College and Career

Who are the leaders of the Skyline Church ?

Jesus Christ is the head of the Skyline Church (Colossians 1:15 -20). He is recognized as our chief shepherd. The Holy Spirit has made ten men elders of the Skyline Church – Alan DeJarnatt, Mark Harville, Danny Jackson, Tommy McDonald, Bob Osborne, Scott Owens, Carl Rudd, Mike Short, Bob Smith, and Danny Walker.

The elders (the Bible interchangeably uses the terms elder, bishop, pastor, shepherd and overseer) lead our congregation by example, teaching, spiritual counsel, prayers, and equipping members to serve (read about elders in Acts 20:28 and 1 Peter 5:1-4).

The congregation also has selected deacons. These deacons (the term means "special servants") take the leadership of various ministries, allowing the elders to devote themselves to spiritual counsel and prayer (see Acts 6:1-7).

Responsibilities of these deacons vary from leading our Panama mission efforts to coordinating our CORE groups to managing our worship assemblies to maintaining our facilities, to providing helpful Bible classes for adults and children.

Three men serve as ministers of the Skyline Church (see 1 Timothy 4:6-16, 2 Timothy 4:1-5, and Titus 1:5 and 2:1-3:11). Bob Clark is the preaching minister whose responsibilities include preaching, teaching, and administrative leadership. Jeff Brown is the college and career minister whose responsibility is to encourage the spiritual formation of our college students. Sam Wylie is the media outreach minister whose responsibility includes preparing videos used in worship assemblies, classes, and outreach efforts, producing television commercials, producing the Skyline Church of Christ television program, and producing videos for churches throughout the United States.

To whom can I turn when in spiritual need?

Our elders and ministers are always on call to help with your spiritual needs. They welcome the opportunity to listen to problems, pray for you, and offer spiritual counsel by pointing you to helpful passages from God’s Word. You can alert the elders and ministers to your needs in several ways. At the conclusion of our worship assemblies, we traditionally sing an "invitation song." During the singing of this song you are invited to walk to one of the front pews and the ministers and elders will assist you. During the Sunday morning worship assembly, two of our elders and their wives will go to room 104 during the invitation song. They are there to meet those who have special needs.

Also, our elders and ministers are always available when you need to reach them by phone. The ministers are available in the church office from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM , Monday through Friday. If you would like to come by and see one of them, it is recommended that you call ahead and set up a time to meet with them. This will insure that they are not out on an appointment when you come by. All our elders and ministers welcome your emergency phone calls day or night. Please feel free to call them at their homes.

How can I become a member of the Skyline Church ?

Christians need a church home – a place where they can experience a spiritual family. After Paul was baptized and moved to Jerusalem , he recognized the need to "join with the disciples" in a church family (Acts 9:26 ). We encourage all Christians to be a member of a local church family, where they can be with people who are their brothers and sisters and people who are like mothers and fathers to them (See Romans 16).

If you are a baptized believer, we invite you to join with the Skyline Church , or as we often say "place membership" with us. To do so is to ask the elders of the Skyline Church to watch over you, protect you, and shepherd you, leading you into green pastures and beside still waters. To do so is to commit yourself to being involved in the ministries of the Skyline Church as you are gifted by God.

You can join with the Skyline Church in several ways. You can come before the church during the invitation song in a worship assembly and express your desire to be a part of the Skyline church family. You can meet with the elders in room 104 following a morning worship assembly and let them know you want to join with us at Skyline. You can check the "I want to know more about the Skyline Church” box on the visitor’s card and pass it to the usher during an assembly. You can contact any of the elders or ministers by phone and let them know of your desire to become part of our congregation. The main thing is that you just let us know your desire!

Must I be baptized to be a Skyline member?

Yes. If you have never been baptized, we strongly encourage you to do so as soon as you believe in Christ, are willing to repent (turn from your sins), and confess your faith in Jesus. To be baptized is to follow the example of Jesus (see Matthew 3:13 -17).

When people on the Day of Pentecost cried out during Peter’s sermon asking what they needed to do to be saved, Peter’s reply was "repent and be baptized." The result, Peter said, was "the forgiveness of sins" and "the gift of the Holy Spirit" (see Acts 2:38). Saul (who is also known as the apostle Paul) was told to get up and be baptized to "wash away your sins" (Acts 22:16).
To encourage Christians at Rome to lead a holy life, Paul reminded them they were "united with Christ" in baptism (Romans 6:1-4). To remind Christians in the churches in Galatia to live for God, Paul reminded them they were "baptized into Christ" and thereby "put on Christ" (Galatians 3:27). If you would like to be baptized, please express your interest to any elder or minister and they will assist you in being baptized as soon as possible.

Does baptism earn my salvation?

No. All humans have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The just result of sin is death – eternal separation from God (Romans 3:23, 6:23). There is no way that a human can earn salvation. Salvation is available only as a free gift of God. Salvation is by God’s grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). Baptism is an expression of faith in God’s willingness to give that free gift. In other words, it is just a way to open our hearts to the free gift God wants to give us. Neither believing in God, confessing that faith, repenting of sins, nor being baptized earns our salvation. Baptism is merely a part of God’s plan for humans to accept His free gift of salvation.

What if I was sprinkled?

We encourage you to be immersed. The word translated "baptize" in our English Bibles is a word that literally means "immerse." The imagery of baptism as a burial clearly fits with immersion (Romans 6:1-4; Colossians 2:12). If your parents arranged for you to be sprinkled or poured when you were a baby, give thanks to God you had parents who were concerned enough about your spiritual well-being they decided to have this ceremony for you. The decision to be baptized is yours. This decision is based on your faith, not the faith of any other person, no matter how much you honor them. We hold forth the Bible as the standard for baptism. What could better honor your parents’ desire for you to be a child of God than for you to obey the teachings of scripture?

How can I get involved at Skyline?

God has given each member of the church gifts to be used in serving the body (1 Peter 4:8-11). The church is like a body, each part has a function, all parts are important to the health and productivity of the church (Romans 12: 1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:12 -27). God does not intend for all the ministry taking place at Skyline to be done by a select few who are recognized as elders, deacons, or ministers. In fact, all Christians at Skyline are members of the "royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9).

Those who serve as elders, deacons, and ministers desire to incorporate all members into the ministry at Skyline.

If you do not know what gifts you have that can be used to serve others, please see one of the elders or ministers and they can help you do an inventory of your gifts that can help you determine in what areas you are gifted to serve. If you know in what areas you are gifted, then please speak to the deacon who works in that area and tell him of your desire to be a part of the ministry. If Skyline is currently not involved in the kind of ministry for which you are gifted, please talk to one of the elders or ministers about the area in which you would like to serve. If you like, you may schedule to meet with all the elders and ministers to propose a new area of ministry.

What if I am struggling with spiritual needs?

All Christians struggle with temptation. Satan is always seeking to destroy us. God wants to protect us and keep us from sin. Satan would love nothing more than for you to deny the sin in your life and try to cover it up. God, on the other hand, wants you to be honest about your sin, confessing it, and asking for forgiveness (1 John 1:5-10). If you are trying to overcome sin in some area of your life, one of the best things you can do is ask for help. Our elders and ministers are always available to listen to your needs, pray for you, and offer spiritual counsel. The Skyline Church offers a family atmosphere where you can be honest about your sin. Our aim is not to alienate those who are struggling, but to help them get things turned around so they are living a holy life that honors God.

When people on the Day of Pentecost cried out during Peter’s sermon asking what they needed to do to be saved, Peter’s reply was "repent and be baptized." The result, Peter said, was "the forgiveness of sins" and "the gift of the Holy Spirit" (see Acts 2:38). Saul (the apostle Paul) was told to get up and be baptized to "wash away your sins" (Acts 22:16).

To encourage Christians at Rome to lead a holy life, Paul reminded them they were "united with Christ" in baptism (Romans 6:1-4). To remind Christians in the churches in Galatia to live for God, Paul reminded them they were "baptized into Christ" and thereby "put on Christ" (Galatians 3:27). If you would like to be baptized, please express your interest to any elder or minister and they will assist you in being baptized as soon as possible.