Bismarck Church of Christ

Walter Clark, Evangelist, Bismarck Church of Christ

Hello, my name is Walter Clark and welcome to the Bismarck Church of Christ web page. Some of you may be wondering who we are. There are not many churches of Christ in this part of the country. We would like to take a moment to give you a picture of the Bismarck Church of Christ.

We are a group of forgiven believers who are striving to glorify God. Although this is true, and at the heart of who we are, we understand that this is vague. What we mean by forgiven, is that our sins have been washed away so that we can be in a relationship with God. Without forgiveness there is a barrier between us and God (Isaiah 59:2). It is through the blood of Jesus that we have forgiveness (Ephesians 1:7). So, we are a group of people who are in a relationship with God because Jesus broke down the barrier of sin between us and God. His blood cleanses us and makes us holy. Having been forgiven, overwhelmed by all that God has done for us, we do our absolute best to glorify Him. We have died to ourselves, no longer thinking about what is best for us, and we now live in newness of life, a life that is freed from sin (Romans 6:1-7).

So far, we haven't told you anything that could not be applied to most churches. Before we mention some of the characteristics which paint a unique picture of us, we would like to establish that our goal is not to be unique or to be in competition with any other group. When discussing our characteristics as a group, our goal is to allow the Word of God to shape us into who we should be. We do not claim to have arrived. Our Christian walk is a journey, and so our group is continuously studying and growing in our understanding. But our search has defined us.

We believe that every believer is a priest (1 Peter 2:59) whose duty is to offer spiritual sacrifices and to proclaim the excellencies of God. We do not believe in a clergy/laity system. We believe that our worship, like ourselves, should be shaped by Scripture. Therefore, we believe that worship is to be in spirit and in truth from a sincere heart that seeks God's will rather than our own. We enjoy a worship service that is an outpouring of our adoration of God through song, prayer, the Lord's Supper, and teaching.

We believe in baptism by immersion for the forgiveness of sins. We believe that at baptism we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth.

Simply put, our goal is that our lives (Sunday morning and every day); our worship; and the church be shaped by the Word of God and by that Word only. We do not answer to any other authority.

If you choose to visit us, you will find a group of loving and caring people. You will find a people who are on a journey to become shaped by being in a relationship with God, rather than trying to shape God. You will find a people who make mistakes at times, but who are sincere in their desire to serve and glorify God. So, if you live or are going to visit in the Bismarck area come and meet us. If you are not in our area, we encourage you to visit a church of Christ near you.