We believe that the Bible teaches us that we are all sinners (Rom. 3:23) and that we are all in need of salvation (Rom. 6:23). We also believe that the Bible teaches us that sinners can have salvation by learning about Jesus through the hearing of God’s Word (Rom. 10:17), developing a belief in Jesus as the Son of God (Mark 16:15-16), repenting of their past sins (2 Peter 3:9), confessing Christ as the Son of God and their savior (Rom. 10:9-10) and being immersed in baptism for the remission of their sins (Acts 2:38). When one does this, God saves him or her through the blood of Christ and adds them to Christ’s church (Acts 2:47).
West Innes Church of Christ
2975 West Innes Street
P.O. Box 1452
Salisbury, NC 28145
About Us
Welcome to West Innes Church of Christ!
If you are not familiar with the church of Christ, you may be wondering, “Who are these people? What do they believe and teach?” Maybe you’ve heard some things about the church and want to know if they are true or not. Let us try to briefly tell you who we are and what we believe. If, after reading this, you have questions or would like to know more, please let us know. We would be glad to help you in any way that we can.
We believe in God, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe (Gen 1:1). We believe that God loves all of humanity and desires for everyone to be saved. To that end, God allowed His Son, Jesus Christ to come to the earth and to show us the way to God and then, ultimately, to die on the cross in order to offer redemption and salvation to mankind (John 3:16; Rom. 5:6-11). We believe that, three days after His crucifixion, Jesus overcame death and the grave in His resurrection, thus securing salvation for all those who come to Him in faith and obedience. We believe that Jesus later ascended back to heaven to take His place at the right hand of God as our Lord and Savior (Acts 1:9-11; Acts 5:30-31).
We believe that the Bible is the accurate and inerrant, inspired Word of God; that God has provided it to us in order to teach, correct, and guide us in the way that He would have us to go (2 Tim. 3:16-17). We believe that the Bible is the last and only revelation of God to us today (Jude 3)and that it is still a viable and timely guide for today’s world. We believe that the Bible was given to us to tell us all that God had done to bring salvation to mankind and to share with us the great and precious promises that God makes to those who commit their lives to Him. The Bible also instructs us on how we can respond to God in order to be His children and to have eternal salvation. As a church, we believe that it is our obligation to follow the New Testament as our only creed and to adhere to it in all matters of doctrine and practice, and that we have no authority to add to or take away from the teachings of the New Testament. In other words, we believe that we must “speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where the Bible is silent.”
What We Believe
We believe that, while Jesus was on the earth, He promised to build HIS church (Matt. 16:18). We believe that that promise was fulfilled when the church began on the day of Pentecost as is recorded in Acts chapter 2. We believe that the church, as it is described in the New Testament, is the church of Christ (that is, the church that belongs to Christ) as Christ intended it to be. We believe that, in order for any church to be that church today, it must worship, teach and live in the same way that the New Testament church did. To that end, we strive to follow the commands and examples of the apostles and the New Testament church as they are recorded in the Scriptures to the best of our ability.
We believe that our purpose as New Testament Christians is to bring glory to God (1 Peter 2:9-10). We strive to do this in our worship (John 4:24), our teaching (2 Tim. 4:2), and our lives (Matt. 5:14-16). We also believe that it is our purpose and responsibility to share the love of God with others (Gal. 6:10). God has greatly blessed us and we are excited about sharing those blessings with those around us.
Finally, we believe that Christ has gone to prepare a wonderful place for us in heaven (John 14:1-3) and that He is coming back to judge the world and to receive those who are His (1 Thes. 4:15-17). We are striving to be ready for that day and want to help others to be ready too, so that we can all inherit that glorious heavenly home together.
OUR INVITATION
We want to extend to you and your family an invitation to be a part of our Bible classes and worship periods.
We are a non-denominational body of Christians and our only rule of faith and practice is the Bible. We are dedicated to a life of studying the Word of God (2 Timothy 2:15), teaching others the Word of God (Matthew 28:19-21; Mark 16:15-16), growing in the knowledge of God (2 Peter 3:18), and living a life according to the doctrine of Christ (2 John 9-11).
If you are looking for a church where Christ’s Gospel is proclaimed and men and women strive to please God by worshiping Him in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:24), then please come visit soon!
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU VISIT
Worship is a privilege which God has given us to express our deep adoration for His love, mercy, and power. We take seriously the opportunity we have to worship together. It is our pleasure to invite you to these services. We want you to know what we are doing in these periods of worship.
Open
At the opening of our services one of the men of the congregation will stand before the church and make announcements.
Prayer
After the announcements, a prayer will be offered by one of the men, as he leads and directs all of our thoughts together
(1 Timothy 2:1-4).
Singing
After the prayer we begin our worship with singing. The New Testament teaches us to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to edify each other and glorify God and Christ (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16). The song leader will announce the selections and you can find them in our book, Hymns For Worship.
Lord's Supper
The Lord’s Supper (sometimes called communion) will be offered to all Christians in memory of the death and sacrifice of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
Collection
A collection will be taken from our members as a means of supporting the work of the church. Early Christians did this each Sunday as well (1 Corinthians 16:1,2). Visitors are under no obligation to contribute.
Preaching
A sermon will be preached that exalts the Word of God above the will of man. The speaker will point us to scriptures from the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16, 17). You are encouraged to use your own Bible to follow along. At the conclusion of the sermon, anyone wishing to become a Christian or those who desire prayer will be given the opportunity to come forward.
Close
At the close of our services we engage in a word of prayer once again. After this prayer, we dismiss.
On Sunday afternoon, the same pattern is followed with the exception of the Lord’s Supper, which is offered after the sermon to those Christians who were not in attendance that morning.
Now that you know what to expect at our services, we hope you will come and visit with us soon!