Pataskala Church of Christ
About Us
We are a non-denominational body of believers in Jesus Christ. Our goal is to be "Christians only." Our membership is made up of people from various backgrounds. The common faith we have in God and His word keeps us together as a spiritual family.
Each individual church of Christ congregation is self-ruled and independent of other congregations. Each congregation is governed by a plurality of elders selected from among the male members. These are men who meet the specific qualifications for this office given in I Timothy 3 and Titus 1. Serving under the authority of the elders are deacons and ministers.
Jesus said, "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24). We try, to the best of our ability, to follow this command in structuring our worship services. By careful study of the New Testament, it is revealed that items of worship observed by the first-century church were singing, praying, preaching, partaking of the Lord's Supper (communion), and giving an offering.
One worship practice that sets the church of Christ apart from most other religious groups is "a cappella" singing. We worship in song in this way because there is no Biblical mention of "instrumental" music in the first-century church (Matthew 26:30, Acts 16:25, Romans 15:9, I Corinthians 14:15, Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16, Hebrews 2:12, James 5:13). The result is a beautiful blending of all voices in the assembly, seeking to praise and glorify God in spirit and in truth.
Another area of distinction between the Church of Christ and other religious groups is the weekly observance of the Lord's Supper. It is observed in memory of Christ's crucifixion. In Acts 20:7, we find "And upon the first day of the week…the disciples came together to break bread." We follow this example and honor Jesus Christ every week by participating in this communion (I Corinthians 11:23-26).
If you visit a worship service of the church of Christ, you may, on occasion, witness someone being baptized following the sermon. After personal study, prayer, and meditation an individual may feel ready to be baptized for the forgiveness of sins (Mark 16:16, John 3:5, Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16, I Peter 3:21). When a person is baptized into Christ, he or she becomes a Christian and at that precise moment Christ adds them to the membership of His church (Acts 2:47). Since Christ died to save the whole world and the invitation to share in His saving grace is open to everyone (Acts 10:34-35, Revelation 22:17), we do not believe that anyone is "predestined" for salvation or condemnation. To accept or reject Christ is a matter of personal choice. Wherever you are at this moment, we hope you will decide to accept the love and salvation offered by Christ. We look forward to getting to know you through a visit to our worship services.