Our Faith Statement

What is special about the Church of Christ? 

With many other Christians, we believe that Jesus is the son of God and the only source of salvation and true life. We believe the Holy Spirit works powerfully in the lives of God's children. We believe that the Bible is the authoritative guide for Christians live, teaching, and worship. We believe that Jesus will come back someday (although non knows when, read Mark 13:32-33). In addition, here is a list of some of our important characteristics.

A. We are Christ-Centered, not Church-Centered. The Church is very important and we cannot live as Christians without the Christian community of the Church. But the purpose of the Church is not to promote itself, but to promote Jesus Christ who is our only foundation. Read 1 Corinthians 3:11.

B. We want to help people "cut a covenant" with God through Jesus empowered by the Spirit. We are not interested in just creating attendance roles or building big buildings with many people or giving people a Christian name. We are not interested in starting a religion. We want people to have a covenant relationship with Jesus Christ and to walk with Jesus in a community of faith (Galatians 3:27).

C. We practice believer's baptism by immersion and the weekly taking of the Lord's Supper. There are important teachings in the Bible as methods of entrance into a community of faith (through baptism, Acts 2:38) and continuing participation in a community of faith (through the Lord's Supper, 1 Corinthians 11:23-31). We can see the importance in the New Testament teachings and in the practice of the early Church. They are so important because of their visual and theological and spiritual connections to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, which is the foundation of our faith - 1 Corinthians 15:1-7)

D. We practice the priesthood of all believers as opposed to highly formal structures and hierarchies of power and authority. This means that we believe all Christians are equally important and all are given gifts to contribute to the Body of Christ (! Corinthians 12:12-27; Romans 12:1-8). We believe that church leaders should come out of a church's own community - chosen by God and his Children, trained by the Spirit, willing to lead voluntarily because of faith and sacrificial love, and not because of money.

E. In the Churches of Christ, there is no headquarters, diocese, or regional hierarchy of authority. Churches are lead by the Spirit through local leaders only, there are no regional leaders or bishops. This means that there are no leaders who can tell other Churches what to do with their teachings or with their money. Each Church is responsible to itself, and will have to answer to God. Some denominations have much regional structure like a government, but the Church of Christ does not. We believe this has many advantages in Busoga and that it will cut down on Church corruption, emphasize servant leadership, and produce more reliance on God. It also means that there will be much diversity in Churches of Christ; The Churches will not all look alike or do everything in a similar way. We do have, however, strong fellowships and community and accountability among our Churches created by the Spirit through love and faith, and not through official structures of power or conformity.

WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT TO SEE FROM THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST IN BUSOGA?

A. You can expect to see people who put their faith into practice. In Uganda, there are too many people who claim to be Christian, have a Christian name, and are "members" of a church, but whose lives are far from God. In the Churches of Christ, you can expect to see something different. You will see Christians who live pure and faithful lives, serve others, and love.

B. You will see common people, common Christians who read and know their Bible very well. You will even find some illiterate people who can tell you much about the message of the Bible. They will not arrogantly think that they can answer every question, but you will see them always studying the Bible and putting it into practice.

C. You will see a special kind of unity among Christians in the Church of Christ. You will see that regional rulers or the demands from a headquarters do not force this unity, and no one has to pay money to receive this unity. Rather, you will see a unity that is created by love and faith and purity and mission. You will see Churches that are able to turn their problems into growth. You will see leaders who love each other and serve people, instead of fighting with each other, stealing from each other, and backbiting each other. Just wait and see! God is moving in the Church of Christ in Busoga! 

Many may already be part of an Christ-centered community of faith. If so, then we thank God and pray that you will continue in that way. Others, however, may see something in the Church of Christ that they need or want in their spiritual journey.

 If so, you can visit a Church of Christ near you or you can get more information by writing to P.O.Box 1226, Jinja, Uganda, 

E-mail: bbs_wbschool@mailafrica.net