Who We Are

Learn About the Faith, Values, and Mission That Unites Us

At Christ’s Church Ocala, we are more than just a gathering of believers; we are a family united by a common purpose and a deep commitment to our faith. Our church is a place where people of all backgrounds come together to worship, grow, and serve. We are passionate about helping others find and follow Jesus, and we invite you to learn more about what makes us who we are.

Our Beliefs

God

We believe in one supernatural Being – God – who expresses Himself in three personalities known as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  These three are co-equal and each possesses all the attributes of Gods.  Genesis 1:1, 26-27; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14

 

Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth was and is the Son of God.  He is one with God the Father and the Holy Spirit.  He was that Agent of Creation,  the Messiah, Savior, Redeemer, Lord of lords and King of kings.  He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, was crucified on a cross and was raised from the dead to verify His identity as God’s Son and demonstrate His victory over sin and death.  He ascended to heaven and will return in power and glory at God’s appointed time.  Matthew 1:22-23; John 1:1-5; Hebrews 4:14-15; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Colossians 2:9-10; 1 Timothy 6:14-15; Revelation 19:16

 

Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit dwells within each person who embraces Jesus as Savior and Lord.  He is our comforter, our guide, and the very presence of God alive in all who are God’s children.  Acts 1:8; John 14:16-17; Galatians 5:25; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2

 

The Bible

We believe the Bible is God’s revelation of Himself to humankind.  It does not tell us everything about God, but it tells us what we need to know in order to have a personal relationship with Him.  We believe the Bible is inspired (God-breathed), without error in its original composition, and our ultimate authority in all Christian beliefs and practices.  2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Psalm 12:6, 119:105

 

Humanity

All people are created in the image of God.  Adam and Eve rebelled against God and were disobedient to His instructions, opening the doors of sin and death for all humanity.  All of us have sinned and are, thus, in need of a Savior.

Genesis 1:27; Isaiah 53:6, 59:1-2; Romans 3:23; Colossians 2:13-15

 

Eternity

God created people to live forever.  Every person’s soul will exist forever in heaven with God by the grace provided by Christ, or  will exist forever separated from God in hell due to their rejection of His grace and refusal to follow Jesus.   John 14:2-3; John 14:6; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10; Revelation 20:11-15

 

Salvation

A person’s salvation cannot be earned or purchased.  It is the free gift of God which was provided by the substitutionary death of His Son Jesus on the cross. There Jesus expressed God’s love for us by bearing the burden and penalty of sin for every person who would acknowledge Him as God’s Son and their Savior and Lord.  We appropriate the work of Christ unto ourselves by responding to what Jesus has done in the manner prescribed in the New Testament.  We come to faith – believing that Jesus was and is the Son of God – and we publicly acknowledge Him as such.  We repent of our sin – expressing sorrow for our rebellion against God and committing to follow Jesus’ example in living to obey and glorify God.  We are baptized (immersed in water), submitting to the burial of the old person of sin, being raised to walk in a new way of life because the Holy Spirit has been given as God’s abiding presence within us.  John 3:16; Matthew 10:32-33; Acts 2:36-38; 4:12; Romans 5:10, 6:1-5, 23; 10:10; Ephesians 2:8-10

 

The Church

We believe in the church as described in the New Testament – founded on the Day of Pentecost, consisting of all followers of Jesus, existing in local assemblies called congregations.  We believe the church is to meet together regularly to worship, fellowship, learn, pray, and observe the Lord’s Supper (also known as communion).  We are to encourage one another, bear one another’s burdens, and serve the Kingdom of God by exercising the spiritual gifts God has given us.  We are to pursue holiness through our study of God’s Word.  We are to work together to fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20).  Matthew 16:13-19; Acts 2:42-47; 1 Timothy 3:14-15; Romans 12:4-5; Colossians 1:17-20; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:12-26, 14:26; Hebrews 10:24-25; Revelation 21:2-3

Our Core Values

Our core values reflect the principles that guide us in our mission to help people find and follow Jesus. These values shape our community and direct our efforts as we seek to live out our faith.

We Value Our Relationship With God

The congregation of Christ’s Church Ocala takes our relationship with God very seriously.

We cannot and must not forget what made our salvation possible.  We were “bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 and 7:23).  We observe the Lord’s Supper weekly as a sober reminder that we have not paid the price of our sin – Jesus has paid that price!  Christianity is not a “casual” religion.  It is intense and sometimes difficult.  We believe our relationship with God is more important than any human relationship and must be continually cultivated as we seek to be His witnesses in a world that is turning more and more secular.

We Value Our Brothers and Sisters in Christ

Our congregation is a family!  We truly care about one another and seek to minister to one another.

We honor every person who worships with us.  We cherish our friendships and our fellowship.  We value our brothers and sisters in Christ in other congregations.  We seek to collaborate with them and encourage them as we work together to share the good news of the Gospel.  We also recognize that we have brothers and sisters whom we have never met and probably will not meet until we get to heaven.  We value them and seek to bless them through our support of missionaries who serve in various places around the world.

We Value Those Who Are Lost in Sin

We value those who are lost in sin and do not yet know that in Christ they can find forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation.

We do not want a single person in our various spheres of influence to be ignorant of the love of God and the love of God’s people.  Jesus said He had come to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).

If Jesus so loved the lost, it is incumbent on those who are His church to love them, share the Gospel with them, and minister to them in His name.  This is expressed succinctly in Christ’s Church’s simple mission statement:  Christ’s Church Ocala exists to help people find and follow Jesus.

Our Story

Christ’s Church Ocala (also known as Christ’s Church of Marion County) is part of a brotherhood of churches known as the Restoration Movement. This movement began more than two centuries ago in western Europe and on the western frontier of the United States.  The movement began with an appeal to unite on the basis of biblical truth, eschewing manmade creeds and rules.  The desire was to follow the pattern for the church that was established in the New Testament book of Acts.  The movement sought to unify by rejecting denominational structures and using the Bible alone as the foundation for faith and practice.  Still holding to those principles, Restoration Movement churches do not have a denominational structure or authority.  Each congregation is independent, selecting their own leaders.  Congregations are elder-led and congregationally governed.  Congregations are free to voluntarily cooperate with other congregations in endeavors such as sending missionaries, establishing educational institutions, and supporting benevolent ministries.

Christ’s Church Ocala began in 2007 with a small group of faithful Christians who wanted to see another vibrant congregation established in the fast-growing southwest part of Marion County.  The congregation’s first minister was Jim Thompson.  Jim served from 2007 to 2009.  In 2009-10 a couple of interim ministers (David Graham and Ryan Loucks) served until David Bellows became the congregation’s second full-time minister in April of 2010.  During the next few years the congregation experienced great success in reaching out to the surrounding communities which were being built as Marion County experienced remarkable growth.  The congregation also worked diligently to pay off a mortgage that exceeded one million dollars.  By God’s grace and the generosity of God’s people, that mortgage was paid in full in 2022.  David’s labors continued through the Spring of 2022 when he retired and became the congregation’s Minister Emeritus.  In 2021 the church had been surveyed about how we would proceed after David’s retirement.  Specifically, did we want to remain a largely senior citizen congregation, or did we want to make very specific efforts to bring in younger families with children and teens?

The congregation overwhelmingly voted to make concerted efforts to attract younger families with kids and teens.  Our first step was to hire a new lead minister.  We hired Ray Burhart (with wife Jessica and four children) to take that position in the Spring of 2022.  Since then we have added numerous staff members to lead in ministries to children, students, and seniors.  We have also added personnel to lead worship and to serve as office administrator.   We are very blessed to have such a talented and dedicated staff to lead us in our continuing efforts to proclaim the good news of Jesus in southwest Marion County.

As we have opened new doors of ministry and God has blessed us with success in incorporating new people and families into the congregation, we have experienced the growing pains that we anticipated.  Changes to accommodate greater numbers of attendees on Sunday mornings have included offering two worship services, which are identical in format, and differing hours for Sunday School classes.  We look forward to the blessings that are in store as we continue to grow and expand our ministries to our community.