Our location
Franklin church of Christ
324 Franklin Rd.
Franklin, TN 37069
Tel (615) 794-2359
map & directions
Times of assembly
Sunday
Bible classes for all 9:00 – 9:45 am
Worship Services 10:00 -11:00 am
Wednesday
Bible classes for all 7:00 – 8:00 pm
On August 24, 2008, we changed our assembly schedule because we believed it would be a better management of our time together individually and as a congregation on the Lord’s Day. Our elders wanted us to have more time specifically dedicated to our Lord’s sacrifice (Matt. 26:26-28) and our discernment of Him through this service (1 Cor. 11:23-28).
Therefore, we begin each Lord’s day at 9:00 AM with a Bible study for all ages. Our 10:00 AM service is dedicated to our Lord by listening to a message pertaining to His sacrifice, partaking of the Lord’s Supper, and worshiping Him in songs. Our 11:00 AM service is set aside for the teaching of God’s word via a sermon, along with prayers and songs (an itinerary of a typical service is noted below).
Because of the extended morning service the elders encouraged members of the congregation here to use the remainder of the day to share in the lives of brethren by visiting congregations of believers during their evening services or with one another via Bible studies, or simply sharing in and enjoying one another’s company.
What you will find
Each Sunday we gather together to edify one another and worship our God as a congregation. Our goal is to simply do what the churches in the New Testament did when they assembled together.
Therefore, when you are a guest in one of our assemblies you will find us…
Praying
Even before the church was established, the disciples gathered together to devote themselves to prayer (Acts 1:14). Once the church was established, the disciples continued to devote themselves to prayer with one accord (Acts 2:42). As demonstrated in I Corinthians 14:14, prayer was part of the assemblies of Christ’s people.
Singing
According to James 5:14, singing is a natural part of the Christian’s life. Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 say we should teach and admonish one another by singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. I Corinthians 14:15 demonstrates that singing was part of the congregational edification and worship in the assemblies of the churches in the New Testament.
Partaking in the Lord’s Supper
The night Jesus was betrayed, while partaking in the Passover with His apostles, He established the memorial in which Christians would partake to recall His death and shed blood (Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:14-20; I Corinthians 11:17-34). He took unleavened bread and said we should eat it in remembrance of His body hung on a cross as our sacrifice. He then took fruit of the vine and said we should drink it in remembrance of His blood shed for the remission of our sins. The only time we see the New Testament churches participating in the Supper is on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7; I Corinthians 11:17-34, cf. I Corinthians 16:2). Therefore, we participate in the Lord’s Supper only during our assembly on the first day of the week. Additionally, we partake every first day of the week.
Contributing
To underwrite the work the Lord has given our congregation, we take up a free will contribu-tion from our members during our assembly on the first day of the week in keeping with the command of Paul in I Corinthians 16:1-2 and II Corinthians 8-9. This contribution is only expected of the members of the congregation. If you are our guest, we encourage you to bring your Bible, sing along with us, pray with us, study with us, but we do not ask for your money.
Reading Scripture
In I Timothy 4:13, Paul encouraged Timothy to devote himself to the public reading of Scripture. As such, we take time in each assembly to simply read the Scripture. On various occasions, the lesson for the assembly will consist of reading Scripture and singing songs that relate to the text we are reading.
Preaching
As evidenced by the example of Paul at Troas in Acts 20:7, the proclamation of God’s word was part of the assemblies of the early churches. In nearly all of our assemblies, a lesson from God’s word will be presented for us to consider (cf. Acts 17:11). You may find examples of these sermons in our Sermon Archive.
Reporting on our Work
In Acts 14:27, when Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch, they gathered an assembly of the congregation to report regarding the work they had done, in which Antioch had partnered. In the months that have five Sundays, we add one dimension to our assembly. On fifth Sundays, we take the final part of our assembly to present a brief lesson that will answer a question submitted by our members or guests and then conclude our assembly with a report from our shepherds, deacons and evangelist regarding the work of the congregation. We typically call this a congregational meeting. We do not expect our guests to attend these reports, however, we invite you to stay and find out what work we are accomplishing in the congregation.
What to expect
So you can be aware of what to expect in our assembly, we have provided a general order of assembly which lasts from 10:00 to 11:00 AM. Sometimes we vary from this, however, on most Sundays we follow the order outlined below.
Welcome and prayer by one of our Shepherds
Singing: Two or three songs to prepare for taking the Lord’s Supper
Lord’s Supper Lesson: A 5 to 10 minute talk regarding the importance and meaning of the Supper presented by one of our members
The Lord’s Supper: Partaking in the emblems of the Supper with time to reflect, meditate and remember our Lord’s Death
Singing: One or two songs to worship God and edify one another
Contribution: The collection from the saints for the work of the congregation
Prayer by one of our members
Singing: An extended period of singing to edify one another and worship God
10 minute Break
Singing: One or two songs to focus on the presentation of God’s Word
Prayer by one of our members
Scripture Reading: The reading of a brief passage of Scripture, often connected with the day’s sermon
Sermon: A lesson from God’s Word
Invitation with Song: At the end of each lesson, an opportunity provided for anyone to become a child of God, seek the congregation’s spiritual help or confess to one another
Dismissal Prayer: We end each assembly with a prayer led by one of our members.