OUR MISSION -
Kirkpatrick Church of Christ exists to bring glory to God. Our mission is to make disciples by evangelizing the lost, by nurturing the saints toward maturity and ministry, by serving all God's people without reserve, by functioning as the moral conscience of secular society and community, and by worshiping the Lord in spirit and truth. This is our mission.
The Kirkpatrick Church of Christ is a family-friendly church, modeling to others the love of Christ. Every Sunday morning we have a blended song service (hymns and choruses), followed by Communion, prayer time, and a sermon that is effective for today's society. We are a small church, with a big heart, and we welcome anyone who comes through our doors. Come check us out...you will like what you see.
As you can see in the opening line of the mission statement to the left, this church exists to bring glory to God. But what does that mean? And how is it that we attempt to do that? What drives this church and what are the under-girding beliefs that give us our focus? Good questions that deserve direct responses.
The leadership of the Kirkpatrick church is striving every day to live up to the high standards of this calling. We don't always succeed, but we know that as we earnestly seek to serve our God, He will grant us the ability, judgment and resources to reach these objectives, so that those who need to hear His message of hope may hear it through our efforts.
Kirkpatrick Church of Christ is an independent, nondenominational fellowship of believers who seek to follow Christ and wear His name. Churches like ours are called "Restoration" Churches, arising out of the Restoration Movement in the 1800s to get back to the basics of the Bible in our manner of worship.
As you read more about us, it is our hope that you'll gain a better understanding of what we're all about. And that, as you grow in that understanding, you will find yourself more and more prepared to invest yourself in this wonderful adventure called Kirkpatrick Church of Christ!
Our ministry foundation and focus is Jesus Christ alone. Listed below is a brief description of the central tenets of the Christian faith to which we unswerving subscribe. Anyone who wants to understand what drives our church must have a good grasp of what we believe about God, His Son, the Holy Spirit and His Word.
These beliefs explain our allegiance to the Savior, our dedication to the work of the Kingdom and our stand for absolute truth.
We have no creed but Christ; that belief in Jesus as the Son of God, is the beginning of our salvation, without any man-written creeds. (Hebrews 12:2 (KJV) Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.)
That baptism is by immersion in water and is necessary for salvation and membership in the Church. (Acts 22:6 (NIV)And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.) / (Acts 2:38 (NIV) Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.) (Acts 2:47 (NIV) praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.)
We take Communion every Sunday, as the first church in Acts did (Acts 20:7 (NIV) On the first day of the week we came together to break bread.......".)
We are known only as Christians, and our churches wear the name of Christ, as the early churches were identified this way. (Romans 16:16 (NIV) Greet one another with a holy kiss.All the churches of Christ send greetings.)
Our Beliefs and Values -
We believe that Jesus is God’s Son, a Savior to those who will receive Him as Lord, the answer to our guilt, and our example for living. Jesus, as the Son of God, is the foundation upon which all we preach and teach find their authority and meaning.
We believe the Bible is God’s inspired Word, worthy of our study and application. We have no creed but Christ; no book but the Bible.
We believe there is but one Church, made up of all those who are personally related to God through His Son Jesus. We encourage the unity of all Christians and believe that this unity can be achieved when love for Christ is greater than love for man-made traditions. We do not claim to be the only Christians, but strive to be Christians only
We believe that real Christian unity is found within the diversity of its members. We are made up of Christians of many different church backgrounds, including those with no church background at all. In regards to race, we welcome families of many different backgrounds to worship and serve Christ side by side. Having Christ in common is what makes the church, builds relationships, and strengthens our families and our community. At Kirkpatrick, we describe ourselves as a “Christ-centered, Bible-teaching, non-denominational church.”
Christ-centered…. refers to the Lordship or authority of Jesus Christ in our church. We Believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and that our church belongs to Him, Upon this confession of faith, individual commitments are made and our congregation is built. (Matthew 16:15-18).
Bible-Teaching… refers to our belief that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. Our teaching finds its authority not in psychology, philosophy, or popular opinion, but in the timeless truth of Scripture. Most who attend our worship services also find a Bible class to attend where they can grow in their knowledge and understanding of the Bible. (2 Timothy 2:15 and 2 Timothy 3:16)
Non-Denominational…we are a locally autonomous (we have no denominational affiliation) congregation. Men divide the Church with denominational labels, names, and creeds, which is confusing to most. Our goal is not to lead people to be a “Baptist” Christian, a “Catholic” Christian, a “Presbyterian” Christian, etc… but to be simply Christians Only, as found in the New Testament. Though we are a locally autonomous congregation, there are many other churches like ours. We are a Restoration Movement Church.
1. We believe in God and that God is a Trinity, (Father, Son & Holy Spirit). (Romans 5:1; Hebrews 11:6; Ephesians 2:8; Romans 10:13; John 3:16)
2. We repent of our sins, (turning from sins,) to live nearer to God and Christ. (Acts 17:30-31; 2 Peter 3:9)
3. We confess Christ, (a public witnessing to the fact,) that we believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. (Matthew 10:32-33; Romans 10:10; Matthew 16:13-17)
4. We are baptized, (by immersion in water), into Christ for the remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38; 1 Peter 3:21; Galatians 3:27; Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-5.)
5. We then continue to live in a manner honoring Christ, and following God's Word.
You can learn a lot about an organization by the values it espouses. They tell you what is important and what isn't. The following core values are intended to serve as a window into the very heart of our church. We cherish our Savior, Jesus, in Whom we live and breathe and have our very being. We make it our goal to please Him.
We value prayer as a gift from God, and sincerely believe that prayer makes the critical difference in all we do.
We hold to a passionate commitment, where the beliefs we profess grip the heart as well as the mind.
We seek to model an authenticity of faith, where what we say we believe is actually how we live.
We treat one another with respect, as fellow heirs of the grace of Christ. We seek to lift spirits and put wings on weary hearts. Our approach is more "how to" than "ought to."
We cultivate an attitude that seeks to be inclusive, not exclusive.
We value a warm embrace, a kind word and a friendly smile.
We embrace the belief that church is not just where people are encouraged to belong, but where they are also urged to become.
We believe that every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.
We value our children and youth, realizing that the greatest days of this church will be under the direction of the next generation.
We affirm the concept of an every-member-ministry. We seek not to build a large audience, but, rather, an army - of fully - devoted soldiers for Christ.
We pay close attention to detail at every level of our ministry, so as to offer Christ our very best effort.
We develop programs and ministries that are excellent but not ostentatious, attractive without being sensational.
We value change, but not change without purpose. We seek to respond to a myriad of rapidly changing dynamics in our culture, by employing timely methods in communicating our timeless message.
We value a relevant, easily applicable message, but the primary test of our message is, "Is it true?"
We value a wonderful diverse worship, as creative and expressive as our Creator Himself. Our passion is to meet needs, not grow a church.
We value God's gifts of both laughter and tears, and freely indulge in both.
It is our commitment to never intentionally violate the above-stated values. We urge the people of our church, at any level, to freely hold us accountable to this pledge.