What to Expect When You Visit 

What You Will See

If you choose to visit us, we appreciate your time and effort to focus on matters of faith. When you attend a worship service, you will see that the church fulfills the five acts of worship prescribed in the New Testament:

1. We Pray: Acts 2:42, 12:5; 1 Thess. 5:17-18.

2. We sing (acapella): Eph 5:18-20; Col. 3:16; Mark 14:26; Acts 16:25.

3. We observe the Lord’s supper (every Sunday): Matt. 26:26-29; 1 Cor 11:23-26.

4. We give monetarily: 1 Cor. 16:1-2; 2 Cor. 8:5, 9:6-8

5. We listen to preaching/teaching: 2 Tim. 4:2; Acts 2:42, 20:7; Col. 1:28

The duration of the worship service is about one hour, Sundays 10-11 a.m. and 6-7 p.m.

If you attend a Bible class, we have classes for all ages. From infants to teens, we have classes and curriculums suitable for their needs. The adults’ class is held in the auditorium. During Bible study, we open up the Bible, read it, and ask how it applies to our lives. Questions and comments are welcome and encouraged during this time.

We meet for Bible study on Sunday, 9-9:50 a.m., and on Wednesday, 7-7:40 p.m.

What You Will Not See

You will not find “children’s church” at our congregation. What is children’s church? It is the practice of removing all the children from the worship assembly, so they can do child-friendly activities elsewhere.

This practice violates what the Holy Spirit has revealed in Hebrews 10:25. The adults which supervise the children are removing themselves from the assembly, and by doing this they are forsaking the assembly. Also, it sets a bad example for children. What are we teaching children by removing them from worship so they can color, play, etc.? Worship is an activity for the entire church, and we find the Biblical example of the whole church coming together into one place, 1 Cor. 11:20, 14:23.

We do have a nursery and cry room. However, it is left to each parent’s discretion to take their children to these rooms; parents can use these rooms for whatever time they think is appropriate. As the church’s preacher, and a father of five, you are more than welcome to have cooing and babbling babies in the worship assembly.

You will not see various kinds of worship services at the Chestnut Mountain church of Christ. Some churches offer “traditional” worship services and “contemporary” worship services (or something similar). To justify this, they will say something along the lines, “God is pleased with all different kinds of worship.” Is this true? If it is, how did they learn this truth? Not only do various kinds of worship services create an inconsistency within a local church, but this practice is also inconsistent with Scripture. For example, did the apostles worship God two different ways? It is absurd to think they worshipped in a traditional way with some Christians, and then in a contemporary way with other Christians.

In the Old Testament period, God was extremely detailed about how to approach him in worship. God struck the priests Nadab & Abihu dead because they used strange (or unauthorized) fire when performing their priestly duties (Leviticus 10:1-7). One general lesson is, if a person worships God in a way He has not authorized, then He does not accept that worship.

Jesus said the following:

But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:23–24 KJV)

God is not obligated to accept whatever worship people offer Him. You can know what kind of worshipper the Father seeks. Jesus says those who worship God “must” worship Him in spirit and in truth.