The nature of the church

The church is not a man-made organization that forces members to follow its rules. It is a community of believers inviting others to hunger and thirst for God’s love and wisdom. Each church of Christ is independent and because we are not part of a denomination, church leaders are encouraged to use a small “c” for church when describing our fellowship. We do not have a central authority here on earth. Church doctrines, the practices that make the churches of Christ a unique fellowship, are not formulations that have come down from a central headquarters. Doctrines are carefully thought-out positions based on the word of God. Diversity of opinion over doctrinal issues is one of the hallmarks of the churches of Christ. Our church leaders in years past have often described us as “Christians only, but not the only Christians.”

Not using instrumental accompaniment to praise God is called a cappella singing. There are a cappella and non a cappella churches of Christ. Members of a cappella churches have a responsibility to understand why we do not use instruments of music in worship. We do not want to be guilty of doing the right thing for the wrong reason and therefore keep our hearts from being in tune with God. The pursuit of truth is every Christian’s responsibility; and we certainly should be ready to give an answer to anyone who attends our worship service and asks, “Don’t you believe in music?”