Thank you for visiting our website and our church. We realize that visiting a church for the first time can be stressful and we want to do whatever we can to help make you feel welcome and at home. Here you can find some answers to a few of the most common questions about what to expect.
How should I dress?
You may dress casually, you may dress up or anywhere in between. On any given Sunday you may find someone in their “Sunday finest” or in a t-shirt and blue jeans. What you wear is not that important to us. Dress however makes you comfortable.
What is the service like? Will someone be yelling at me from the pulpit?
To answer the second question first – no. While we may sometimes have speakers who are passionate and expressive we do not have speakers who will be yelling at you. Our services usually last about an hour, give or take, and feature a mix of music, prayer, and study from the word of God. Our pastor's sermons are designed to be both informative to your everyday life and challenging to help you grow while on your walk with Christ. A great way to get a feel for our worship services is to check our weekly live stream here.
What about the music?
The best description would be to say we are a nonformal church with a blend of styles. You will hear hymns - both classic and modern, along with the occasional southern gospel and contemporary praise music mixed in. We normally feature guitar and percussion, with occasional other instruments. All are welcome and encouraged to join in singing.
What Bible translation do you use?
While many translations may be used throughout the service, the majority of the time we use the Christian Standard Bible (CSB). You can learn more about the CSB here.
Where should I sit?
Anywhere, there are no assigned seats.
Am I expected to give you money?
No. We do collect an offering and church members are expected to financially support the work of the church and missions (see 2nd Corinthians 9 and 3rd John 5-8), however visitors and guests are under no obligation to give money to the offering collection. For more information about the church offering and budget, click here.
Is there anything for my kids?
Yes! Our children's ministry team will make sure your children are safe, having fun, and learning about the Lord. From Sunday School at 10 to children's church after praise and worship to midweek kids clubs, we know God cherishes the little children and we do too!
How about youth?
Our youth are active in our morning worship but they also have time to engage with God at their own level and fellowship with one another through our youth small groups on Sunday morning at 10 am and Wednesday nights at 7 pm.
We also have a week of adventure and service each summer through our partnership with Ocoee Outreach and even have opportunities to serve internationally alongside our church mission team.
Can I sneak in and out without anyone noticing me?
No. Do be prepared to meet some friendly and loving people. Someone will speak to you, smile and shake your hand.
What does it mean to be a church member and how do I become one?
"Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it." ~ 1st Corinthians 12:27 [CSB]
A church is made up of individual members who work together - like hands and feet of a body - to live out the mission of God; seeing people come to Christ, grow in the faith, and love others.
Becoming a member of the church is making a commitment to be a functioning member of this community of faith. All members of Oak Grove must have accepted Jesus Christ and been baptized. You can join the church three ways. (1) Accepting Christ & being baptized at Oak Grove (2) By transfer of a membership letter from another like-minded church (3) By confession of faith {Being previously saved and baptized but not an active member of another church}. See our pastor for more information and to take the first steps to becoming a member.
We offer a new membership class every quarter and highly recommend the book "I Am A Church Member" by Thom Rainer as a guide to understanding what church membership means.