WATERVIEW

Church of Christ

About Waterview

We are a church of about 1200 members and we consider ourselves (if a label is needed) a conservative church in regard to God's doctrine, but liberal in giving our love, talent, time and money.

All are welcomed and loved and are invited to take part in the activities and the fellowships. By taking part and sharing time we will all grow together.

We have several ministries in which we would welcome your participation.

Some mark the passing of years in terms of size, and during the past 40 years the Waterview family has grown from a small infant church into a robust one. Others count numbers, and for them the church has increased from 120 members in 1963 to 1200 members in 1999. Still others see it as a spiritual family that has multiplied itself tenfold. Another way to measure growth is to note the five building programs the congregation has had just to house an ever-enlarging family. Some look to the future and see an increase in the kingdom through work with the Chinese in Richardson, a church plant mission in north Plano, and a growing work in Lithuania.

Accomplishments, however, are another way to measure a church. Waterview was born thinking mission work, both at home and abroad. There has been no place in the world out of Waterview's reach. Africa, Taiwan, Canada, Philadelphia, New York, Iowa, North Dakota, Louisiana, Guatemala, Czechoslovakia, Russia, the Ukraine and now Vilnius and Klaipeda, Lithuania, are just a few areas where Waterview has been active. In addition, hundreds of small churches all over the world are blessed by the tools and resources of Waterview's Strengthening Mission Churches Ministry.

A church is known by its "exports," too. The design of Waterview's worship space has been admired by other church of Christ members who visited us and then took the ideas back to their own new church building. The design of many programs that were developed at Waterview have been exported to and designed for other congregations. A continuing export is found in the intern programs. Two areas of internship, youth ministry and preaching, are annually available to the candidates who can profit most from the Waterview experience.

"Thinking small" at Waterview has only occurred one time, and that was in the creation of small group discussion Bible study in 1967. When Waterview began this type of Bible study, almost no churches had it. Today it is common among churches of Christ across the nation and around the world.

Waterview is also well known for its outstanding Bible school ministry and youth ministry. Churches frequently rely on Waterview teachers for workshops, advice and support.

Churches of Christ: Who are These People?

Look in the average phone book and you will find dozens of churches. Among the listings is one called "Church of Christ."

What, or rather, who is the Church of Christ?

The Church of Christ is not a denomination like the Baptists or Methodists. Rather, it seeks a simple goal-to become Christians like those found in the New Testament.

If you were to stop and ask Peter or Paul what kind of Christian they were, you would receive a puzzled look. Their typical reply might be, "What do you mean 'what kind of Christian?' We are just plain Christians."

How do we become a Christian like Peter or Paul? When we do what they did, we will become Christians like they were. By finding the commands God gives us, following the examples of those taught directly by Jesus, and studying our Bibles in a reasonable way, we can find the pattern for the church.



The Church Described in the New Testament

When you open the New Testament, you read of a dramatic and world-changing beginning in Acts 2. On that day the church Jesus promised to build came into existence. The basis was the preaching of the apostles who Jesus had prepared to tell the message.

That church had several distinguishing characteristics.

They looked to the inspired Word of God for guidance. They knew that when you planted the word of God in the human heart, the only fruit that would come is something God wanted. The Scriptures were their one and only guide for faith.

It had a simple, basis structure. That church did not look like a Fortune 500 or a government bureaucracy. Instead it had men to guide the church (called elders), men to insure the details were accomplished (called deacons), and men to tell the world of the love of Jesus Christ (called preachers).

It had a simple but profound way of worship. They met to remember the Lord Jesus each Sunday through the Lord's Supper, instituted by Jesus himself. They sang with their mouths and made music with their hearts. They presented their prayers to God and heard a message on what God wanted of them.

The Churches of Christ simply read the New Testament and follow the pattern found there. We invite you to start the same journey of discovery and faith.



An Invitation

The Churches of Christ encourage you to discover the beauty and simplicity of God's plan for his church in the New Testament.