FAQ

Is Your Church Mission Minded?

We are constantly striving to fulfill the Great Commission of Christ – to proclaim the Gospel, make disciples of men and women, and relate to the physical needs of others. Around 10% of the financial resources at First Christian Church of Russellville are used in Christian ministries around the world including works at the local, national and international levels.

Will I be asked to give money if I come?

An offering is collected every Sunday during the worship service. It is an act of worship for those who consider First Christian Church of Russellville as their church home. As our guest you are not expected to give an offering. Of course if you choose to give we will gladly accept it because the ministries & programs at FCC do cost money.

What is the Lord’s Supper About?

Also called communion, this is a special time in the worship service that commemorates the sacrifice Jesus Christ made on the cross. Every Sunday all who believe in Jesus Christ are invited to participate by taking a piece of bread and a cup of grape juice from the trays when they are passed.

Will I ever be singled out?

No. You won’t be asked to differentiate or announce yourself in anyway.

What is the worship service like?

Our worship services focus on Christ and Biblical Truth. The sermons at the First Christian Church of Russellville are practical and reflect an uncompromising view of the Bible as the inspired, authoritative Word of God. With a focus on Sunday Sermons for Monday mornings, the preaching at the First Christian Church of Russellville is designed to meet the audience’s emotional and spiritual needs with down to earth, practical messages that will be remembered long after the services end. The music is a mix of the traditional Great Hymns of the Church and modern day chorus’s. Hymnals are in the each pew.

We use a projector and use multi-media technology via power point to put all the songs on the screen.

What is the time of Invitation ?

At the end of the sermon we encourage everyone to make one of three decisions about what they have heard and experienced in the service. The first is to surrender to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior by confession and being baptized in order to become a Christian, by doing this you also become a member of the church as well. The second is for those who would like prayer and support for issues and struggles that God has addressed through the service. The third is for Christians who wish to transfer their church membership to FCC. Whatever decision you wish to make, we encourage you to come forward during the invitation song and meet our minister down at the front.

What is baptism all about?

This great event is a part of a person’s decision to surrender his/her life to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior in order to become a Christian. Baptism is usually done during the Sunday morning worship service, but if you want your baptism to be more private or intimate with you and your family, the Pastor will make arrangements with you to be baptized anytime at your convenience.

What do you have for my children?

We have a nursery that is used for the infants & toddlers of our congregation. Mothers can leave their children in the nursery so they can be able to go to the sanctuary and be apart of the worship services. We have Sunday School classes for children of all age groups. We encourage the youth in our church to attend Kum-Ba-Ya, which is a summer camp located on Kentucky Lake in Marshall County. It is owned and operated by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Kentucky.

Do I need a Bible?

We encourage you to bring a Bible so you can dig into the teaching with us. We normally read out of the New International Version of the Bible. If you don’t have a bible, we have bibles in the pews that you can use during worship. If you would like a bible to take home and keep just mention it to the Pastor and he will make sure you get one.

What Kind of church is the First Christian Church of Russellville?

The First Christian Church of Russellville traces her origins to the early 19th century and the American Frontier. Those first pioneers of the New World possessed deep religious convictions. In time Presbyterians squared off against Methodists who defended themselves against Baptists who would not tolerate Lutherans. It was not an era of love and good will for Christianity.

Then several groups of Christians in New England, Kentucky and Pennsylvania broke out of this divisive mindset and announced they would follow the Bible only and join with other Christians who thought the same. In Kentucky, some Presbyterian leaders under the influence of a minister named Barton W. Stone, published The Last Will And Testament Of The Springfield Presbytery, in which they severed their ties with their denomination. They wrote, “We will, that this body die, be dissolved, and sink into union with the Body of Christ at large; for there is but one body, and one Spirit, even as we are called in one hope of our calling…….

Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania, a Presbyterian minister named Thomas Campbell, published a document entitled Declaration And Address in 1809. A native of Ireland, Campbell had grown restless with the rules of his brand of Christianity – the “Old-Light, Anti-Burgher Seceder” Presbyterian Church (what a mouthful) – a split that was split off a division in the Presbyterian Church. At the same time his son Alexander reached similar conclusions during his studies in Ireland and Scotland. When Alexander came to America in 1809, he read “Declaration” and joined his father in helping churches return to the New Testament ideal.

These and other Christian people had a great Revival at Cane Ridge, Kentucky and comprised what is now known as the Restoration Movement (Independent Christian Church, Church of Christ & the Disciples of Christ). Since it’s beginning, the Christians of the Restoration Movement have believed that all Christians can unite if they would let go of man-made traditions and loyalties, follow and worship Jesus Christ, and look to the New Testament as the ideal model of the Church.

The Restoration Movement has had two major splits since it’s conception. The first issue was the use of a musical instrument during worship and those who believed it was wrong to use an instrument in worship broke off and they are now known as the Church of Christ.

The second split was was a split that came to a head in the 1950’s because some of our churches wanted to be a more structured denomination and some did not. This is how the Indenepent Christian Church and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) came about as we know them today.

Over the years and even today, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) aspect of the Restoration movement continues to grow and break down unnecessary walls between Christians. It is this movement that the First Christian Church of Russellville is affiliated with.