Leadership
We follow the biblical model of leadership as taught in the New Testament. Christ is the head of His church, which is His body, made up of believers worldwide (Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18). As one local congregation in this universal body, we strive to honor His design by appointing a plurality of elders, also called shepherds or overseers, to lead and care for the flock (Acts 14:23; 1 Peter 5:1-3). These men, along with deacons who serve the church’s practical needs (1 Timothy 3:8-13), work under the authority of Jesus Christ to nurture and protect His people.
At our congregation, we recognize the sufficiency of God’s Word and the importance of following His design for church leadership. We are committed to fostering a community where Jesus Christ is exalted as the head, and His teachings shape all that we do. It is our joy and privilege to serve as His hands and feet, pointing one another and the world to the Good Shepherd.
Rick Prugh
Shepherd
Randy Grauf
Shepherd
Dennis Crocker
Shepherd
Jason Love
Teaching Minister
Foundation
The Salem Church of Christ regards all of those who believe Jesus is the son of God, have accepted Jesus as their savior, and have been baptized into Christ as members of God’s family. We’re simply one household of that family. (Galatian 3:26-27) All who are seeking to grow in their relationship with God and His people are welcome. Our slogan is “Showing God’s Love in All We Do.” We are only humans, though, and sometimes fall short of that lofty goal. However, that is our guiding principle and we want you to experience that love here. God has given us His word to help us understand His love and what we need to do to show that love to others in a way that reflects His glory. His word is contained in the Holy Bible. We are simple Christians and simply try to follow God’s will as he has expressed it through many inspired writers in this book of books. If he has commanded it, we do our best to follow it. In Christ, we are free to do whatever we can to bring glory to God. (I Corinthians 10:31) However, we know that all humans fall short of God’s glory. That’s why we need His grace. There’s nothing we can do to save ourselves. Jesus paid the price with His life freely given on the cross to redeem us from our sins. We realize that we are not saved because of our works, but we work because we are saved. (Ephesians 2:8-10)
Acapella Worship
Our congregation has a very long history and tradition of singing without instruments, which is known as Acapella singing. We prefer to simply sing without instruments that might distract from hearing or understanding the messages of praise, prayers, and encouragement as we sing to each other. New Testament scripture encourages Jesus’ followers to teach, counsel, and encourage each other through songs that are sung from the heart. (Colossians 3:16; Ephesians 5:19) Other than that, God provides no additional instructions on how we are to sing, including whether we should sing with or without instrumental accompaniment. His only concern is that our singing is done with a purpose and with our heart.
The Lord's Supper
We celebrate and remember the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ every Sunday by partaking of what many refer to as the Lord’s Supper or Communion. Jesus himself established this practice with his apostles the night before he was killed on the cross, telling them to do this to remember him. No specific instructions are given in the Bible on when or how often to take communion, but we’re told that whenever we eat the communion bread and drink the cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. (I Corinthians 11:23-26) We choose to offer this symbolic meal of remembrance every week during our Sunday assembly. To us, we are remembering both the Lord’s physical body sacrificed on the cross and the spiritual body of Christ which consists of the saved believers known as the church. Communion is a great word for this in that we are communing with both Christ and His people. It’s like a symbolic family meal where we all gather around the table each week to remember Christ’s sacrificial love for us and common love for him. So, we like to offer this ceremonial meal every week to any who choose to partake.
Baptism
Once a person believes that Jesus is God’s son, decides to stop following a life of sinful thoughts and actions, and makes a decision to accept God’s free gift of salvation through grace, the Bible teaches that we are to be baptized into Jesus Christ. In His wisdom, God has given us the ability to know the exact moment we died to our old life of sin, were forgiven of our sins, and were reborn into a new life in Christ.
Here are some key passages explaining what happens when we are baptized, or immersed, in water in the name of God the Father, Jesus His son, and the Holy Spirit in obedience to the command given by Jesus for all his followers. (Matthew 28:19)
Romans 6:3-7. Our baptism is a physical representation of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. Our old sinful life dies when we go under the water. We are buried under water for a moment. We emerge from the watery grave as a person resurrected to walk a new life in Christ Jesus.
Acts 22:16. Our sins are washed away at the moment we are baptized.
Galatians 3:26-27. To receive the grace of Christ’s payment for our sins, we have to be clothed with Christ. That happens when we are baptized into Christ.
Acts 2:38-39. Our sins are forgiven when we repent and are baptized. We also receive a bonus blessing at that point, which is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to help us grow in our Christian life.