Northport
church of Christ
OUR MISSION
Creating a family that loves The Lord and each other.
CORE BELIEFS
God
God is creator, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. (Gen. 1:1; Psalms 19; Acts 2:22-24)
Christ
Jesus, the Son, was sent to earth, born of a virgin, lived, taught, built His church, gave His life on the cross a perfect sacrifice, buried, raised on the third day, to save men from their sins. Jesus will return for His faithful children at a time known only by God the Father (Mt. 24:36) (I Thess. 5:1,2). Jesus commands us to Believe (Jn. 8:24) that He is God’s son, to Repent (Lk.13:3) of our sins, to Confess (Rom 10:9,10) His name before men, and to be buried by Baptism (Acts 2:38; Rom 6:3,4,5) into His death, and raised to live a new life.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit of God was left here to indwell all who obey Jesus’ commands (Acts 2:38).
Worship
Worship under the New Covenant (Testament) must be in spirit and in truth (Jn. 4:23,24). The Lord’s Death, Burial and Resurrection should be celebrated in partaking of the Lord’s Supper each Lord’s Day (First day of the week) (Acts 20:7; Acts 2:42). Giving of our Means to support preaching of the Gospel and taking care of the needy is also done every first day of the week (I Cor. 16:1,2). We praise God and Jesus Christ through singing and praying. (We sing without instrumental accompaniment because the New Covenant (New Testament) does not give authority for such. (Eph. 5:19; Colossians 3:16; I Cor. 14:15)
Final Authority
The Bible itself, as the infallible, inspired Word of God, is the final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind and is the sole source of all that we believe. The Old Testament, a history of God’s people, given by the Holy Spirit, to lead us to Christ (Rom. 15:4; Gal. 3:24), while the New Testament is our blueprint for living and serving in the Christian Dispensation (Hebrews 9,10; Colossians 1:13-3:17; Ephesians 1-4).
Authority of Shepherds/Elders
For purposes of shepherding the flock at the Northport church of Christ in all matters relating to doctrine, faith, practice, policy, and discipline, our Shepherds/Elders have final interpretive authority on the Bible’s meaning and application.
The Sanctity of Human Life
All human life is sacred and created by God in His own image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all of its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically and mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We should, therefore, defend, protect, and value all human life. (Ps. 139)
Marriage
Because God ordained marriage and defined it as the covenant relationship between a man, a woman, and Himself, Northport Church of Christ will only recognize marriages between one biological man and one biological woman. (Gen 1:26-27; 2:18-25; Mat 19:4-6; Malachi 2:14-15). The ministers, staff, Shepherds/Elders and Deacons shall only participate in weddings, which are religious ceremonies, and solemnized marriages between one biological man and one biological woman. (Mat 5:16; Phil 2:14-16; 1 Thess 5:22). God further intended for sexual intimacy to occur only between a biological woman and a biological man who are married to one another (I Cor 6:18; 7:2-5; Heb 13:4), and any form of sexual immorality, including, but not limited to, adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and the use of pornography, is sinful and offensive to God. (Matt 15:18-20; 1 Cor 6:9-10). God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake these sins, seeking his mercy and forgiveness through the soul cleansing blood of Jesus Christ. (Acts 3:19-21; Romans 10:9-10; 1 Cor 6:8-11; 1 John 1:7-9).
Church Membership and Fellowship with Congregation
Although the Lord adds to the church those who accept and obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38,41; 1 Cor 15:1-2; 2 Thess 2:13-14; Eph 4:4-6), the “members” of the Northport church of Christ shall be those who have formally established fellowship with the congregation. Those who have established fellowship as a part of the congregation are those who share a common bond of faith consistent with “What We Believe” at the Northport church of Christ. If you are interested in becoming a member of our congregation here at Northport, please contact one of our Elders or any of our church staff.
Facility Usage
Policies and procedures for use of the Northport church of Christ facilities are available by calling the church office.
Our children's ministry plans activities outside of our regular services from baby to 5th graders. These activities are designed to encourage fellowship among the group, in the hope that they will form friendships that will be valuable to them as they will soon transition into the youth group. This transition is pivotal for many young people and the path that they choose at that time can have effects that last a lifetime. Activities are primarily chosen by Parents, with an emphasis on FUN for our children. They will be exposed to team work, team building, and sportsmanship in a Christian environment, and we want each young person in this age group to participate!
The Northport Youth Group (NYG) (6th-12th) is a special group of young people that hopes to glorify God by:
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Holding each other accountable for our actions.
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Providing a safe haven from earthly temptations.
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Showing our love for God through our relationships with each other.
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Bringing others to Christ by our willingness to talk to others about Him.
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Being on fire for Him all day, every day in strength and weakness.
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Reaching out those who are in need both physically and spiritually.
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Being leaders in our youth group as well as leaders in our community.
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Striving to grow in our knowledge and wisdom of God’s word.
We believe that if we will strive to do these things each and every day then the Kingdom of God will grow like He intended it to. We will be catalyst for this growth by living for him each day.
S.A.L.T.
Saved And Linked Together
Our growing group is composed of college age through 20 and 30 somethings and provides a nurturing transition from high school youth groups to adult classes. This age group has needs that we try to meet through a varied Bible study, applying Biblical principles to today’s struggles. We have fun and encourage each other during get-togethers, outings, and service projects.
The purpose of the Young at Heart is to serve the needs of our senior members of the congregation (roughly described as age 55 or older), by encouraging spiritual growth and fellowship through a number of activities, such as fellowship meals, trips, and various service projects.
L2L is the oldest and largest leadership training program used by the churches of Christ today. It is a tool churches of Christ can use to help prepare their youth and adults for service in the Kingdom of God and help develop their overall leadership potential. L2L is more than just attending a youth rally or participating in a Bible Bowl. We offer a variety of Bible-based class materials and events for preschoolers through adults.
Teaching students to do “Bible things in Bible ways” is the essence of L2L.
The goal of L2L is to provide churches of Christ with effective, year-round leadership training tools that can be adapted to individual congregational needs.
The purpose of L2L is to help local congregations instill the Word of God into youth and adults so that they will stand firm in the faith. Teaching students to do “Bible things in Bible ways” is the essence of L2L.
To follow Jesus when he said, “Go into all the world…”continues to be the Northport Congregation’s mission as we endeavor to support a mission effort locally and on every continent.
For the last eleven years we have supported efforts in Africa (Tanzania), Russia (Syktyvkar), and for the past six years in Jamaica (Greater Portmore). Once, we also took part in a medical mission trip to South America. In the United States, we have coordinated mission trips to Meeker, Colorado and Long Island, New York.
Through these efforts, thousands have heard of the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and hundreds have been adopted into God’s family. In addition, through our weekly skype school and World Bible School programs, individuals the world round are converted throughout the year. The church also supports children’s homes, TV evangelist programs, and Indian Creek Youth Camp. We conduct monthly evangelistic efforts with the National Guard Armory, with the residents of North River Village, and the Presbyterian Apts. We always give the Lord the glory for all of His increase and for every opportunity to help a wandering pilgrim or do a golden deed.
Yearly, on our “Mission Sunday”, all of the contribution goes to our mission projects. In addition, many men have benefited from the Northport Scholarship program and have become able ministers of the Gospel. The church here is a shining example of what a congregation can achieve with faithfulness to God’s call to bring in the weary ones.
Restore, Inspire, Serve and Equip
When we first started thinking about changing up the way we did Sunday nights we knew we wanted to use them to serve people, but we also needed an outlet to encourage our own members and equip people to do ministry work (Ephesians 4:12-16) so R.I.S.E. was born! We plan to use Sunday nights in a variety of ways to help build up the church, but also to serve our community.
FIND YOUR FAITH
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
—Psalm 9:1–2