Greetings,

The Danville church of Christ has been a part of the Indianapolis, Indiana area for several years. Presently we meet to worship God at 2849 E. Main Street (Old Highway 36), Danville, Indiana. (Read about our History in Danville.) We would like to tell you a little bit about ourselves.

We are not just another Denomination

Most people think that every church is part of a denomination. This is a mistake! The Danville church of Christ is not a denomination. This does not mean we are inter-denominational. It is our sincere desire to be un-denominational. It is our wish and purpose to wear no other name than Christ’s, and to be known simply as Christians, members of the body of Christ – the church of Christ. Such was clearly true of the Lord’s people in the first century (Acts 11:26; 1 Pet. 4:16; Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18; Rom. 16:16). Collectively, we refer to ourselves as the church of Christ, the Lord’s church, or some other biblical description, not in an attempt to be “sectarian,” but on the contrary, to identify ourselves as the church belonging to Christ.

Our emphasis is spiritual, not material nor social

Our building is not a pretentious architectural monument to human pride, but merely a structure designed to facilitate our work and worship. We place little or no emphasis upon luxurious surroundings. While as individual Christians we seek each others’ association socially, the church, however, is not a “front” for a social club or agency, and therefore the Lord’s treasury is not used to promote social function in any way. Our design is spiritual (1 Pet. 2:5; 1 Tim.3:15).

We strive to be the same church described in the New Testament

We believe this to be possible to all who will learn, believe and be guided by the teaching of the Word of God. Jesus announced that the Word of God is actually “the seed of the kingdom” (Luke 8:11). A fundamental truth in nature is that a specific kind of seed, when planted, will always produce after its kind. For example, wheat will only produce wheat; corn will only produce corn. And in this way, the Word of God, when planted (received – James 1:21) in the hearts of honest people, and obeyed, will produce only Christians – just as it did in the first century – nothing more and nothing less. We are human, however, and being human subject to error; thus we recognize the possibility that we may be wrong in our application of the Scriptures. But if we can be shown where we are wrong – by the Scriptures – we are willing and eager to change. We only want to be scriptural.

We have no human authority

There is no man, or group of men who legislate for the church of Christ. We have no one to answer to but Christ. He is the head of the church (Eph. 1:22), which leaves no room for any human head. As was true in the first century, there is no intercongregational organization, but rather independent congregations in different locations with Christ as Lord and Master. According to the authority of Christ, when a congregation matures to the point where men meet the qualifications outlined in the New Testament, overseers (also called bishops, elders or pastors) are appointed to look after the spiritual welfare of the congregation. Such men are appointed only when the congregation determines that they indeed meet all the qualifications listed by Paul in 1 Tim. 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. These men then have the responsibility to “feed the flock” with the spiritual food found in the Scriptures, and to be living examples for others to follow, (1 Pet. 5:1-3). Deacons are special servants of the congregation (Acts 6:3-6); men who meet the qualifications of Scripture (1 Tim. 3:8-13). The Danville church of Christ is overseen by 3 elders and served by 9 deacons.

The Bible is our only source of authority

Therefore, we have no man-written creed books to follow. We are governed in faith and conduct by the Bible alone. While recognizing and heeding the guiding principles of the Old Testament, we seek to conform to the rules and patterns of the New Testament (1 Cor. 10:4; Heb. 1:1-2; 1 Pet. 4:11 ). We accept the Bible as being both verbally inspired and infallible in content (2 Pet. 1:20-21; 1 Cor. 2:11-13). Accordingly when the Bible speaks upon any given subject, its pronouncement is accepted as final. By its own testimony, no one may, with impunity, alter a single word of it (Deut. 4:2; Prov. 30:6; Rev. 22:18-19).

Our Plea for Unity

We plead for unity among all who obediently respond to the doctrines and commandments given in the New Testament. This obedience is in harmony with the prayer of Jesus and the pleadings of the apostles (John 17:20-21; 1 Cor. 1:10; Eph. 4:1-6). We consider such unity to be possible, or Jesus would not have prayed for it. We also note that unity and love for each other were marks of discipleship in the first century church (John 13:34-35; Acts 2:44-46; Acts 4:32). And since division has always been the result of departure from “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3), we believe division can be healed by a return to the revealed word of God.

What to expect in our assemblies

Our assembled worship procedures are calm, spiritual and orderly, keynoted by the words of Jesus, who said, “true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24). Every worship assembly is conducted decently and orderly (1 Cor. 14:40). Each element of our worship finds its origin in the commands and examples found in the New Testament. These are:

Singing

The entire assembly joins in singing gospel songs (psalms, hymns and spiritual songs). We have neither a choir nor special singing groups, only simple congregational singing. Since we find no evidence in the New Testament that the early church used mechanical instruments of music to accompany their singing, we do not use them in our worship. (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16).

Prayer

The congregation is led in prayer by one of the men in the assembly. We pray, not only to praise and thank God, but also to ask for our needs and the needs of others (1 Tim. 2:1-4).

Preaching

The lessons and sermons are designed to teach God’s word so as to encourage submission by those who listen. It has become increasingly popular for preachers to appear sensational by discussing subjects not revealed in the Bible, advancing fantastic theories and speculations, and even laying claim to miraculous powers. We make no claim for sensationalism – we have simply a dignified period of Bible teaching and study.

The Lord’s Supper

Just as the church in the time the New Testament was written, we partake of the Communion each first day of the week (Acts 20:7). The supper consists of unleavened bread and fruit of the vine as simple memorials of the precious body and blood of Jesus (1 Cor. 11:20-36).

Giving as we Prosper

We do not take up a collection every time we meet, but only on Sunday, the first day of the week, as we have biblical authority in (1 Cor. 16:1-2). Giving is the responsibility of our members, not of our guests.

Please come and worship with us

You are always welcome to visit our services. We have classes for all ages. We have services on Sunday and Wednesday. On Sunday morning, our worship service begins at 9:00 AM. After worship, we will take a 10 minute break and then have Bible class, with classes for all ages. We also offer a Sunday afternoon class at 3:00 PM. We have a mid-week Bible study on Wednesday night, starting at 7:00 PM.