Welcome to the Harding Church of Christ

Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. -- Matthew 7:7

PLEASE NOTE - The OPINIONS expressed in these questions and answers do not denote an official Church of Christ policy, or even the opinions of all of our members, or the members of any other church. These answers are mearly the OPINIONS of two life-long members of the Church of Christ.

What is the Church of Christ?


	The Church of Christ is a non-denominational Christian community with groups all over the US and world. Each church is a simple, basic and independent organization. We believe we are all 'ministers of Christ' and equal in God's eyes -- therefore we are equals in the church. We believe we are ambassadors of Christ, and are charged with continuing his work on earth. We believe that our task is to 'love one another' and be a reflection of Gods love and grace. We are all very active in service to our local and worldwide community. We are a close knit family that shares our lives -- the good and the bad -- with each other. We pattern our community after the first church founded in the New Testament.

Why do you baptize by immersion?


	There are several reasons -- But there is one main and simple reason -- We believe the first christians/church practiced baptism by immersion. We believe that in baptism we are reenacting the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. We believe there is a death to our old lives, a burial in water, and a resurrection to our new lives in Christ.

What do you mean by 'We are only Christians, but not the ONLY Christians'?


	This statement has two parts -- First we say we are 'only Christians' -- In part, it means that what comes first in our lives is being a Christian -- It is the focus of who we are and how we deal with the world around us. We also say that we are not the 'ONLY Christians' -- we believe ALL Christians are part of the body of Christ -- a thumb may be a bit different from a finger -- but they are both equally important when reaching to help our fellow man. This also gives you an idea of how we view our relationship to other churches -- We believe the Christian community works best when we all work together. Lastly, we believe that with so much in common with the whole Christian community that it is a waste of our time to focus on what makes us different.

Why doesn't the Church of Christ use musical instruments in worship service?

In the past, the Church of Christ never used musical instruments in worship service -- But recently that has started to change. There was recently an article in one of the large Church of Christ news magazines that some churches have started using the organ or piano in service. Since each Church of Christ is independent, these differences are common and minor.

One reason that the Church of Christ doesn't use musical instruments is tradition. The believers that began the restoration movement in early America and founded the Church of Christ didn't believe in musical instruments in worship. Many church's continue that tradition.

The main reason that the Church of Christ doesn't use musical instruments is its omission from the New Testament -- At the founding of the first church, it doesn't mention musical instruments in use. Since the bible doesn't record the use of musical instruments by the first church, some choose to not use them.

Why should I join the Church of Christ?

Everyone that comes to Christ comes on their own path and for their own reasons -- We can't tell you why you should join us or any other church, but we can say a few things ...

Join to be a part of Christ's body -- to draw wisdom and strength from his life in each of us -- to be a part of the love and grace that Christ showed for us, and that we have for each other.

Join to be part of a community that will accept you for who you are and welcome you with open arms, just as Christ does.

Join because you are in need physically, mentally or spiritually -- Christ can help!

Lastly and likely most important, join because Christ needs and calls you to continue his work on earth. This is the fundamental idea that binds the entire Christian community together. The best thing about his work is that it can be done by the rich and the poor -- the weak and the strong -- the young and the old -- Christ's work doesn't discriminate -- Much like his love and grace

Have more questions? Feel free to write to us directly at
HardingCoC[at]aol[dot]com