About Our Church

Plymouth Park Church of Christ was born in 1999 as the result of the merger of the Central Church of Christ and the Rochelle Road Church of Christ. Although our parent congregations were different in many respects, they shared a common heritage in the “Churches of Christ” branch of the Stone-Campbell Movement. The churches of the Stone-Campbell Movement are the product of a nineteenth-century religious movement which sought to unite Christians from all denominations around the Lord’s Table. While there is much ugliness and human failure in the history of any religious tradition (and our own is no exception), we feel nevertheless that there is much in the Stone-Campbell tradition that is worthy of preservation. We wear the name “Church of Christ” not as a badge of uniformity with any particular denomination nor as an uncritical endorsement of the history of any religious movement, but as an acknowledgement of the heritage which formed us, as well as a reminder that as His disciples we are called to belong to Christ and to Him alone.

While we acknowledge that we have brothers and sisters in various denominations, we at Plymouth Park Church of Christ, like Christian congregations everywhere, are the children of a particular theological tradition. We maintain an identity with the “Churches of Christ” segment of the Stone-Campbell Movement and observe most of the traditions and practices of the Churches of Christ while being receptive to change as guided by biblical teaching.

Churches of Christ are independent congregations with no denominational authority structure to enforce uniformity. There is no such thing as an official Church-of-Christ doctrine or practice, but Churches of Christ are generally distinguished by the practices of baptism by immersion upon confession of faith and weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper at Sunday worship assemblies which feature a cappella singing (i.e., singing with no instrumental accompaniment). Questions of membership and communion are resolved by the leaders of each local congregation.

The following items give an overall picture of our beliefs and common practices. These do not represent a formal creed, but rather are descriptions of our church community.

  • We confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, requiring nothing more — and nothing less — as a basis of our life together.
  • We hold the centrality of scripture, recognizing that each person has the freedom — and the responsibility — to study God’s Word within the community of the church.
  • We practice the baptism of believers through immersion, stressing that the way of Christ is costly, while also recognizing all baptisms centered on Christian faith.
  • We gather each Sunday and at other times for the Lord’s Supper, experiencing at this table — open to all who believe — the grace of Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit.
  • We participate in God’s mission for the world, working with partners to heal brokenness, reconcile divisions, and bring justice to the whole human family.
  • We hear a special calling to make visible the unity of all Christians, proclaiming that in our diversity we belong to one another because we commonly belong to Christ.
  • We witness to the Gospel of God’s saving love for the world in Jesus Christ, while continuing to struggle with how God’s love may be known to others in different ways.
  • We affirm the priesthood of all believers, rejoicing in the gifts of the Spirit —including the gift of leadership — that God has given for the common good.
  • We choose our leaders based on their desire, ability, availability, and leadership skills, as guided by biblical principles, rather than strictly on their gender, ethnicity, social standing, or past lives.
  • In our common life and worship we celebrate our freedom and unity in Christ, while recognizing our different histories, styles of worship, and forms of service. Our singing is generally a capella, congregational singing, which is the tradition of Churches of Christ, though we will use a choir and instrumental accompaniment when appropriate.
  • We give thanks that each local congregation, where Christ is present through faith, is truly the church, affirming as well that God’s church and God’s mission stretch from our doorsteps to the ends of the earth.
  • We anticipate God’s coming reign, seeking to serve the One whose loving dominion has no end.

We hope this information proves helpful to those who are wondering just who we are at Plymouth Park Church of Christ. Of course there’s much more to our story than can be conveyed in a few words. To know fully who we are, you should get acquainted with us personally. Like any group of people, we have our problems and our eccentricities, our triumphs and our failures. But we hope you’ll find us to be a loving and welcoming fellowship that will accept you right where you’re at, just as Christ does, and at the same time call you to be transformed along with us into His image. We hope we’re living proof of the truth that knowing Christ doesn’t leave anyone unchanged.

To learn more about our church, visit the following pages:

Church Information