Just what is the Christian Church?

The question that is most often asked from those who visit us is simply “What is the Christian Church?”   Most people have grown up in churches that have some type of headquarters, synod, or governing convention.   But in the Christian Church there is no such organization that has oversight of the churches.  

Each church is an autonomous congregation.   That means that, as an independent non-denominational church, each congregation controls its own money, hires its own ministers, supports its own missions, and owns its own property.   That does not mean, however, that we are an island unto ourselves as we work and fellowship with other Christian churches to support mission work that reaches all over the world.

By the early 1800's the Church was becoming more and more fractured into groups referred to as denominations.   Each of these movements had begun as an effort to reform something that had gone awry throughout the years.   However, as the number of denominations grew it seemed as though each one of them began to defend their own turf, often holding debates to try and prove the other one wrong.   

Men who came out of Presbyterian, Baptist, and Methodist backgrounds, each independent of the other, began to wonder if there was not a way that the church could go back to her original roots.   They began to ask, “How was the church organized in the New Testament and how did she function?”   The answer became clear.   The Bible speaks only of the Church, not of different kinds of churches.   They had no written creed other than the Word of God.   Their leadership consisted of elders and deacons. And the plan of salvation was demonstrated over and over again in the book of Acts which showed that those who came to Christ heard the Gospel, believed in the power of Christ to save them, repented of their sins, and were baptized by immersion into Christ.    And it seemed that the least number of times that the Lord’s Supper was offered to Christians was on a weekly basis.

So, based upon those principles, the Christian Church was formed as an effort to say that we are not the only Christians but we are Christians only.   We are not divided by denominational names but we are just a part of the church that was established on Pentecost in 30 A.D.   That is not to mean that God works only through our church, but our emphasis is to get back to God’s original plan.   The Bible alone becomes our guide as we believe it is the Word of God to mankind.   We reach out to everyone, regardless of his or her economic status, race, or status in life because Christ invited everyone to come to Him.   Jesus is the head of the Church and we are His body.   And one day He has promised to return and claim His own. 

Galilee Christian Church extends an invitation to you to worship with us each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and to attend a Bible study at 9:30 a.m.   There are also special services for our children and our teenagers.  

Come and bring your entire family.