Introduction
We know that finding a church family can be difficult. We also know that this process starts with being a first-time guest and that the unknown can be intimidating. For this reason, we want to give you a picture of what you can expect when you come to worship with the Burleson Church of Christ.
Burleson Church of Christ Gatherings
When you arrive, there will be greeters at our main entrances to the foyer and auditorium. We hope that you will find them to be warm and welcoming. If you have questions about where to find something or want to know more about a particular class or ministry, there will be people at the Welcome Center in the foyer to answer questions or direct you to where you would like to go.
Assembly Worship Gatherings
Our worship gatherings consist of a time of singing, prayer, communion, scripture, preaching, and family moments. We hope that our time together is an experience of celebration and family reunion. We want to celebrate what Jesus has done for us and what God is doing in our lives. We seek to be family to one another as the body of Christ. We hope that when members and visitors attend these gatherings, they leave feeling that they have worshipped God in the community of believers and have drawn close to Him.
Singing
When we worship in song at the Burleson Church of Christ, we sing a cappella. We lift our voices together to sing as one body. The Lord has given us an incredible invitation to worship him in song. Even more incredible, the God of the universe wants to hear each voice as each person brings their sacrifice of praise in song. As we sing with our voices we all participate equally together singing hymns, psalms, and spiritual songs of praise to our creator. We praise him for all he has done and all he will continue to do.
Prayer
When we come together to worship, we will talk to God in prayer. Sometimes we will pray together as men lead our collective thoughts in prayer. Sometimes we will all pray together out loud through congregational prayer. We believe in the power of prayer, and we believe this to be an act of worship as we acknowledge the authority and dominion God has over all things past, present, and future.
Fellowship of Communion
This is the part of our time of worship when we gather together as the body of Christ on the first day of the week. Some churches call this the Lord’s table, some call it the eucharist, and some call it the fellowship of communion. Communion is the time during worship where we remember our Lord and Savior and the sacrifice he made on the cross to provide atonement for our sins. During this time, we reenact the meal Jesus shared with his disciples before he went to the cross. He instructed them to continue to remember him in this way when they gathered together. Because of this, we take communion each week in remembrance of him. We take the bread in remembrance of the body of Christ that was offered on the cross. We take the cup in remembrance of the blood that was shed on the cross. During this time, we also focus our minds through prayer and reflection as we examine our lives and thank God for his grace and mercy.
Grace of Giving
Each week, we also take a moment to worship God through giving. We know that God has blessed us with all things, and that all things belong to him. We recognize that there are many ways to give to God. However, we believe one of the ways we ought to give is through our financial means. The monies that are contributed during this time are used to support ministries that further the Kingdom here in Burleson and many places throughout the world. There are no requirements as to how much members should give, nor are guests expected to give financially. In matters of giving, we simply ask that members prayerfully seek God and give what they have decided in their heart to give. We believe that this mindset produces cheerful giving, and we know that God loves a cheerful giver.
Scripture Reading
We believe in the power of the scripture given to us in the Holy Bible. We believe it is the inspired word of God and that it is living and active. We believe that it is sharper than any double-edged sword and able to judge our hearts and attitudes. For this reason, scripture is read in some form each week. Sometimes, scripture will be read over all who are gathered together. Sometimes we will all read together out loud as we proclaim the truth of the Bible. We believe that the scriptures have been given to us to instruct, convict, and encourage us along the journey as believers. We want to share in the Holy Scriptures when we gather together.
Preaching
When we gather together in worship each week, there will be a message shared. While we often refer to this as preaching, it is really a time of listening. During this time, we listen as truths from the Bible are proclaimed. We listen for the voice of God within the sermon being shared. We know that when the message is faithful to the word of God, it has the power to shape our lives, renew our minds, and transform us more into the likeness of Christ.
Family Moments
Because we believe the church is to be the family of God, we will celebrate and commit things to prayer together in worship. On occasion, this means that we will take time in our worship gatherings to celebrate new babies that have been born, and we will pray over their parents that they may raise them in faith and teach them truth from God’s Word. We may also take a moment to recognize a couple who has reached a milestone anniversary in their marriages and celebrate how God has used them to be a shining example of love and commitment. When an individual wants to confess Jesus as Lord and put on Christ in baptism, we will take time to celebrate this moment as they are baptized and welcomed into the family of God. When people are hurting and in need of prayer, we will take time to lift their needs up before the Lord. We believe that Christ instituted the Church in order that we might celebrate together, hurt with one another, and spur each other on through our journey of faith. When we come together as the family of God in this place, we want to be the body of Christ in these ways.