Creekwood Christian Church is a unique community of faith - lots of young families, lots of children and youth, a new building that will grow through the years. However, Creekwood is more than all that. Creekwood is also a part of a larger communion around the world known as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). There is a unique combination of beliefs, practices and traditions that characterize the Disciples.

We use the word combination, because there is no single thing true about our church that is not also true of other churches. Everything we do here is similar to the practices of other fellowships of Christians, and that is as it should be. But our particular combination is a good one.

Here is a partial list of those things that identify the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ):

• The weekly celebration of the Lord's Supper - Our worship and spiritual life centers around the Lord's Table. Through communion we feel especially connected to ourselves, to one another and to God.
• Believer's baptism by immersion - Following the earliest tradition of the church, we show our commitment to God by being lowered into the water and "washing" away our sins.
• Open membership - Even though we baptize a particular way, we accept the baptism of other Christians when they come into membership in our church.
• An attitude of tolerance and a rejection of creeds as tests of faith - Every person is different, and so is every Christian. We do not expect everyone's interpretation of the Bible or the Christian life to be exactly the same. While we do not disagree with belief statements like the Apostles or Nicene creeds, we do not believe they should be used to keep people out of the church.
• Congregational yet voluntarily connectional - While each local congregation decides what its life and ministries will be like, we still gather voluntarily as a connected church because we know that Christian mission is more than local.
• Shared leadership by men and women - We believe that God provides spiritual gifts to everyone. We do not restrict any office or role in the life of the church by gender.
• An emphasis on lay leadership and ministry - Aside from performing weddings, which is regulated by the state, lay persons in our church are permitted and encouraged to do all things, including offering the communion prayers at the Lord's Table, usually restricted to ordained clergy. We believe that all Christians become ministers to the world through their baptism.
• An educated clergy - We set educational and professional standards for ministers, and through denominational oversight we expect our clergy to follow a code of ethics.
• A priority on helping all churches be united in Christ - Disciples still work and pray for the unity of the church, and we try to find ways that bridge the separation of Christ's Body.
  
  It would be difficult to find this combination of characteristics anywhere but within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). We hope that you will value these nine attributes, and that you, too, will use them as you grow in the faith and fellowship of Creekwood Christian Church.

See the web-site of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for more information on denominational beliefs.