We welcome all visitors to join us in worship, and hope you find us to be a friendly and God-focused group of people.

Christian or non-Christian, we welcome all visitors; considering this, certain privileges are reserved for recognized members of the local congregation.

1.     If a man desires to lead prayers, lead songs, teach, or lead the church in other acts of worship, he must be a member of the church (a recognized local member, or a visiting member who has been approved by the church’s leadership).

2.     Any input about church business, finances, evangelism, etc. is reserved for members of the church.

The Universal Church

In the New Testament (NT), you find the idea of the universal church, or the church at large. Speaking about Jesus, the NT says the following:

And he is the head of the body, the church… (Colossians 1:18 KJV)

And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. (Ephesians 1:22–23 KJV)

The NT says Jesus is the head of the body. And it also says He is head over all things to the church. And so, the terms “body” and “church” are synonymous. In Ephesians 4:4, it says there is “one body.” How can this be possible? Paul wrote to the church at Rome, the church at Corinth, the churches of Galatia, and so on. If these multiple churches existed, then there cannot be one church, right? Wrong! The singular body/church is composed of all local churches.

For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: 5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. (Romans 12:4–5 KJV)

Just as the human body is made up of trillions of cells, so too is the one body of Christ made up of many members. The NT says specifically there is “one body,” not two, or three, etc.

The process by which a person becomes a Christian, is the same process by which he or she is added to the church. In Acts 2, Peter preached the gospel. Those who received his word “were added unto them,” Acts 2:41. To whom were they added? They were added to the other believers. The church is saved people, and saved people are the church.

The Local Church

You can read about the church of God at Corinth, 1 Corinthians 1:2. You can read about the church of the Thessalonians, 1 Thessalonians 1:1. You can read about the church that was in Philemon’s house, Philemon 1:1-2. The NT mentions these churches which existed in different locations.

A faithful brother or sister in a different city, a different state, or a different country belongs to the universal church, but they are not a member of the Chestnut Mountain church of Christ. When Peter instructed elders on how to do their work, he told them to feed the flock of God they were “among,” 1 Peter 5:2. The authority of elders is over the local church to which they belong, and it does not extend to other churches. The local church has autonomy (it governs itself by its use of the Bible). No person has the authority to visit a local congregation and insist they do what he says. The recognition of the local church’s autonomy protects the church against corruption and false doctrine.

When you read the NT, you find the example of Christians worshipping together, evangelizing together, and fellowshipping. There are no lone-wolf-Christians. If we are going to worship together and labor together for the Lord, then it is necessary we belong to a local group of disciples.

Our early brethren were there for one another. They were a support group. They were family (Acts 2:44, 46). Phone calls, video calls, and other forms of communication are good, but they cannot replace the person-to-person interaction that takes place within the local church.

Let’s say a sister in Christ wants to prepare two dozen meals to send to people in need. Who is she going to ask for help? Christians from a different city, a different state, a different country? No. She is going to ask members of the local church for help.

A brother in christ is putting together the schedule for worship services. Will this man call up various churches and ask them for volunteers? No. He is going to ask men in the local church.

These are a few reasons why officially joining a local congregation is vital. If you do not ask to be a member, then you are missing out.

The NT commands Christians to congregate. If you look up the word “church” in a scholarly dictionary of the NT, you will discover that word is defined as “congregation.” Every time you read about the “church” in the Bible, you are reading about a group of people who congregate. Because most versions translate the word as “church,” the meaning congregation is not obvious. Regardless, this is what the word church means. If the Holy Spirit calls us the congregation, then it makes sense we are going to congregate. Consider the following passage:

And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24–25 KJV)

The Hebrews writer says expressly, we should not forsake the “assembling of ourselves together.” Not only is congregating an inherent concept of the church, but “the assembling of ourselves together” is a clear mandate. O how awesome it would be for all Christians throughout the world to assemble and sing praises to God! But that is not going to happen in this present world. And so, we must meet locally and belong to local churches to fulfill this command.

We welcome all visitors. If you would like to fully participate in everything the church does, then officially join us so we can be fellow-laborers in the gospel of Christ.

Minister, 

S.J. Michael