way of Introduction May we take this opportunity to introduce the church of Christ? Perhaps you have wondered, "Who are these people? What is their historical background? What do they teach? How many members do they have? How are they governed? How do they worship? What do they believe about the Bible?" Our Plea Our Guide Our Membership Our Name Our Organization Our Mission Our Bible Classes Our Invitation Our Worship Our Offer Our Plea Our plea primarily is for religious unity based entirely upon the Bible. In a divided religious world we believe that the Bible is the only possible common denominator upon which most, if not all, of the God-fearing people of the land can unite (John 17:20-21; I Corinthians 1:10). Our objective is religious unity of all believers in Christ. The method is the restoration of New Testament Christianity in our modern age. Back to Who Are We? Our Membership Worldwide, we have some 20,000 congregations and 2 1/2 million individual members. There are small congregations consisting of just a few members, and large ones of several thousand members. There are churches of Christ in every state of the United States and in 109 countries. Mastin Lake Road in the year 2000 has an attendance of around 125 each Sunday morning. Back to Who Are We? Our Organization Christ is the head of the church (Ephesians 1:22-23). We have no headquarters or governing body outside the local congregation. Each congregation is autonomous (self-ruled) and is independent of every other congregation. The only tie that binds the many congregations together is a common allegiance to Christ and the Bible. Each congregation is governed locally by a plurality of elders selected from among the members (Acts 14:23; 20:28). These are men who meet the specific biblical qualifications for this position of service. There are also deacons in each congregation who serve under the oversight of the elders and assist them in various areas of work. The local preacher also serves under the elders' oversight as he ministers to the congregation and teaches the lost. Back to Who Are We? Our Bible Classes The Word of God is taught to every age level in our Sunday and Wednesday classes. We respect biblical authority and encourage the personal application of biblical principles in daily life. As the family unit is being undermined and destroyed by modern philosophy and practice, the church gives much emphasis to all aspects of family life in classroom and pulpit teaching. Special series on the family are conducted periodically. Also, study books and video tapes on this vital subject are made available to the public. Back to Who Are We? Our Worship Jesus said, "God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship in spirit and in truth." Because of our confidence in the Bible, we pattern our worship after the teaching of the New Testament. We observe the Lord's Supper every Sunday like the apostles taught the early church (Acts 20:7; I Corinthians 11:23-26). We give of our money each Sunday according to biblical instructions (I Corinthians 16:1-2). We pray and study the Bible just as you would expect. Everyone joins in our enthusiastic singing, following the instructions of Ephesians 5:19. Though the inclusion of the Lord's Supper each Sunday and the absence of a piano or organ may seem unusual at first, we think you will find our worship to be inspirational and biblical. You may even find yourself paying more attention to the messages of the songs and thinking more deeply about the cross of Christ. Back to Who Are We? Our Guide We have no denominational creed or manual that must be followed. The Bible is our guide in all matters of faith and practice. The apostolic exhortation is, "Every Scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction, which is in righteousness; that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work" (II Timothy 3:16-17). Back to Who Are We? Our Name We adhere to no denominational names for the church or for her members. Since the church belongs to Christ (Matthew 16:18), we refer to the church as did the apostle Paul in Romans 16:16... "The churches of Christ send greetings." Of course, there are other biblical designations for the church given in scripture. Individually, ... "the disciples were called Christians, first in Antioch" (Acts 11:26). We do not believe that we can wear a better name. Back to Who Are We? Our Mission This was given by our Lord just prior to his ascension into heaven. "Go ye therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:19-20). Back to Who Are We? Our Invitation We extend to you an open invitation to visit and worship with the Mastin Lake Road church of Christ. We have a warm, friendly, and caring group of Christians, and you will be treated as our honored guest. People will shake your hand and introduce themselves. We will help you find your Bible class and show your children to their class. You will never be embarassed when you visit with us. Our desire will be to make you feel welcome and want to return. We hope you will give us that opportunity. Back to Who Are We? For Information Please contact for information. For matters regarding this website, contact

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