No. Churches of Christ are self-governing groups of Christians who go by the Bible alone. There’s no human founder, no headquarters, no hidden teaching, and nobody pulling the strings on your money, your family, or your freedom to walk away. That word “cult” doesn’t rattle us, and we won’t get prickly about it. It’s worth a real test, so let’s walk through one together.
Maybe a relative tossed out the word. Maybe you came across it online. Either way, you shouldn’t simply take our word over theirs. Let’s give you a way to check.
What actually makes a cult a cult
The people who study cults and help families heal from them keep naming the same warning signs:
- One human leader whose word is simply off-limits to question.
- Inside-only teachings you can’t get anywhere else.
- A tight grip on members’ lives — their money, their marriages, their friendships, even what they may read.
- Shame, punishment, or shunning for anyone who doubts or decides to leave.
- New revelations piled on top of what the Bible already says.
There’s your measuring stick. Lay any church beside it, ours included.
Run the test on us
Who’s in charge? Not a man. Scripture says God “gave him (Christ) as head over all things to the church” (). There’s no founder we follow, no president, no board handing down rulings. Each congregation answers straight to Christ through what He wrote.
Where do the teachings come from? From a book you can pick up in any store and pull up on any phone. Nothing is locked away for insiders. In fact, Scripture compliments people who fact-checked an apostle: the Bereans earned the word noble because they kept “examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (). We want you doing exactly that with everything we say.
Are you allowed to question things? You’re actually told to. “Test everything; hold fast what is good” (). Preaching here takes for granted that your Bible is open and you’re following along to check it.
Are you free to leave? Yes. The same door you came in by opens the other direction too. No contracts, no dues, nobody assigned to lean on you. We’d genuinely miss you, and someone might reach out because they care about you, but your life stays yours.
Then why do people say it?
That’s a fair thing to ask, and here’s the honest reason: we look different. We sing without instruments. We take the Lord’s Supper every Sunday, week in and week out. We teach that baptism is necessary for salvation, and we care enough about the Bible to reorder our whole lives around it. In an easygoing religious culture, taking faith that seriously can look like going overboard. But different isn’t the same as dangerous. Our only goal is to be the sort of Christians you meet in the New Testament — nothing added, nothing bolted on.
Here’s one more honest admission: every congregation is made of people, and people can get pushy. If you ever stumble onto control where there ought to be teaching, that’s the people failing the plan, not the plan itself. Scripture tells elders to lead by example, “not domineering over those in your charge” (). Any congregation worth your time will welcome your toughest questions instead of dodging them.
Keep studying
Don’t let a label settle it for you — not ours, not anybody’s. Open the New Testament, see what the first churches believed and practiced, and hold it up against what you find today. Take all the time you need, and test every bit of it. Truth has never been afraid of a careful look.
You’re Welcome Here
You don’t have to weigh all of this alone. A busy life can still feel hollow, and the cure isn’t more activity — it’s a real purpose found in serving God, your family, and the people around you, lived out among a church family where you belong. Come study the Bible with us, or just come and be welcomed.
Plan your visit: https://deckerprairiechurch.com/plan-your-visit/ — let us know you’re coming and we’ll watch for you so you never walk in cold.
Want to know what the Bible says about being saved? Start here: https://deckerprairiechurch.com/plan-of-salvation/.
When we meet:
- Sunday: Worship 10:00 am · Bible Class 5:00 pm
- Wednesday: Bible Class 7:30 pm
