WELCOME!
We know that checking out a new church usually means lots of questions. Here's a quick bullet list with more in-depth answers in the FAQ section below: 
What to expect: 
- A relaxed service that has a sense of love for the Lord, one another, and our visitors.
- Children’s workers who will care for your kids, keep them safe, and teach them from God’s Word.
- Services that last about 90 minutes, sometimes a bit more.
- About 20 minutes of worship music played with a simple, yet contemporary vibe.
- About 5-10 minutes of announcements that might include updates about ministries, missionaries, projects, etc.
- A time of scripture reaching, offering and prayer.
- 45-55 minute messages grounded in verse-by-verse teaching from the Bible. You can listen to our sermons here.
- If it's the first Sunday of the month, we'll celebrate Communion together.
- We usually end our services with a closing song, though if things go long, we'll cut this out.
FAQ's
If you have some questions about what church is like here at WCC, we've assembled some Frequently Asked Questions below. Click on the question for the expanded answer:
What Denomination Are You?
We are a non-denominational Bible believing church and the scriptures are our primary guide for our faith and practice. While we don’t belong to any denominations or fellowships formally, we do have many friendships with other local churches that would fit within the spectrum of Bible-believing churches.
Do you have wheelchair access?
Yes! Much of our building is on one level and can be accessed by wheelchair.
What Bible translation do you use?
The Bible translation we generally preach from is the New American Standard Bible, but we also love and respect many other Bible translations including the King James Bible, New King James, New International Version and the English Standard Version.
How long do your worship services last?
Most of our Sunday services last for about 1 hour and 30 minutes. We do our best to faithfully stay within that time frame and we hope that the services engage your spirit so the time just flies by!
Where do I park?
You will find that we have ample parking available. Just pull in and more than likely you can find available spaces in the front or side lots or on the street.
Where do my children go?
During the worship service, infants/children under 36 months old have a nursery. Children 3-4 yrs meet downstairs for the entire service. Kids 5 yrs through 2nd Grade have Children’s Church, but they start the worship service seated with their parents. They are dismissed prior to the offering. For more information please visit our Children's Ministry pages.
What’s it like going to your church?
We understand that many people are looking for a place to connect with God and may not know much about us or what to expect. In a nutshell, we are a church family of people who love the Lord and love others. Time and again, we hear from visitors about how they have enjoyed our church service and felt so warmly welcomed. We’re pretty sure that when you arrive someone will greet you and maybe even chat for a moment. You’ll probably find your way to a seat and have a few moments to flip through the bulletin. Our services usually start on time and begin with a an opening song and then announcements followed by more worship. We’ll take an offering (though we suggest visitors put in their registration card--we want our guests to feel no obligation to contribute to the financial operations of the church), and then our pastor will preach/explain God’s Word for about 40 minutes. Usually we’ll end with a hymn and everyone is encouraged to mill around after the service to enjoy the fellowship. If you would like to hear what our sermons are like, please visit our Audio Sermon page to access our messages.
What if I'm not really a "church-going" kind of person?
Lots of people feel like they don't belong in church because it's only a place for religious people. That's not us! We want you to know that there is absolutely a home for you at Wellington Community Church! You’ll find our service pretty natural and straight-forward—we come together to experience a relationship with God through music, biblical instruction, fellowship and service. This attitude spills over into our church life too. There are all kinds of ways to get plugged in here and we encourage you to look around this site and get a sense about how you can fit into the work God is doing here at WCC!
Are you guys going to ask me to give all kinds of money?
We understand the uneasiness people have with churches asking for money so we seek to sensitive be to our visitors about our giving. During the worship service we provide an opportunity for our regular attendees to give because giving to God (in its proper form) is an act of worship which meets the needs of ministry. However, our offering is not a hard-sell with people bearing down on you. We welcome visitors to refrain from giving if this is not their home church. To make that easier, every service we suggest that our visitors just place their Visitor Card in the plate as it passes by.
Please note that often people need a giving receipt at the end of the year to submit to the IRS for tax purposes. We understand and have a system in place to provide year-end letters. If you would like a receipt at the end of the year, please contact the church office. Also, the pastors and elders never know what individual people give. That is confidential information only known to the deacons and those involved in our bookkeeping.
Regarding our financial policy, we would like you to know that we have taken various measures to ensure that our finances are handled with wisdom and integrity. For instance, money is never collected or counted by a single person, but always two or more. Likewise, checks cannot be written and signed by the same individual. We also have a CPA who audits our finances. Moreover, our pastors and elders do not know an individual’s giving. Finally, all spending is accounted for our annual budgets which are publicly distributed and examined by the church body.
How do I do this “church thing”?
Maybe you’re new to the whole idea of going to church and you’re at our site to see how this whole thing works. Well many of us here at WCC were once in these same shoes too! While we could write a whole book on what we've learned about how to go to church, we've also found that it’s pretty straight forward. Here's some quick thoughts:
First, in order for attending church to have any lasting value in your life, you/we need to be reconciled to God. Only when we are in fellowship with God, can His Spirit properly do its work in our lives. So how do we become reconciled to God? Well, that's what Scripture calls the "Good News" or the Gospel. Here it is in a brief form (If you’d like ever more information on what the Gospel is, we’d recommend reading this sermon on the Gospel).
To understand the Gospel, let’s think about who God is and who we are in relation to Him. You may already know that God is loving, merciful, and forgiving but He is also perfectly holy. The tragic reality is that all of us have violated his holiness by rebelling against his commands (see Romans 3:23 in the Bible, or hover over this link). The Bible says that the penalty for our rebellion is death (Romans 6:23)—not just physical death but spiritual death as eternal banishment from him in Hell (Isaiah 59:2). However, our loving and merciful God has provided the solution to this very serious problem.
How? He sent Jesus to live a perfectly holy life and die on the cross as the substitute and sacrifice for our sins, suffering the punishment that we deserve (2 Corinthians 5:21). Three days later He rose from the dead and is alive today! This is God’s gift to us, but unless we receive Jesus’ forgiveness, we are still under God’s wrath.
Have you received this forgiveness? To do so, surrender to Jesus as Lord of your entire life. Admit to Him that you have rebelled against him. Ask him to forgive you and enable you to turn from sin and live for him. The Bible says that those who trust Christ alone for their salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9) are completely forgiven (Romans 8:1) and adopted into God’s family (John 1:12)! Once you are reconciled to God, get plugged into Him by spending time with Him in daily Bible study/prayer, and involvement in a Bible-teaching church.
If you’re just beginning your walk with Christ, it might seem like going to church is a huge shift in your lifestyle. Perhaps your Sunday mornings used to be primarily about getting errands done or sleeping in. We understand, we’ve been there too. We encourage you to keep on coming out. Make church a strong part of your life, not just every now and then, but pretty much every week. Think of it as an appointment with the Lord. Just like how you wouldn’t break an appointment with the president of the USA, in the same way, keep your daily appointment with God in your Bible reading/prayer and your weekly appointment by going to church and assembling with His people.
Also, as soon as you're ready, start getting involved with the church life. The church is like a living organism--we all have a role and place. You may find it amazing, but God has a place for you in His church family. Come on out to the social activities (we call them fellowship events). Join us for the holiday services like Good Friday and Christmas Eve. If you have children, get them involved in our childrens/youth ministries. Perhaps most importantly, get involved in a Small Group. Small Groups are a great way to get to know other Christians, be used by God, and grow in your walk with Him. As you spend time with God's people, He will guide and bless you. The progress in your faith may seem unnoticeable at first, but looking back you'll be surprised at your spiritual growth that was the result of consistent commitment to these important aspects of the Christian life.
Why go to church anyway?
Well, first of all it's commanded in Hebrews 10:24-25 which says, "...let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another..." The Bible is very clear that we all need other believers and spiritual shepherds in our lives to assist us with the truths of Scripture. Being a part of a church community is an opportunity for countless people to help guide us as we guide them in our walks with Christ.
Likewise, when our pastor delivers a sermon, it’s the fruit of hours and hours of Bible study and prayer. It is a sermon specifically honed to meet the needs of the people in our congregation. As a member of the church family, often you will find the Spirit of God using His Word to address your unique needs. We hear all the time, "That sermon felt like I was the only one in the room." This is God using His Word to bless, guide and strengthen His people.
Moreover, church transcends a sermon or building or program—it’s a fellowship, a community of God’s people. When you've attended here for a while, we recommend that you don’t just rush in and rush out. Come a few minutes early and plan on staying a few minutes afterwards. Spend time getting to know other people. If you don’t know what to say, find a friendly looking person (aren't we all!) and ask them questions—WCC is a loving family and we’re confident that whoever hears your questions would love to answer them as best they can!
Hopefully, over time you will also see that going to church is more than just showing up on Sunday mornings. There are all kinds of reasons to come to church but the highest reason is to offer the Lord worship and then to let His Spirit work on your heart. It’s about getting ready to have your life changed by God. When you come to church, have a prayerful attitude that says, “Lord, I need You and I need to be changed to be more like You. Help me today to be the person You want me to be.” Then as you come to church, be ready to meet God. As He guides you to understand what His Word says, He will also strengthen you to obey it.
Speaking of growing in your relationship with the Lord, one of the best tools to help you in your walk is to attend our Adult Bible Classes. These classes go on during the Sunday School hour from 8:45-9:45 AM. The topics we cover range from a study on marriage, to discipleship, to studying a book of the Bible. So if you're coming our way, you're welcome to jump on in.
Another important aspect to growing in Christ is developing strong relationships with other Christians. The best way to develop these bonds is through our Small Group Ministry. Our Small Group ministry offers all kinds of groups that meet throughout the week, often in the personal intimacy of members' homes. These groups meet for prayer, study and fellowship. Study topics range from marriage and family issues, to various discipleship topic. Most focus on simply studying through a book of the Bible.
Finally, joining a community of Christians is also about being involved in the work of Christ. When God plucked you from the world, it was for more than just to give you peace about going to heaven. It was to give you a place in the plan of God for this greater community—God wants to involve you in the work He is doing!
