The churches Of Christ

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus promised to build a church. In Acts 2:47, Luke tells us that people were being added to that church. Thus, we can conclude that Jesus built his church sometime between his promise in Matthew 16 and Luke's statement in Acts 2. Indeed, a closer study of the events in Acts 2 reveals that the Lord's church was established on that first day of Pentecost following the Lord's resurrection when Peter preached the first gospel sermon. That church is the church of Christ.

A common misconception about the church of Christ is that “The Church of Christ” is our name. It is not. The “church of Christ” is our description. We are the church that belongs to Christ, that was established by Christ, that was built by Christ, and that was bought by Christ. The church is not our church or my church or your church. The church is not man-made. The church is the Lord's church. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said "upon this rock I will build my church." The 'church of Christ' is none other than Christians who make up the body of Christ, His spiritual Kingdom on Earth. God adds us to his church when we obey his gospel.

The church of Christ is an undenominational and has no central headquarters or president. The head of the church is none other than Jesus Christ himself (Ephesians 1:22-23). Each congregation of the churches of Christ is autonomous, and it is the Word of God that unites us into One Faith (Ephesians 4:3-6). We follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and his holy Apostles, and not the teachings of man. We are Christians only!

If you are a member of something else or something more or something less, then you are not serving God according to his plan or according to his will. He wants you to be a Christian and only a Christian, wearing only the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, who is the head and the savior of the church, his body.

History of the Hamlin Congregation

By the late Elizabeth Z. Lovejoy

On the fifth day of January 1902, a group of people met to organize into a congregation know as the church of Christ for the erection of a church building in Hamlin, West Virginia. The church building committee agreed that when the church house would be complete it should belong to and be the property of the church of Christ, and to be owned, controlled, occupied and used by the true, firm and faithful members of the said church of Christ, that are now and shall hereafter be members of the aforesaid congregation, with the express understanding and mutual agreement of all parties hereto that brethren of said congregation may permit any of the protestant, orthodox, Christian churches to preach in said church building, when the building isn't actually occupied or desired for stated appointments by the minister or by the membership of said church of Christ.

And, it is further mutually and jointly agreed by all parties hereto, no organ or other mechanical instrument of music shall be used or kept in said church building and that no fair, festival or worldly show, shall be allowed, held or conducted in said church building or on the premises thereto belonging, and that any other practices unauthorized by the New Testament Scriptures shall not be allowed held or conducted in or about said church building, and in case any such above prohibited or unauthorized practices are committed or performed in or about said church building as on the premises thereto belonging, then any member or members of said Hamlin congregation shall be authorized and empowered hereby to remove, restrict, and prohibit the use of the aforesaid instrument or instruments and the said unauthorized practices from being used, kept or conducted in or about said church building and that this memorandum shall be spread upon the said congregation's church record and that every new member be solicited to the same.

This agreement to be acknowledged by the elders and clerk of said Hamlin congregation and also by the aforesaid name church building committee and the church trustees before someone authorized to take acknowledgements, then admitted to record in said Lincoln County records.

Dated the 5th day of January 1902. Signed by A. C. Hilbert, Clerk, and J. D. Porter, a member of the building committee.

Note: The current church building was erected in 1955. Elder Connie and Marie Roberts were the first to be married in the new church building in 1956.