The Church Meeting in Jesus’ Name at 602 Oak Knoll in San Antonio, Texas, is dedicated to the principal aims of the New Testament –
The preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ offering salvation by grace through faith alone,
The public teaching of the Bible,
The worship of the triune God,
And the ongoing sanctification of believers, waiting for the resurrection of the body and the Lord’s return to reign on this earth.
The intention of the members of this church is to maintain the ordinances and examples of the churches found in the New Testament [introduction here], including believer’s baptism, the Lord’s supper weekly, local church government, and common evangelical practices that follow the scriptures. However as a church we operate according to several New Testament principles that are somewhat unusual among churches today, notably:
We meet in the name of Jesus Christ only. We do not meet under any denominational umbrella, nor include any organizational name as part of our description. This is to obey the Lord’s specific command to gather together in his name, as well as multiple commands to do everything in his name, and the specific exhortations in the New Testament to avoid sectarian divisions. The churches of the New Testament were named according to their locality, not according to any sectarian affiliation. So we do the same.
We have a local pastorate, made up of multiple lay preachers and teachers found in the church. We do not hire any pastor from without the church. We do not have a democratic church government. The church has had local elders and deacons serving the church since its inception recognized by their ministry to others, and these make the decisions governing the church [more here]. New elders and deacons are added to this group of leaders when their ministry in the church makes them appropriate. This is according to the practice in the New Testament of the rule of elders, and of laying hands on existing members of the churches to appoint them to appropriate offices.
We have open meetings, in which there is no designated speaker, but the members are expected to minister to each other by the word of God. Scriptural exhortations, doctrine, thanksgiving and praise, and expressions of joy over something in the Bible recently learned are shared with one another by lay members of the congregation, including sisters, who the Bible otherwise prohibits from leadership and teaching men. Members are encouraged to keep their participation brief and focused on the scripture. The open meeting as found described in the New Testament is foundational to the functioning of the local church, allowing God to raise up ministers from within the congregation itself.
The financial participation of the congregation is through designated offerings. No plate is passed, no fundraising events are held, and nothing is sold, not even at cost. A box is placed near the door for offerings, and members are encouraged to write down the purpose of their offering. No local minister nor missionary evangelist sent out from our church receives any salary, nor any funds whatsoever, except what is specifically designated to them. This follows the example found in New Testament churches.
The King James Version of the Bible is final for all practical and doctrinal purposes in our church. We do not correct the old standard Bible. As the universally recognized standard Bible in English we take it as the word of God, given to us by providence. There are many specific reasons to distrust any particular modern Bible, but the overall attitude of skepticism toward the text of the Bible governing all modern attempts to update the standard English Bible leave us no choice but to hold to the old standard. Our trust in the King James Bible is not based on nostalgia or superstitious regard for Elizabethan English, but on careful consideration of the changes made to modern Bibles, and the superior attitude toward the preservation of scriptures held by those responsible for the old standard Bible.
You are welcome to join us in worship to our blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.