We are not Protestant or Catholic, nor are we “faith only” Evangelical. We are not part of a denomination. This church family is part of a larger fellowship of nondenominational or UN-denominational Christian churches/churches of Christ which pleads for the unity of all God’s people in one body: “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13). The Apostle Paul, when hearing about different groups forming in the church at Corinth, wrote, “For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul” (1 Corinthians 1:11-13)?
The Apostle didn’t like division then; and, according to the Lord’s prayer in John 17:20-26 where Jesus prayed for all believers to be one, we conclude that division is not what He desires; and we don’t think division that has spawned many different denominations is in accordance with His will even today. Is it possible to believe that God intended for us to have to choose what ‘kind’ of church we should attend? Surely, He didn’t want us to wear a label like “Baptist” or “Presbyterian” or “Methodist” or even “Catholic.” God wanted one church, based on His Word and the salvation offered through His Son. So, we want to be called by His name; we want to glorify Him. We only want to be Christians only!
We are a free congregation, led by spiritual men “who are known to be full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom” (Acts 6:3). There are no distinctions between ‘clergy’ and ‘laity’; we are “all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. . .you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26,28). God’s people are united in Christ. They all have an equal inheritance in His Kingdom and anxiously await His return.
Christ is our Creed: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). This is our creed and the only statement of faith that the Bible requires of anyone who wants to become a Christian. We stand on the infallibly of scripture, i.e., the Bible says what it means and means what it says. We are in agreement with the early leaders of “the Restoration Movement,” a movement which began 200 years ago to restore Christ’s church to first century standards of faith and practice. Those leaders stated “There is No creed but Christ, no book but the Bible, no law but love. The Bible only makes Christians only.” Therefore, our plea is the same as theirs: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, love.” All in all, our aim is to be a “New Testament Christian Church,” the church that Christ said he would build as He spoke to Peter in Mathew 16:18: “…I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
What you can expect at Graefenburg Christian Church:
- A warm welcome and genuine interest in you as a person
- A quality Christian educational program for all ages
- A congregation involved in the worldwide mission of reaching the lost for Christ
- A Bible message which exalts Christ in life and preaching
- An atmosphere where you can worship without feeling embarrassed or pressured.
To learn more about Christ’s New Testament Church, a free comprehensive easy to understand Visualized Bible Study Series that can be studied in the comfort and privacy of your home is available upon request.
