Churches of Christ in Christian Union

About Us: A Walk Through The Church

A Three-Minute Tour of the Churches Of Christ In Christian Union

WE in the Churches of Christ in Christian Union share some basic beliefs about God, the Bible, and life. We offer you a short walk through our church. In the next three minutes you can observe something about how our people worship, study, believe, pray, teach and live.

In the Beginning...

The Bible begins with the words "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth"(Genesis 1:1). Everything whatever is on earth or in the earth, the vast universe around us, the spirit world we cannot see exists because God brought it into being. This denomination dates from 1909 when five ministers and some sixty laymen, seeking greater freedom to preach and teach the Biblical message of full salvation, left the organization of which they had been a part and organized as the Churches of Christ in Christian Union. Since 1945 the Churches of Christ in Christian Union has expanded its borders, reaching 15 states and into several foreign nations. We are evangelistic in nature. Revival campaigns, missionary conventions, and camp meetings are a vital part of the local, district, and general church. Our form of worship is simple and free with little emphasis on ritual or form.

WHAT WE TEACH

The Bible

God speaks to us through the Bible. The Spirit of God guided the Bible writers so that they wrote without error. The Bible contains all we need to know about God, about ourselves, and about life here and hereafter. It contains the good news and the bad news.

The Bad News

Sin is two-fold: 1. Willful disobedience to God's known law. 2. The evil twist and corruption in human nature. So all men, Christ excepted, are sinful by nature and sinners by practice, and therefore are in need of redemption since the wages of sin is death.

The Good News

Salvation has been made possible by Christ's atoning death on the cross of Calvary. By His death and resurrection Christ has won a four-fold salvation for us: 1. Regeneration in which we are forgiven of all sins and baptized by the Spirit into the body of Christ. 2. Entire sanctification in which we are baptized with the Holy Spirit and cleansed from the carnal mind. 3. Growth in grace after sanctification in which we walk in new light as it is given and are made more and more like Jesus. 4. Immortality of body and soul.

Jesus Christ

He is one with the Father and with the Holy Spirit, but for our redemption He became Man. He was conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary. He was without sin. He died to save us, but arose from the dead and is now ascended to heaven where He is at the right hand of God, interceding for us. We look for His return in power and majesty to set up a millennial kingdom on earth. At the last He will judge the world in righteousness.

The Holy Spirit

He is one with the Father and the Son. He is a Person and is God's Agent in convicting and convincing sinners of sin. He regenerates believing sinners, and sancti- fies consecrated Christians. He magnifies Christ in the lives of believers and energizes them to live victoriously.

The Ordinances

We believe that Christ and His apostles ordained two ordinances to be practiced by His Church: water baptism and the Lord's supper. We insist on no exclusive method or mode of baptism or of partaking the Lord's supper. Let each be fully persuaded in his own mind. These ordinances are outward symbols, teaching of the inner life, the faith, and the hope of believers.

The Church

The Church is more than a denomination and more than all the denominations. It is composed of true believers in Jesus Christ. Christ is the Head and the Husband of the Church. Believers should meet together in local assemblies for the worship of God and for Christian fellowship. The Church has been commissioned by Christ to take the gospel to every creature: it is therefore missionary.

The Lord's Day

We keep the first day of the week as the Lord's Day, or Sabbath, because Christ arose from the dead on the first day of the week The early church kept this day in commemoration of God's finished plan of redemption. We should keep it as a day of rest and worship.

The Hereafter

The Bible teaches that believers shall spend eternity with Christ in a holy heaven with holy and happy surroundings. It also teaches that the wicked shall be judged and sentenced to an eternity in perdition.

The Mission and Purpose Statement of the Churches of Christ in Christian Union

The mission of the Churches of Christ in Christian Union is to preach and teach the gospel of Christ for the purpose of:

World Evangelization

Discipling Believers

Promoting Scriptural Holiness

Establishing Churches and Ministries which reflect the spirit and practice of the New Testament Church

LOCAL LEADERSHIP

The leader of the local church is the pastor, but the responsibility of administration is shared with the local board. Cooperation with the district and general organization of the church is essential. The Churches of Christ in Christian Union teaches that its members should be good Christian examples, being honest in business and in all other human relationships. Our purpose is to maintain a spiritual church where people of all walks of life may find an experience with God which produces eternal hope and fellowship with other Christians.

Organization

The international headquarters is located in Circleville, Ohio. Each of the various departments and ministries have administrative offices at Circleville.

Church Extension

Expansion through the homeland ministries is the key to meaningful church growth. Evangelism and church planting are high priorities for church extension.

Ohio Christian University

OCU (formerly Circleville Bible College) has provided literally hundreds of leaders in Christian service since it was established in 1948. Pastors, evangelists, missionaries, teachers, youth directors and ministers of music literally circle the globe in various churches because of the training ministry of OCU.

Visit the Ohio Christian University website at www.ohiochristian.edu.

World Missions

The church is active in spreading the good news around the world through our partnership with World Gospel Mission. Our missionaries are currently serving on the fields of Bolivia, the Caribbean, Honduras, Kenya and Papua New Guinea as well as ministering to the American Indians. We work in very close partnership with World Gospel Mission (www.wgm.org ).

District Offices

Each district office is responsible to work with local pastors and church leadership. Annual district camp meetings and business councils provide vital networking for individual local churches.

Additional Ministries

Several other departments have vital ministries throughout the denominational church family. The General Evangelism Committee gives direction and challenge for reaching lost people with the gospel. The General Stewardship Department provides leadership for responsible giving and future denominational endowment. The Christian Education Department oversees the work of the Sunday Schools and other educational services. The Evangelical Christian Youth Department provides leadership and programming for youth ministries. The Evangelical Christian Ladies Department promotes the specialized ministries and services for women in our churches. The Gifts Of Praise bookroom provides a wide variety of materials for the ministry needs of our people. The official publication of our church is the Evangelical Advocate. The Mount of Praise Camp Meeting in Circleville serves as the general level annual camp meeting for all our congregations.

THANKS for coming with us on this little tour. We hope that you enjoyed the visit and that what you saw helps you to feel that you know us. We would be happy to learn more about you if you care to tell us. In any event, be assured that we will be glad to see you again when you return. And we'll be delighted if you decide to stay.