The church of Christ which meets at Salina Ks, exists for the purpose of:
1. Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all those within its reach, baptizing them into the Body of Christ and teaching them to observe all the teachings of God.
2. Teaching and equipping the saints for the work of ministry so everyone can do their part for the edification of the whole body.
3. Meeting the spiritual, emotional and physical needs of God’s people.
The Albany church of Christ is basically a group of believers in Christ striving to work and worship together as a New Testament local church. Our purpose is to provide an environment in which Christians can grow and flourish into the image of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:16). Additionally, we work together in spreading the Gospel of Christ to our friends, family, and neighbors. Our aim is that they, too, receive the forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life (Acts 2:38-42).
No, We Are Not A Denomination. Neither are we inter-denominational. It is our sincere desire to be non-denominational. It is our wish and purpose to wear no other name than Christ's and to be known simply as Christians, members of the body of Christ - the church of Christ. Such was clearly true of the Lord's people in the first century (Acts 11:26; 1 Pet.4:16; Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18; Rom. 16:16). We refer to ourselves as the church of Christ, the Lord's church, or some other scriptural description, not in an attempt to be "sectarian," but on the contrary, to identify ourselves as the church belonging to Christ.
We Strive To be The Same Church Described In the New Testament. It is our purpose to be completely identified with the Christians of the first century. We believe this to be possible to all who will learn, believe and be guided by the plain teaching of the word of God. Jesus declared such to be "the seed of the kingdom" (Lk. 8:11). A fundamental truth in nature is that a specific kind of seed, when planted, will always produce after its kind. The word of God when planted in the hearts of honest people, and obeyed will produce Christians - just as it did in the first century - nothing more and nothing less. We are human, and therefore subject to error, so we recognize the possibility that we may be wrong in our application of the scriptures. But if we can be shown where we are wrong - by the scriptures - we are willing and anxious to change.
We Have No Human Authority. There is no man, or group of men who legislate for the church. We have no one to answer to but Christ. He is the head of the church (Eph. 1:22). As was true in the first century, there is no inter-congregational organization, but rather independent congregations in different locations with Christ as Lord and Master. According to the authority of Christ, when a congregation matures to the point where men meet the qualifications, overseers (also called bishops, elders, or pastors) are appointed to look after the spiritual welfare of the congregation. such men are appointed only when the congregation determines that they meet all of the qualifications listed by Paul in 1 Tim. 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. They then have the responsibility to "feed the flock" with the spiritual food found in the scriptures, and to be living examples for others to see (1 Pet. 5:1-3).
The Bible Is Our Guide In Serving God. Therefore we have no man-written creed books to follow. We are governed in faith and conduct by the Bible alone. While recognizing and heeding the guiding principles of the Old Testament, we seek to conform to the teachings of the New Testament (1 Cor. 10:4; Heb. 1:1-2; 1 Pet. 4:11). We accept the Bible as being both verbally inspired and infallible in content (2 Pet. 1:20-21; 1 Cor. 2:11-13). Consequently, when the Bible speaks upon any given subject, its pronouncement is accepted as final. By its own testimony, no one may with impunity alter a single word of it (Deut. 4:2; Prov. 30:6; Rev. 22:18- 19).
Our Plea For Unity. We plead for unity among all who obediently respond to the doctrines and commandments given in the New Testament. Such is in harmony with the prayer of Jesus and the pleadings of the apostle (Jn. 17:20- 21; 1 Cor. 1:10; Eph. 4:1-6). We consider such unity to be possible, or Jesus would not have prayed for it. We also note that unity and love for each other was a mark of discipleship in the early churches (Jn. 13:34-35; Acts 2:44-46; Acts 4:32). And since division has always been the result of departure from "the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3), we believe that division can be healed by a return to the revealed word of God.
If you have any questions about us please ask.
