About Us
Who We Are
The church of Christ at West Oaks is a church that meets together to serve our Lord and Savior, Jesus, to the glory of God the Father. We are a spiritual family that gathers together in Columbus, Texas to encourage one another, to grow together spiritually, and to share the gospel of Jesus Christ in our community.
What We Believe
We believe that the Bible is the word of God and that, as such, it is the rule for all that we do concerning our relationship with God. What God has given to us in the Scriptures is a priceless gift and treasure, teaching us how to receive salvation and how to live holy lives that give glory to God in all ways.
Please continue reading if you’d like to know more about what we believe.
Why “church of Christ”?
How can we claim to be nondenominational if we’ve got a sign out front that says “church of Christ” on it? Good question; here’s the answer:
Many people are familiar with the phrase “church of Christ” and associate it with a denomination. They’re right in doing so as there most certainly is a denomination using that title. In the Bible, however, that phrase is nothing more than a description of God’s people. When we become Christians, we are added to the church that belongs to Jesus, or the “church of Christ”. Many groups throughout history, including the Roman Catholic Church, have recognized this and used the phrase “church of Christ” to describe themselves. There are many other phrases from the Bible that could be used like “church God” or “church of God in Christ”. There have been so many groups throughout history that it would be impossible to uniquely use Biblical language to describe ourselves. Instead of looking for a new, catchy name, we’ve simply opted to use one of the descriptive phrases in the Bible: “church of Christ”.
What are services like?
Our worship services are focused on God and his word. We try very hard to remove as many worldly distractions as possible so that we can focus on God and the wonderful blessings he gives us in Jesus.
We strive to do all of the things that we find the church doing in the New Testament. We understand that times change; we may drive cars to services instead of walking or riding horses, but there are basic principles in the Scriptures that do not change. For example, we observe the Lord’s Supper, or communion, every first day of the week (in the US this is Sunday). We do this to remember the sacrifice of Jesus, the great cost of our salvation, and the glory of God expressed in his great love for us!
When you visit, you can expect to be warmly welcomed and not singled-out publicly in any way. We are glad to meet new people who are interested in serving God and becoming more like Jesus every day. If you have questions while you’re visiting, please feel free to ask anyone, and we will happy to help you find biblical answers.
Singing
One of the first things many visitors notice is the lack of instruments in worship. We sing songs to one another and focus on the words of the music and the melody our hearts are making. By focusing on the words rather than noises, our singing becomes a teaching tool, helping us to memorize Scripture, focus on spiritual things, and give glory to our Father in heaven. You’re welcome to sing along with us, or you can just listen to the words we’re offering to God in praise.
Preaching
Teaching the word of God is primarily important, both to those who are saved and those who are still seeking for Jesus. We take every opportunity to make the word of God know, to encourage each other with the Scriptures, and to teach the life-saving message of Jesus. There is nothing more important to mankind than the gospel of Jesus Christ, so we focus on that in our time together.
Prayers
Like any other relationship, communication is very important. God has done much communicating with us, so it’s important that we talk back to him. We take time during our Bible classes and worship services to pray to God. We typically thank him for the salvation he’s made available to us, for the blessings we receive on a daily basis, for the leaders of our country, and for the souls of people across the globe. You’re welcome to join us in prayer as we talk with our heavenly father.
Involved
Since all Christians are priests, we believe that all the saints are able to be actively involved in our worship services. Everyone prays, sings, and takes an active role in many of the activities that we have. Religion and our relationship to God is not something to be “left to professionals”. God desires all of us to come to him with humble hearts, making spiritual sacrifices, and giving him the glory in all things. Please feel welcome to join us in our worship God and to help us as we all strive to make our lives living sacrifices for Jesus.
