On several occasions I have been asked, "What does your church believe?" And on more than one occasion I have tried to sit down and summarize what “we” do and why but I always approach such a task with caution. After all, if we are striving to be followers of Jesus, then “our beliefs” are already recorded in His word. Anything less than His complete New Testament is not enough and anything in addition to this is too much (Deut. 4:1-2; Rev 22:18-19). I am also aware of the fact that summaries have a way of emphasizing what is important to the writer. And there is a tendency for this emphasis to become a “creed” with its own following of people loyal to “the issues” addressed in the creed. So while I am not going to attempt to tell you “what we believe” in this short article perhaps I can give you a clearer understanding of the Kings Ridge Church of Christ by describing some of our attitudes.

I think I speak for most, if not all, of our members when I say that the Kings Ridge church holds no allegiance to any religious party. Our loyalty is to Jesus Christ alone. We look to Him and His revealed word for all that we teach and practice. Therefore, we do not rely on any other church or churches, or schools, or councils, or conventions to tell us what we should and should not do.

And we do not enter the fray of religious confusion with another cry of “Join our church!” Our purpose is to encourage our readers to return to simple New Testament Christianity. We are not promoting “our church” because Jesus said the church belongs to Him (Matt. 16:18). We try to encourage people to get into a right relationship with God and allow Him to add them to His church (Acts 2:47). You see, we are convinced that you can be just a Christian and not belong to any denomination!

As a congregation, we strive to pattern our work and worship after what God has revealed in His word because we believe that God has given us all that we need to be His people. (2 Tim. 3:16 17; 2 Pet. 1:3). We are also convinced that each individual member is responsible for what he believes and practices (Rom. 14:5, 12). If we have honest differences (and we do), we continue to study together as brethren, seeking divine truth in every matter. But even while we are studying together, we do not ask anyone to support, promote, or jointly engage in anything that they believe to be contrary to God's will. (see Rom. 14:13 23). Our common search for truth and the respect we show for one another’s consciences keep us together, even when we have differences.

Another attitude which helps us to maintain our unity is the realization that we are not the standard of truth. The Apostle Paul mentioned some in Corinth who were “not wise”-- referring to those who used “themselves” as the standard of right and wrong. Even though we have honest convictions concerning God's will, we understand that we are not infallible. We welcome sincere questions and constructive criticism as we “search the scriptures” to determine what God would have us believe and practice (Acts 17:11). We continue to “study to show ourselves approved unto God” and to “prove all things.” (2 Tim. 2:15; 1 Thess. 5:21)

Although such a short article cannot answer all of your questions concerning our congregation, perhaps it has given you a better idea of what we are striving to do. To put it as simply as we can – we just want to be Christians. We just want to be God’s people doing God’s work in God’s way. Won't you join us in our efforts as we strive to practice simple New Testament Christianity?