r/churchofchrist

Non-traditional ways in which women may serve the local church

I am not referring to women in any sort of leadership position and this post is not intended to address that topic at all.

I am curious if any women have found an unconventional way to serve.

Full disclosure: I am a woman whose interests/abilities don’t always line up well with traditional roles. If you need your brakes and rotors replaced, I’m your gal but nobody wants to eat my casserole at the potluck.

Also, I am wondering how folks might feel about women serving in more non-traditional roles such as maintaining the website, operating the audio-visual systems, maintaining the building/grounds, driving the VBS bus, etc.

I know this will be very congregation specific. Just wondering about others’ experiences.

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u/Backcountry_Wanderer — 6 days ago

▲ 23 r/churchofchrist

Church of Christ receives lots of criticism, but the more research I do, I see their positions actually agree with what the Bible (i.e. God) says, way more than the various other denominations

My research shows they are: Anti-egalitarian. Anti-dispensationalist (no separate salvation or destiny for Israel). Anti-charismatic. Anti-Calvinist. Anti-evolution. Pro-Adult Baptism. This is the only Christian Church Group that actually tells the truth about what it actually says in the Bible and therefore what God says. If you believe the bible is inerrant with no contradictions and is God breathed and want a denomination the teaches what the Bible teaches the Church of Christ looks like it might be that. The only other possible option might be the Apostolic Christian Church (American or Nazarene). Or perhaps some Baptist denominations that are not Dispensationalist nor Calvinist.

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u/Bitter_North_733 — 7 days ago

▲ 5 r/churchofchrist

How do we know Matthew wrote the book attributed to him

Basically the title. How do we know the authorship of the book of Matthew?

ETA: This is another in a series of questions that I have. I have had some doubts over the last years and I'm trying to work through them.

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u/GeekX2 — 6 days ago

▲ 8 r/churchofchrist

What is the solution for those where it is practically impossible to be immersed for baptism?

I agree that immersion is what best represents what they mean when scripture speaks of baptism.

Out of curiosity, I did a little bit of research on the argument behind sprinkling instead of immersion; not much albeit but just to kind of get a grasp for the defense Catholics provide for pouring and sprinkling and this is what I learned:

Catholics do agree that immersion is the best representation of death and resurrection and that it more fully reflects the sacrament rather than pouring or sprinkling.
Additionally, the Eastern Catholic Church uses immersion more exclusively than other sections of Catholicism

However, here is one of the arguments that they make to justify the validity of pouring and sprinkling that I found:

“Additionally, practical difficulties exist today that can prevent immersion for some individuals, for example, people with certain medical conditions—the bedridden; quadriplegics; individuals with tracheotomies (an opening into the airway in the throat) or in negative pressure ventilators (iron lungs). Again, those who have recently undergone certain procedures (such as open-heart surgery) cannot be immersed.
Other difficulties arise in certain environments. For example, immersion may be nearly or entirely impossible for desert nomads or Eskimos. Or consider those in a hostile setting, such as a Muslim regime, where baptisms must be done in secret, without adequate water for immersion.…” “The Catholic, who believes baptism confers grace and is normatively necessary for salvation, maintains that God wouldn’t require a form of baptism that, for some people, is impossible.” (https://www.catholic.com/tract/baptism-immersion-

This is just something that I wanted to look into to see the reasoning behind, although I agree that baptism=immersion. However, it does make me question the point they made about those with physical or environmental difficulties. What are they to do in this situation if it’s practically impossible to be immersed? Whats your solution for someone in that predicament?

u/Enough_Dealer8256 — 9 days ago

▲ 18 r/churchofchrist

Giving Thanks

Dear God, thank You for this new week and for opening my eyes to see it. Life is precious, and I can’t thank You enough for this gift.

Your word in Psalm 5:11 says, “But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in You.” God, as I step into this week, let Your angels surround me and lead me to the rock that is higher than I am when my heart feels overwhelmed. You’ve been with me through every situation I’ve faced, and even when my tears tall, I trust that You see the bigger picture. You’re sovereign, and You’re greater than any problem l’il ever face. I’ll never stop being thankful because You never stop being good.

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u/Wrong-Bad4925 — 9 days ago