As disciples we strive to remain obedient to the teachings of Jesus and the New Testament by practicing a faith that is socially relevant and intellectually sound. Members are bound together in fellowship and service by belief in the central confession of the New Testament "that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the Living God." (Matthew 16:16).
On other matters, the church recognizes the right to exercise freedom of opinion. This principle is a sustaining force in the life of the church. We hold that there should be "in essentials, unity; in opinion, liberty; and in all things, LOVE."
There are about 1,000,000 members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada. In Missouri there are over 63,000 members. Our Church actively participates in both the Northeast Area and Mid-America Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
THE LORD'S SUPPER
Our congregation celebrates the Lord's Supper every Sunday. We
practice open communion, which means it is not necessary to belong to this
congregation to take communion. Both the bread and the cup will be passed to you
in the pew. Please take each as it is passed to you and return the cup to the
tray. The first Sunday of the month homebound communion is taken to persons
unable to attend services. Church services are provided at Macon Health Care
Center that same Sunday at 1:30 PM.
BECOMING A MEMBER OF FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH
The hymn following the morning
message is called the dedication hymn. If you would like to become a member of
this congregation, you are invited to come to the front of the sanctuary as this
hymn is being sung or meet with the minister in private. The minister will
receive you into membership. We accept members by TRANSFER or CONFESSION.
TRANSFER means you are a member of another church and want to place your
membership at First Christian Church. It is NOT necessary for you to arrange a
transfer letter. The church office will contact your former church.
CONFESSION of faith is for people who have never belonged to a church. The
minister will ask you: "Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the
living God, and do you accept Him as your Lord and Savior?"
Many times people who have not attended a church in recent years prefer to come
into membership by reaffirming their confession rather than by transfer. This is
at your discretion.
Fifth Sundays are designated as an open Sunday where people may meet the minister
after the service at the front of the sanctuary and express personal concerns
about church membership.
CHURCH POLICY ON BAPTISM
This congregation practices baptism by
immersion for those who have reached an age of understanding and make a
confession of their faith. For reasons of health other forms of baptism may be
employed.
For those interested in transfer, if you have been baptized in another tradition,
it is not necessary to be immersed.