Do Not Expect Entertainment. In most denominational churches, you will find all kinds of entertainment. You will find plays and programs, games from basketball to bingo, maybe even a movie of some kind. If you visit a modern church today, do not be surprised if you find anything from free dinners served in a fellowship hall to aerobics in a church funded gymnasium found, either inside, or on the side of the church building. Be assured you will not find any of those things at the Brown Street church of Christ. Why not? It is because those things do not make up the scriptural work of the church; thus, there is no Bible authority for them. In Colossians 3:17 Paul said that whatever we do, we must do in the name of the Lord, meaning by the Lord’s authority. Since there is no authorization from Jesus to try to please people with worldly entertainment, we refuse to do it.
Do not expect any request for money? The work that we do at this place is fully funded by the first day of the week offering commanded by God (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). Who is commanded to give? The saints who make up the local church. While you will see members of the Brown Street church giving financially to support the work, no visitors are requested to give. You will not in any way be put on the spot to give. Your participation in the worshipping of God and undivided attention to the Word is all we request.
Do not expect a big musical production with contemporary music. According to the New Testament, all God wants from us in worship is to sing praises to His name. That is all we do at Brown Street. I know that the fad today is to sing contemporary songs that sound like rock songs, only the lyrics are changed to something that has some religious meaning, but we do not do that at the here. First, there is no authority for musical instruments. Second, our aim is not to impress people with anything other than the gospel of Christ. We do not try to appeal to any specific group. We do not cater to young people by trying to have the kind of music they like. Our goal is to appeal to everybody who needs the gospel with the gospel alone, for it is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16).
What You can expect at the Brown Street church of Christ
You can expect plain gospel preaching with book, chapter, and verse references. Our goal is to preach so that everyone can understand the will of God, not to entice people with excellency of speech (1 Corinthians 2:1-4).
You expect to see people worshipping God in spirit and in truth. God does not want to be worshipped in just any way. God demands that we worship Him according to His will (John 4:24). Whether it be teaching, singing, praying, giving, or remembering our Lord’s death, we must do it according to the pattern set forth by the New Testament (Hebrews 8:5).
You can expect an opportunity to obey the gospel. At every service we hold, we extend the invitation of Christ to obey the gospel. Please know that we do not demand anything other than what the Bible demands. We do not call on people to give a testimony of some religious experience. We simply give people the opportunity to obey the gospel by repenting of their sins (Acts 17:30), confessing their belief in Jesus being the Son of God (Acts 8:37), and being baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 2:38).
This is what you can expect to find at the Brown Street church of Christ. Our services are simple and Bible-based. We aim to glorify God, edify saints, and to win souls to Jesus Christ. After finding the Messiah, Philip told Nathanael, “Come and see” (John 1:46). This is all we ask of you: “Come and see.”