About

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Our Approach to Religious Life

We believe some things are more important than others. “For what I [Paul] received, I passed on to you as of first importance that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures…” (1 Co 15:3, NIV).

We also believe religious life is shaped by three arenas of faith — all of which are important in their own distinctive ways. From top to bottom, the first arena is the arena of “common faith” — the faith that binds all Christians together across time and space.

And by common confession great is the mystery of godliness:

He who was revealed in the flesh,

Was vindicated in the Spirit,

Beheld by angels,

Proclaimed among the nations,

Believed on in the world,

Taken up in glory. (1 Ti 3:16, NASB)

After that comes the arena of “corporate faith” — the faith of individual communities of believers — the arena of faith where competing understandings and responses to congregational circumstances are raised up in collective prayer and then carried out with a unity of mind in faith toward God. “… [you all] work out your [all’s] salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12, NIV).

Last comes the arena of “private faith” of individual Christians– an arena where faith follows the same pattern as corporate faith but on a personal level. The private arena differs from other arenas in dealing with personal (vice common or group) circumstances. In the private arena, individuals raise up their personal circumstances in prayer toward God and then act on those circumstances with a good conscience in faith toward God. “So whatever you believe about these [private] things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves” (Ro 14:22, NIV).

What has all of the above got to do with anything? For one thing, ignorance of the three arenas of faith has serious consequences. For example, try to make everything into a matter of common faith and you have a neverending argument over the essentials of Christian identity. Absolutize corporate faith and you get a cult. Reduce everything to private faith and you get a “me and Jesus” fan club of gross subjectivity and sentimentality in place of a church.

What to do? Every age has its weaknesses and strengths. The most pressing problem in the 21st century is the loss of corporate faith. Christian faith is manifested in intentional communities while the secular world increasingly resorts to forced communities to deal with societal disintegration. The corporate faith has thus become the most problematic of the three arenas. It is where Christian life is manifested in concrete ways–where private is held accountable and perfected, but it’s also the least understood and the most neglected arena of faith. Corporate faith is where moral struggles are won or lost and where most spiritual failures and successes occur.

Corporate faith suffers these days because it is the arena of secondary traditions– secondary traditions that have often become irrelevant or counterproductive through denial or neglect. Secondary traditions may of course be rooted in scripture, but they are also products of wisdom– of prior traditions, of reason, and of experience. They therefore should occasionally be pulled out and reevaluated to see if they are still appropriate to changed circumstances.

We are a community of believers that has and is going about that reexamination. We are also part of a larger movement with the same reputation and ideals. We invite you to join us.

Elders

Deacons

Minister

1032 Pat Booker Rd.

Universal City, TX 78148

(210) 659-1373

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Interactive Map

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MINISTRIES

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Ministry is where the Christian faith is put into practice. The New Testament pictures at least five ministries at work in the church– (1) Evangelism, (2) Edification, (3) Fellowship, (4) Worship, and (5) Service. Remarkably, with all of these ministries at work, the result was growth.

It is noteworthy that the focus of all of these but one– Evangelism– is internal, not external.

Our goal is to promote the New Testament model of ministry in pursuit of the New Testament result of growth, giving particular attention to those ministries we have been especially prone to neglect.

Families

Families today are in real trouble. Christian families should be different. Our aim is to promote a high view of family within the context of the Lord’s church– the family of God– of which we should have the highest view.

Men

Men are charged with the responsibility of spiritual leadership, both within the family and within the church. When men take that obligation seriously, they love their wives, take care of their families, and serve as worthy examples to all. Our aim is to promote a positive, distinctive view of masculinity within the contexts of both the family and the church.

Evangelism

The church of the New Testament is not just an assembly of redeemed sinners, but the voice through which God communicates the gospel message of the saving power of Jesus Christ. Our aim is to promote such heartfelt concern for lost souls and confident trust in Christ’s blood that we simply cannot help but be directly involved– each one– in telling the story of Jesus.

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EARLY HISTORY OF RANDOLPH CHURCH OF CHRIST

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In 1954 a small number of Christians borrowed $5,000.00, from a loan agency pledging their homes and personal security as collateral. With this money and a labor of love, they built a small building in Schertz, Texas, and began holding services. The church grew and many new members were added to the Lord’s work there.

In October 1963, after nearly ten years, the facilities needed to be enlarged. The decision was made to purchase a new property in Universal City, on Pat Booker Road, several blocks from the main gate of Randolph Air Force Base. This property was ideally located for church growth.

Southwest Church Builders was selected to handle the construction and bond issuance. $85,000.00 in first revenue bonds were issued and placed on sale. In February 1964, construction began and the building was completed in June 1964. The congregation met in the building for the first time on June 14, 1964. The pulpit was filled by different part-time preachers until October 17, 1965, at which time Brother Jack Norman came as the full-time evangelist. In November 1966, the first elders were ordained. Brother Bill Phillips came on February 1, 1967 to be the full-time evangelist.

On November 1, 1968, an additional $85,000.00 in series II bonds were issued and construction began on the auditorium we are presently worshipping in. In August 1969 the congregation moved into the new auditorium and converted the old building into classrooms. On August 1, 1973, Brother Bill Phillips resigned as the minister and began working with the Herald of Truth. Brother Darrell McGlathery was hired as a full-time evangelist. In August of 1976, Brother Jerry Yarbrough filled the pulpit until he moved to Marshall, Texas, in January 1979.

Brother Daryl Boothe and his wife Linda came to Randolph to work with the congregation before attending language school in Guatemala. In February 1981 they departed for Guatemala, Central America, as missionaries sponsored by Randolph Church of Christ. They returned in November of 1981 due to the health of their child and the political unrest in that country.

In May of 1980, Randolph began working on a team concept. Former Brazil missionary, Brother Kenneth Lewis, came to work at Randolph in May of 1980 (to July 1983). He worked with Brother Wayne Barnard who came in July 1980 (to August 1985), and Brother Gerald Elliott joined them in August 1980 (to July 1983).

In October 1983, Lionel Cortez and his family came to Randolph from Wichita Falls, Texas to continue the work here he was doing in Wichita Falls, the Spanish Evangelism Endeavor (S.E.E.). He edited EI Expositor Espiritual, a quarterly magazine for the Spanish brethren all over the United States, parts of Latin America as well as areas in Europe.

Randolph Christian Academy (RCA), a ministry of Randolph Church of Christ, began in January 1984 with an enrollment of 30 students ages 3 through 5 years.

Donald Pharis moved to the area from North Little Rock and was pulpit minister in January 1984 to 1989. Allen Brown began work with the congregation in the visitation area in May 1987 until he retired in 1989.

Mike Ford was sent to Brazil for language training and a 6-month internship in 1984. Mike and Melody Ford went to Brazil for 6 months in 1987. Then in 1988, they were sent to Belo Horizonte as full-time missionaries working under the oversight of the Randolph elders. They continue to work in Brazil at this time but under the oversight of another congregation.

Don Prather worked as pulpit minister from February 1990 to August 1992. Buck Hale was the interim preacher for a few months. January 1, 1993, G. Max Tarbet, began work as a full-time pulpit minister at Randolph. Sean Andrews, son of Pat Andrews, followed Brother Tarbet after the latter’s retirement. Chris Schaefer stepped into the role of minister after Max’s departure. Rodney Ellison is our present minister.