Who We Are
There are over 20,000 church of Christ congregations around the world with a total of 3 million individual members. Some congregations are small with just a few members while others are rather large consisting of several thousand. Churches of Christ harken back to the first century pattern of Christian worship and organization following the New Testament. We simply consider ourselves as members of the church which Jesus established and for which he died.
Since the New Testament sets forth Christ’s instructions to his disciples, it serves as our basis for religious teaching and practice. We believe that teaching the New Testament without modification is the only way to lead men and women to become Christians. It’s really that simple. There are no creeds, governing boards, councils or headquarters.
Our congregation is autonomous and is independent of every other congregation. The only tie which binds congregations together is a common allegiance to Christ and the Bible. Each congregation is governed locally by Elders selected from among the members.
During our worship services we sing a cappella and observe the Lord’s Supper on the first day of every week. We teach that baptism is an act which is essential to salvation and comes from the Greek word baptizo which means to immerse.
Since Christ died for the sins of the whole world, the invitation to share in his saving grace is open to everyone.
Beliefs
The Kirkland church of Christ is a group of Christians who have dedicated themselves to serving God. We are a congregation with the following beliefs:
- We believe in God Almighty. He is the creator of the universe, our Heavenly Father, and the one who has given us an eternal spirit. (Gen 1:1, 2:7)
- We believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
“And Peter said, Thou are the Christ the son of God.” (Matt 16:16)“And after being baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.’” (Matthew 3:16-17)
- We believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is the essence of the gospel (I Cor 15: 1-2). The proper response to the gospel is to repent and be baptized for the remission of your sins (Acts 2:38).
- We believe the Bible is the inspired word of God.
“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (II Timothy 3:16-17). - Everything we believe, teach, and live should be based on the two great commandments:
“And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37-39) - We believe one can be a simple Christian without being a member of any denomination (Acts 2:47).
- We believe in matters of faith unity, in matters of opinion liberty, and in all things love (Eph 4:1-7, Rom 14, I Cor 13: 4-8).
- We believe we will have a home in Heaven when we die.
“And this is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.” (I John 2:25)