During a busy time of transition, we are so glad you have taken the time to visit our website! We hope to become acquainted soon! You can watch one of our gatherings on Livestream. Let us briefly introduce to you ourselves and our Savior Jesus.
We are not a building or an address. We are a people—a group of people who have called upon Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. When Jesus was on this earth, He said, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). The Church of the Open Bible is a local gathering of people that is part of that church that Jesus promised to build.
Here are some questions you may have about us:
What are you all about? We exist to honor God by making and maturing disciples who together are becoming like the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19-20). As believers and followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we desire to live and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ as revealed in the Bible. Our church desires to equip believers to grow in grace by loving God, loving others, and communicating the truth of the Word of God. (Acts 2:47, John 17:20-23, Ephesians 4:11-12)
What denomination are you? We are an independent church seeking to follow Jesus by giving careful attention to God’s Word the Bible. You can learn more about what we believe here.
Who leads the church? Our church is led by elders, which includes our pastor as the primary teacher. These biblically qualified men are responsible for the spiritual well-being of our church family. You can learn more about these men here.
Our church is led by a team of elders. This primary leadership office in the local church is described in three ways: elder, pastor, and overseer (Acts 20:17, 28; 1 Peter 5:1-3). These biblically qualified men, along with our lead pastor for preaching and teaching, pastor and oversee this ministry and are responsible for the spiritual well-being of our church family (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:6-9).
What are church gatherings like? Everything we do centers around seeking the Lord in His Word the Bible. This means our music (whether new or old) is saturated in the truths of the Bible. It also means that we give attention to Scripture reading and Scripture-focused prayers. Sermons are expositions seeking to explain what the Bible says and what that means for our lives. During our main worship service, there are around 150 in attendance.
When do you meet? Below are our regular public gatherings. More information can be found on our Service Times page. We also have periodic in-home gatherings, informal breakfast groups, and Bible studies in the community that have started because of a desire for God and His Word.
Sunday
Wednesdays
Is there child care? Yes, our infant and toddler nurseries are well-staffed by screened members who care for our children on a rotating basis enabling parents to focus on God and His Word during worship.
What about children’s ministries? The most important way we seek to minister to our children is by equipping parents to raise their children to listen to Jesus and live for Him in all of life. We have regular gatherings for Kids Club and youth group every other Friday evening, age-graded Sunday School classes, and Children’s Church during the 10:30 a.m. service on Sundays. There are also regular Kids Craft Night and Kids Night Out events.
What is church life like? In one word we are family brought together by Jesus. We are not all the same, but we all have the same Savior and love to do things together because of our common bond in Him. Beyond regular weekly gatherings, we seek to grow together as a spiritual family through various events (cookouts, cooking contests, fellowships times after the Sunday evening service, etc. ) To get an idea of what we do together, take a look at our Church Calendar.
What is your history? We were established in 1884. Our history can be summarized with the words of Lamentations 3:22-23: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”(ESV)
You can read more about Our Story here.
That is another way of asking this question: What is the gospel? The word “gospel” means good news, and the Bible is clear that Jesus Himself is the good news (Mark 1:1; 1:14-15). Who is Jesus and what is the gospel are two questions asking about the same issue.
The core message of Christianity is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is the good news in the Bible that communicates how a holy God made a way for sinful mankind to be restored in a relationship with him (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
The following is a summary answer to these questions. You can read an expanded and illustrated answer to the question “What is the Gospel?”.
You need to ask yourself . . .
Do I need to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior now?
To do so you must...
If you visit with us on a Sunday, we would like to give you as a gift a small book that goes into more detail answering the question “Who is Jesus?”