Attending a church of Christ for the first time is like a first time visit to any organization. There is always the uncertainty of the unknown. Questions such as "Where do I sit? What do I do? Where are the restrooms? What do I wear? Should I go to Bible class or not? Will anyone speak to me?"

Please be assured that when you visit the Salem congregation it will not be a scary situation. You will be greeted by people standing near the entrance who will give you a Sunday bulletin and will be able to answer any question you may have about the church or your visit.

When you attend a worship service on Sunday morning you will find that we engage in several forms of worship as we worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). You are invited to join us in praise in these ways we worship God:

SINGING -- You will notice a lack of musical instruments. Our singing is a capella (meaning without instruments). A song leader will announce and lead songs that will appear in a PowerPoint presentation on a large screen. We blend our voices in a spirited way as we worship and praise God

PRAYING -- Several public prayers will be led during a typical service. These prayers are led by the men in the congregation and are from their hearts.

COMMUNION -- We partake of the bread and fruit of the vine every first day of the week, as per Acts 20:7, every week. Members will pass trays containing unleavened bread (symbolizing Christ's body) and the "fruit of the vine," typically grape juice (symbolizing Christ's blood). In this memorial feast we remember the Lord's death, burial and resurrection. This is an open communion and everyone is invited to partake. An offering is collected on Sunday mornings to support the church's work, but as a guest, you are not expected to contribute.

PREACHING/TEACHING -- The lesson which typically lasts about thirty minutes and reflects on God's Word in helping to learn how to apply His Word to our lives. The sermons from the pulpit are also presented on the large screen in PowerPoint form. Visitors are encouraged to bring their Bibles and follow along with the scriptures. At the end of the sermon, the Lord’s invitation is offered (Matthew 11:28-30) for any who want to become Christians (Acts 2:37-38; 22:16) or for Christians to rededicate their lives to God (Acts 8:22).

Worship Service -- We normally begin our Sunday worship at 10:40am which lasts a little over an hour. We then meet again in the evening (an opportunity for any who may have to miss morning worship) at 6:00pm, except during daylight savings over the winter when we meet at 5:00pm.

BIBLE CLASSES -- Bible classes are held before Sunday worship beginning at 9:45am and Wednesday's at 7:00pm, with classes for all ages. In these classes the Word of God is presented in an informal way and everyone has the opportunity to publicly comment or ask questions.  

What to Keep in Mind

No Pressure: You will not be asked to stand, introduce yourself, or make a public statement. You are completely free to observe quietly.

Autonomy: Churches of Christ are autonomous, meaning there is no centralized headquarters or governing body, so minor details of the building or class schedules might vary slightly by location.

More About Us

It is our prayer that you will see Christ in us. We pray that you will see that it is our desire to worship and serve the God of the Bible according to the pattern He left for us in the New Testament.

Please feel free to ask questions. Ask us why we do the things we do. We welcome questions because we as Christians are commanded to “…be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you for reason of the hope that is in you…” (1 Peter 3:15).

You will find that we strive to be a “visitor friendly” church. Since many of our members were at one time visitors themselves, we know how visitors feel on their first visit. We make it our goal to be “the friendliest church you have ever visited.” We aim to treat others the way we want to be treated, like Jesus said (Matthew 7:12). You will receive a warm greeting and find assistance to locate your class (or your children’s) and/or a comfortable seat in the worship service. You will not be singled out, made to stand, or encouraged to give any “testimony,” or in other way made to feel embarrassed.

Our services are simple, reverent, practical, and meaningful.

When you visit, you will meet people who, just like you, sincerely want to follow the teachings of the Bible and please God with their lives. You’ll find that every sermon and class is based on the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17). In fact, members and visitors alike are urged to bring their own Bibles and follow along. We still strive to do Bible things in Bible ways and call Bible things by Bible names — nothing more or nothing less (Revelation 22:18-19).

We seek to exalt Christ in our songs, prayers, sermons, and lives (Colossians 1:18).

Please come and join us!