Our story begins one holiday in Jerusalem sometime around 33 AD. Amid the hustle and bustle of Jewish worshipers who had gathered in Jerusalem for the Feast of Weeks or “Pentecost,” Jesus’ apostles began proclaiming He had been raised from the dead. Those who believed their preaching were baptized and became Christians (Acts 2:38-47, cf. Acts 11:26). The New Testament book of Acts outlines the growth of the church from this point to about 65 AD.
Christianity spread from Jerusalem throughout the Mediterranean world. During the first two hundred years of the church’s existence the church spread to modern day Turkey, Greece, Italy, Egypt, Ethiopia, as well as the Balkan region. It was also during these years that the church began practices which are not found in the New Testament. This would continue during much of what we know of European history.
Following Martin Luther’s protest to reform the Catholic Church in the 1500’s, many church leaders sought to reform various aspects of the Catholic Church. Protestant churches developed around the niche teachings of these leaders. Fellowships of churches articulated these niches in written confessions of faith, creeds, or dogmas in order to identify member churches. Protestant denominations formed during this period.
In the United States and Scotland beginning in the late 1700’s several individuals, independent from and initially unknown to one another, began calling for churches to unite on the Bible alone. This movement became known as the Restoration movement. One key element of this plea was to return to the simplicity of the church found in the New Testament.
This movement spread throughout the United States and especially in the Southeast and South of the United States. Today, over 10,000 independent congregations from this movement exist in the U.S. and identify with the name “Church of Christ” not as a denominational title, but a way of indicating a desire to simply follow Jesus Christ. Many churches formed in Texas especially in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Early in 2015 several Christians in the Fort Worth and surrounding area had a desire to plant a church in Benbrook, a suburb of Fort Worth. No other congregations exist in this community of roughly 22,000 residents. Additionally, as one drives south on HWY 377, the principle road in Benbrook, no other congregation can be found until well into the next county. Benbrook is ripe for the sharing the good news about Jesus.
We are these Christians who have a passion and desire to share the Gospel with people of every background. We want to follow the example of Jesus in reaching out to others with love and compassion. We are a new church striving to build a church family with a solid presence in this community. Are you a Christian looking to be a part of church that is active in fulfilling Jesus’ mission? Or, perhaps are you someone seeking to grow close to God or curious about Jesus? We would love to have you be our guest and work with us as we strive to be Christ’s church in Benbrook.