Still Have a Question? Ask It.
Call (813) 988-4350, send us a message, or just come Sunday at 9am. We will be glad you did.
Questions? We Have Answers.
Visiting a church for the first time comes with a lot of unknowns. Where do I park? What do I wear? What happens to my kids? We would rather you walk in already knowing. Below are the questions guests ask most, answered plainly.
Planning Your Visit
When we meet, where to park, what to wear, and what to expect when you arrive.
Sunday worship is at 9am. Sunday Bible classes are at 5pm. Wednesday Bible classes are at 7pm. Classes meet for every age, from infants through adults. You are welcome at any of them, and you do not need to come to one before the other. All four adult Bible classes are livestreamed if you would rather start from home. Explore our curriculum, past and ongoing topics, and children and teen Bible classes.
We meet at 8001 Temple Terrace Highway, Temple Terrace, FL 33637, just off I-75 in the Tampa area and about a mile and a half from Florida College. From downtown Tampa we are roughly fifteen minutes northeast. From USF, about ten minutes southeast. Get directions.
When you pull into our lot, make an immediate right and you will see guest parking on your left. Come in through the front doors and greeters will welcome you, hand you a bulletin, and point you toward the auditorium, the classrooms, or the restrooms. You will not have to figure it out alone.
Come as you are. You will see suits and you will see jeans on the same row, and nobody is counting. Some here see dressing up as a way of giving God their best, and that is worth thinking about. Scripture asks Christians to dress modestly (1 Timothy 2:9-10), and that is the only thing we would ask of anyone.
No. We will not ask you to stand, raise your hand, wear a visitor badge, or say anything in front of the congregation. Sit wherever you like. People will be glad to meet you before and after the service, but nothing will put you on the spot.
No. A collection is taken among the members on the first day of the week as part of our worship (1 Corinthians 16:1-2), but guests are not expected to give anything. We will never ask you to contribute, and we will not follow up about it.
Not at all. You are welcome to simply show up on Sunday. If you would like us to watch for you, fill out the Plan Your Visit form and we will make sure someone meets you at the door and helps you find your way. Either way works.
During the Worship Service
Simple worship, straight from the New Testament pattern. Here is what to expect.
About 75 minutes. It is simple and focused on Jesus. If you need to step out with a child or leave early, please do so freely. No one will think anything of it.
We sing, we pray, we read Scripture, we observe the Lord's Supper, and we listen to a sermon from God's word. Members also give as part of worship. That is the pattern the New Testament shows, and we keep it simple on purpose.
We sing with our voices only, without instruments, because singing is what the New Testament specifies for Christian worship (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16), and we do not add to what is written. There is no choir and no praise team. The congregation does the singing. You are welcome to join in or simply listen.
Every Sunday we observe the Lord's Supper, taking unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine in memory of Christ's death, as the Lord instructed and the early church practiced (Matthew 26:26-29; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). Prepackaged emblems are set out at the entrance to the auditorium from the foyer, and if you wish to partake you can pick up a packet on your way in. It is for baptized believers in Christ. If that is not you, simply sit quietly during that part of the service. Nobody watches, and nobody minds.
Bring one if you like. If you do not have one, there are Bibles in the pews, and many of the verses are displayed on screen. The preacher will always tell you where he is reading from. Following along in your own Bible is encouraged but never expected.
Yes. The Sunday morning assembly is livestreamed, and so are all four adult Bible classes on Sunday and Wednesday evenings. Past sermons are available anytime in our sermon archive. Watching for a few weeks before you visit is a perfectly good way to start.
Your Kids
What to expect for your children, from the nursery to high school.
Yes. On Sunday morning your children stay with you in the assembly, and we are glad when they do. Bible classes for every age, infants through high school, meet at 5pm on Sunday and 7pm on Wednesday, using Bible stories, songs, and age-appropriate lessons taught straight from Scripture. See what happens in Temple Terrace Kids.
Yes, and we are glad when they do. Children belong in the assembly, learning to sing, pray, and listen alongside their parents, even when they are mostly coloring. Watching their own family worship God shapes them in a way nothing else does.
Nothing at all happens. This congregation has a lot of young families, and the sound of a baby is the sound of a church with a future. Stay in your seat if you like, or step out for a minute. Nobody is bothered. There is a cry room and a private nursery at the back of the auditorium, both with the service on audio and video, so you will not miss anything.
Every adult who teaches or helps in a children's class is trained and background checked, and our building is monitored during services and classes.
What We Believe
Straight answers about what we teach and why.
By the Bible, and nothing else. We have no creed book, no manual, and no council that decides doctrine for us. If Scripture teaches it, we teach it. If Scripture is silent, we do not go beyond what is written (1 Corinthians 4:6; Galatians 1:8-9; 2 John 9; Colossians 3:17). That is what we mean by simple.
Salvation is a gift you cannot earn (Ephesians 2:8-9). Scripture shows how a person receives it: hear the gospel (Romans 10:17), believe in Jesus as the Son of God (John 3:16), repent of sin (Acts 17:30), confess Him as Lord (Romans 10:9-10), be baptized for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38), and live faithfully (Revelation 2:10). See what the Bible says about salvation.
The New Testament connects baptism directly to the forgiveness of sins and to entering Christ (Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21). It is a full immersion in water, and it is where a person's sins are washed away and new life begins. It is not something you do to earn salvation. It is how you receive it.
No. We are simply Christians, the name Scripture gives believers (Acts 11:26; 1 Peter 4:16), meeting as a church of Christ (Romans 16:16). The New Testament describes one body, one faith, one Lord (Ephesians 4:4-6), and division among believers is something Scripture plainly condemns (1 Corinthians 1:10-13). We are not part of any denominational group, and we are not a branch of a larger church.
That question has two parts. Do we believe a person must be part of the church Christ built to be saved? Yes, because the Lord Himself adds the saved to it (Acts 2:47). Do we believe a person must attend a building with our sign on it? No. We do not judge hearts. God does.
Then let's open the Bible together. We would rather you ask hard questions than nod politely. Nobody here will pressure you, corner you, or treat you differently for disagreeing. You are welcome to keep visiting while you work through it.
About Our Congregation
How we are organized, and how the work is funded.
A group of shepherds, also called elders, oversees the congregation (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5; 1 Peter 5:2), and deacons serve in specific works (Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:8-13). Our evangelists preach and teach. You will not hear anyone here called Reverend, and no one carries "Pastor" as a title. Most people just use first names. Meet our shepherds, deacons, and evangelists.
No. This congregation is self-governing under Christ, who is the only head of His church (Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18). There is no synod, convention, or central office anywhere that makes decisions for us, and we do not send our work through another congregation. That is the pattern the New Testament shows, with elders in each local church.
The church's collective work is threefold: teaching the gospel to the lost, building up its members, and helping needy Christians (1 Thessalonians 1:8; Philippians 4:15-16; Ephesians 4:11-16; Romans 15:26; Acts 11:29-30). Our contribution funds that work and nothing else. We do not send it to human institutions or organizations that operate apart from the local church.
Because we keep the church's work and the home's work separate. Scripture gives the church a specific job, and hospitality, meals, and recreation belong to Christians in their homes (Acts 2:46; 1 Corinthians 11:22, 34; 1 Peter 4:9). You will find plenty of both here. They just happen around dinner tables instead of in a church-owned facility.
The church's benevolence from its treasury goes to needy saints, following the New Testament pattern. That is not the whole picture, though. Individual Christians are told to do good to everyone as they have opportunity (Galatians 6:10), and Christians here take that seriously in their own lives.
Nothing is sprung on you. There is no membership class, no forms to sign, and no contract. Christians here devote themselves to teaching, to each other, and to prayer, and they are told to stir one another up to love and good works (Acts 2:42; Hebrews 10:24-25). When you are ready to be part of that, we will talk about it openly. Until then, just come.
Come to Bible class, where conversation happens naturally. Beyond that, Christians here connect by life stage, college students through retirees, and there are Bible studies going on in homes across the area. Tell us a little about yourself and we will point you to the right people.
Bible Questions
Short answers to common questions about the Bible and the church, each linking to a fuller article.
No. Churches of Christ are independent congregations seeking to follow Christ through Scripture, with no human founder, headquarters, secret teaching, or authority above the Bible. Rather than accept a label, test what we teach by God’s word. Read the full answer.
Yes. The New Testament places baptism alongside faith and repentance in coming to Christ: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16; see also Acts 2:38). Read the full answer.
Grace saves, not our works—“by grace you have been saved through faith … not a result of works” (Ephesians 2:8–9)—so obedience never buys the gift. It’s how a living faith answers grace: grace forgives, then grace trains us to live for God (Titus 2:11–12), so grace speaks first and love answers. Read the full answer.
Yes—Paul uses the phrase in Galatians 5:4—but that is only half the teaching. The same Scriptures that warn believers also show them how to live with real assurance. Read the full answer.
The concern is not your sincerity, but whether it matched the baptism Scripture describes: a believer immersed for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3–4; Acts 22:16). Read the full answer.
Simple: people open Scripture, a teacher guides the study, and everyone is encouraged to examine what is taught (Acts 17:11). Classes are separate from worship, run for every age, and nobody keeps score. Read the full answer.
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The biggest difference is authority. Churches of Christ follow the New Testament alone, with no one above the local congregation and its elders, while the Episcopal Church is led by bishops and dioceses and also draws on the Book of Common Prayer and creeds. They also differ on baptism: churches of Christ baptize believers by immersion for the forgiveness of sins, not infants. Read the full answer.