Background
Background
Lorain Avenue is a Church of Christ. This is a non-denominational, world-wide body of several million people, worshipping in local congregations such as ours. We believe that the worship of the Church Jesus founded, the one described in the New Testament, can be followed in our day and time. Some may see this as an ideal, but we see it as an essential and achievable goal. Because of this goal, we strive to be Bible-based.
We are happy to accept and hold out God's Word as the pattern for salvation, worship, and life itself. We speak where the Bible speaks and remain silent where it remains silent. There are no "extra" books, councils, or rules that dictate what we believe or practice. You need not be an expert in the Bible to feel at home here, but we do encourage everyone to become the best Bible student they can be.
Jesus is at the center of our lives. We "want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection, share in His suffering, and conform to His death" (Philippians 3:10). Obedience is essential to this. Jesus reminds us that, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (John 14:15). We try to follow Him in all we do. "For you have also been called for this reason, since Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps" (1 Peter 2:21). Indeed, "the one who abides in Him ought to walk even as Jesus walked" (1 John 2:6).
Devotion to Jesus and faithfulness to the Scriptures binds us into a close-knit fellowship like the early church (Acts 2:42-47). This means sharing our joys and sorrows (Romans 12:15), our material blessings (Ephesians 4:28), the work of spreading the gospel (Philippians 4:15), and even one another's burdens (Galatians 6:1-2). This common life builds a strong bond between believers. Many of our guests appreciate the closeness we enjoy here at Lorain Avenue.