What We Believe
ROOTED IN LOVE
The Greenville Church of Christ is a community of believers being changed by God so that our daily lives reflect Jesus to those around us.
We desire to please our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who said: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).
Our goal is to be more and more like Him. We commit to love like He loves, not only our church family, but also all those around us who are lost and hurting.
Father & Son
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, who is both God and was with God in the beginning. All things were created through him. For our salvation, he came down from heaven, was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake, he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day, he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells each believer who has put on Christ in baptism (Acts 2:38; Rom 8:9).
The Church
We believe in one holy, universal, and apostolic Church.
Like the early church, we are governed by a local group of elders (also called bishops, shepherds, or overseers) who themselves seek to follow Christ and the apostles with all wisdom and discernment. However, our congregation is just one small extension of the growing, worldwide body of Christ.
While we are congregationally autonomous and not overseen by a governing body or council, we seek unity with other Christians and churches and participate in joint activities with other congregations of the Lord’s body.
Baptism
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We regard baptism as an essential part of receiving the free gift of eternal salvation from Christ. It is a death and burial of the old self and a resurrection to a new life (Rom 6:1–10; Col 2:12).
Through declaring allegiance to Jesus (belief and confession), turning away from our old life (repentance), and putting on Christ in baptism receive the salvation that he freely offers us (see Acts 2:38).
Inspiration of the Scriptures
We believe that all Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for all things pertaining to living a life pleasing to God (1 Tim 3:16). As the word of God, the Scriptures are our authoritative guide for living a life pleasing to God.
Judgment & Resurrection
We believe that Jesus will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the resurrection of the dead and that those who are in Christ will receive a new, spiritual body at the resurrection, which will never see corruption (1 Cor 15:35–58).
Those who are outside of Christ will be raised to everlasting contempt (Dan 12:2) and thrown into the ‘lake of fire’ (Rev 21:8).
Worship Service: What to Expect
As we assemble to encourage one another, break bread, and worship God together each week, we seek to do all things according to the apostles’ teachings.
Each Sunday, we pray, listen to God’s word, encourage one another, sing, give, and partake of the Lord’s Supper.
As commanded by the apostle Paul, we teach and instruct one another through “singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” with thankful hearts (Col 3:16; see also Eph 5:19–20). We believe that every believer should take part in congregational singing to keep this command. Additionally, like the early church, we sing a cappella (without instruments), though we do not condemn those who choose to worship otherwise.
While all regular members here are expected to give cheerfully from what God has given them (2 Cor 9:6–7), we do not ask visitors to give. Our giving is used for various purposes, such as paying our ministers and building, as well as outreach in the community and support for foreign missions.
We have a sermon, where we listen to God’s word and seek to be changed by it. Although scripture is incorporated throughout the service, the sermon is where the preacher helps us conform our hearts to God’s divine message.
We partake of the Lord’s Supper every week just as the early church did (e.g., Acts 20:7). The Lord’s Supper is of extreme importance to our assembly. It is a memorial feast to remember and proclaim the Lord’s death on the cross. By partaking of the bread and the cup, we partake of the Lord’s body and blood (Matt 26:26–28). He is our bread of life and bread from heaven, who sustains and nourishes us as we journey in the wilderness to the promised land. It is a communion of believers in the body and blood of the Savior, and unites us together around one table and one spiritual food and drink (1 Cor 10:16–17). The Lord’s Supper is also a foretaste of the great banquet which we will enjoy in his presence when he comes again.
We welcome anyone who is baptized into the Lord’s body to partake of the Lord’s Supper. However, we ask those who are not baptized to refrain from the Lord’s Supper, since those who partake of it are participants in the body of Christ (1 Cor 10:16). We believe that those who eat the Lord’s Supper in a state of unholiness are a danger to themselves and others (1 Cor 11:27–32).
What to Wear
We do not have an enforced dress code here. You will find some men in khaki shorts and a T-shirt, and others wearing a suit and tie. You will see some women wearing dresses, and others wearing jeans and a shirt. If you want to blend in, most people dress “business casual”: men wear nice jeans or slacks and a button-up or polo shirt, and women wear a dress or a blouse and nice pants. We only ask that men and women dress modestly, both in terms of covering oneself and not dressing in a gaudy fashion. We want to respect others and respect the Lord we worship.
If you want any further details about what we believe or practice or about the congregation as a whole, please contact one of our elders or our minister (see this page).