Our Heritage and Beliefs

Belvidere Church of Christ is a locally autonomous community of Christian faith. It is not under any regional or central command. Nor is it a part of any denominational structure, but is freely associated with a world-wide fellowship of similar churches which developed from what is historically referred to as the Stone-Campbell or Restoration Movement.

This Restoration Movement fully emerged in the first half of the 19th century with the leadership and vision of men such as Thomas and Alexander Campbell (father and son), Barton W. Stone and Walter Scott. They had all been Presbyterians and were concerned about the divisive sectarianism that seemed to have been very prevalent in those churches of their day, as well as the Calvinist theology promoted by that branch of the Reformed tradition. Men like the Campbells and Stone believed that Christians should be able to be far more unified in their fellowship if such was based on just the essentials of New Testament Christianity, allowing believers to be "Christians only." It is because of this that we simply refer to ourselves as Christians. As for the Church, it belongs to Christ and is to honor and serve Him; therefore we are officially identified and incorporated as a "Church of Christ" (Matthew 16:18; Romans 16:16).

Belvidere Church of Christ endeavors to carry on this reasonable and compelling vision for biblically-based faith and practice. Like the early first century Church established by Jesus our theology, teaching and practice include the following:

God is our Creator and Father (Genesis 1:1; 1 John 3:1)

Jesus is His Son as well as our Lord and Savior. We can read throughout the Gospels that He preached the Kingdom of Heaven to the people of His day, He performed signs and wonders, He died for our sins, and God raised Him back to life with the promise that at some point in the future, Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead (John 3:16; 2 Peter 3:18; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; 2 Timothy 4:1)

We are saved by the grace of God. Salvation is a gift. And in accordance with the practice of the early Church, we teach that we receive this gift through repentance, confessing by faith that Jesus is Lord and then being baptized (immersed) in His name for the remission of our sins and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Romans 10:9-10; Acts 2:38; 3:19).