Who are We?
We are simply Christians striving to please God in all things. We believe the Bible is infallible in content, as it is the inspired word of God (2 Peter 1:20-21; 1 Corinthians 2:11-13). It alone is sufficient to guide and equip us in all of our spiritual endeavors. Therefore we have no man-written creed books to follow. We look to the Bible alone for our authority in doctrine and practice. While recognizing the guiding principles of the Old Testament, we seek to conform to the rules and patterns of the New Testament. We are constantly seeking to understand God’s will more perfectly through Bible study and prayer. ( 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
We also describe ourselves as undenominational. By this we mean that our congregation is not a part of any group of congregations joined by a common practice or creed. In the New Testament, local churches were independent congregations, unfettered by any human organizational bonds. Every Christian was individually in allegiance to Christ alone. It is our sincere desire to wear no other name than Christ’s, and to be known simply as Christians, members of the body of Christ (Acts 11:26; Ephesians 1:22-23). Collectively, we refer to ourselves as a church of Christ, the Lord’s church, or some other scriptural description of followers of Christ (Ephesians 5:23).
We are a spiritual family. As fellow brothers and sisters in the family of God, we strive to exhibit the love of Christ. In our desire to imitate the New Testament church, we share our physical blessings, and seek to encourage each other toward further love and good works. (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32; Hebrews 10:24). We seek to address the spiritual needs of the entire family: children, teenagers, and adults. We also strive to make our congregation a warm and friendly place where visitors are always welcome.
We are a worshipping people. Worship is of highest priority among God’s people. It is our aim to worship God as He has directed in His word. True worship is something to participate in, not something to watch. As such, God alone is our intended audience. The church of the New Testament assembled on the first day of the week to eat the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 11:23-34). They sang hymns and prayed to God with thanksgiving and praise (Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16, Acts 12:5). They also pooled their resources and used their funds to preach the gospel and provide for their fellow Christians who were in need. Although worship is the focus of our assemblies, it is certainly not restricted to the assembly. As individual Christians we praise God in our daily lives and strive to present our bodies as a “living sacrifice, holy , acceptable to God” (Romans 12:1).
We are a teaching church. The early church was dedicated to spreading the gospel message to a lost world. They went everywhere ‘preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). We believe the gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16). Therefore, we encourage every member to be actively involved in teaching their friends and neighbors about Jesus and emphasize personal evangelism in our daily walk. We offer Bible classes designed to equip every member to become a teacher, and speak the truth in love, so that the body of Christ will be built up in the way that God designed. (Ephesians 4:11-15).
In all our activities we strive to follow and respect the authority of Christ. Therefore we speak where the scripture speaks and are silent where the scripture is silent, so that God alone receives the glory. (1 Peter 4:11).
The Southside church of Christ exists to bring the gospel of Jesus to the lost and serve the spiritual needs of all those who are seeking to please God. We do not claim to have all the answers you seek, but we believe that the Bible explains everything we need to know to live fulfilling lives now and reach our ultimate goal of heaven. We will be happy to talk to you, study with you from the Bible, or assist you in any way as you seek to learn more about God and bring your life into harmony with His will. Please don’t hesitate to call on us or visit with us.
Will you join us in our quest to be simply Christians?