The West Side church of Christ gathers on White Settlement Road in the western edge of Fort Worth, Texas, in a long, plain building set back from Highway 183, just east of where the highway splits and just a few hundred yards from the entrance to the Naval Reserve Base. Members and visitors here describe themselves simply as Christians, members of the body of Christ, the church of Christ. They are part of the historic Restoration Movement tradition that grew from the efforts of nineteenth-century Americans in Kentucky and Tennessee to set aside human names and creeds and simply be the church described in the New Testament.
For years the congregation has maintained an unusually deep archive of Bible teaching under the name Sound Teaching, with audio recordings, PowerPoint files, and videos of sermons stretching back to 2006 and Bible class lessons stretching back to 2011. That archive, along with a steady rhythm of Sunday worship, Sunday morning Bible class, and Wednesday evening Bible class, gives the congregation a clear identity: a teaching church that wants its members to know the Bible.
Sunday Mornings on White Settlement Road
Services follow a straightforward pattern. Bible classes for all ages begin at 9:30 a.m. and run until 10:20 a.m. The worship assembly begins at 10:30 a.m. and continues until noon. On Sunday evenings and other times the building is generally quiet, but the schedule posted at the front of the auditorium is plain: Bible classes, then worship, each first day of the week.
The worship itself is described by the congregation in unusually detailed terms. The whole assembly joins in singing gospel songs, without a choir or special groups, and without mechanical instruments of music. The congregation teaches that no evidence exists in the New Testament for instrumental accompaniment in Christian worship, and they sing a cappella accordingly. A man from the congregation leads public prayers, and preaching consists of plain Bible teaching rather than sensationalism or speculation. The Lord's Supper is observed every Sunday, consisting of unleavened bread and fruit of the vine as memorials of the body and blood of Jesus, in keeping with the example of the first-century church in Acts 20:7. A collection is taken up only on the first day of the week, following 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, and visitors are not expected to give.
The reception of visitors is described by the congregation as friendly, kind, and courteous, the natural attitude of those who love God and mankind. Newcomers are welcomed as guests and are not asked to participate in the offering or the Lord's Supper unless they have decided for themselves that this is the church they wish to belong to.
The Sunday Morning Bible Class Rotation
Bible class on Sunday morning is a serious undertaking at West Side. Rather than picking up a new topic each quarter, the teachers have walked through entire books of the Bible, one after another, and have made the recordings available to anyone who wants to follow along.
For the year 2026 the adult class is working through the epistle to the Hebrews. Teacher Stan Cox leads the verse-by-verse study each Sunday at 9:30 a.m., with an outline and a running PowerPoint that is updated as the class moves from chapter to chapter. The congregation has also assembled three conservative commentaries on Hebrews (those of Robert Milligan, E.M. Zerr, and the College Bible Textbook Series) and made them available as PDFs alongside the lessons.
Earlier rotations are preserved as well. From September 2024 to December 2024, Justin Carrell led a quarter on Portraits of Discipleship, working from a workbook authored by Heath Rogers. Before Carrell, Stan Cox spent from March through September 2024 on the prophet Isaiah, with eleven lessons covering the whole book. From January through August 2025, the class worked through every parable of Jesus, using Mark Copeland's material on the parables as a base, with Cox and Josh Cox sharing the teaching while Cox recovered from quadruple bypass surgery in early 2025. From September through December 2025, the class took up a thirteen-week study titled Iron Sharpens Iron, an extended look at the obligations of brotherhood and the methods God's people use to draw closer to one another.
The depth of these studies goes back much further. From 2013 to 2019, the Sunday class walked through The Apostle Paul: His Life and Epistles, a massive verse-by-verse study of Paul's biography, his sermons in Acts, and his epistles in chronological order, broken into individual handouts for each book. Before that, the class covered Matthew in 2018-2019. Revelation was taught verse by verse from August 2020 through May 2022, with Cox working through the Apocalypse scene by scene over nearly two years and Justin Carrell filling in occasionally when needed. The Epistles of John, Jude and Peter were taught from September 2022 through February 2023, with Tommy Davis taking 1, 2, and 3 John and Dennis Craig handling 1 and 2 Peter. Luke and Acts were surveyed from March 2023 through March 2024, and Learning How to Study the Bible was taught during the summer of 2022.
Earlier still, the congregation completed studies on 1 Peter, Victory in Jesus, Apologetics, Desirable Characteristics, FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions), The Other Epistles, Disciplines for the Disciple, Acts: A New Testament History, and 13 Questions. Each of these studies has a complete written record with audio and, where possible, video. The pattern is consistent: one book, one quarter, or in some cases one to two years of patient work, led by one of the men in the pew with material written out for the class.
Wednesday Evenings: Ezra and Nehemiah, and the Wider Rotation
On Wednesday evenings at 7:30 p.m. the congregation gathers again for Bible class, and the current study is Ezra and Nehemiah, taught by Justin Carrell. The class runs to 8:30 p.m. and is open to anyone who wishes to attend. Earlier Wednesday studies include The Bible from 20,000 Feet, a big-picture survey of Scripture taught by Dennis Craig in 2025 that walked through seventeen periods of human history as the Bible presents them. Before that, A Closer Walk with God, written by Mark Copeland and taught from December 2023 through February 2024, took up the practices of the Christian life: being a disciple, the public assemblies, prayer, Bible study, singing, growing in the knowledge of Christ, overcoming sin, good works, and sharing the gospel.
The Sound Teaching Archive
The most distinctive feature of the West Side church of Christ is Sound Teaching at soundteaching.org, a continuously updated archive of sermons, Bible class lessons, topical articles, and series that goes back more than twenty years.
Sermon archives by year are listed from 2006 to the present. Each entry shows the date, sermon title, a downloadable PowerPoint file, an MP3 audio file, and a link to a video on YouTube. Most of the sermons were preached by Stan Cox, though guest preachers fill the pulpit regularly. The same archive includes short topical articles organized under recurring labels: Faith in Focus, From the Preacher's Pen, Mining the Scriptures, The Patternists, Victory in Jesus, Reflections, Sermons, Subject Index, and many others.
The Subject Index is the deepest layer of the archive. It catalogs well over four thousand sermon titles and topical articles under headings ranging from A.D. 70 Doctrine, Accountability, and Adam through Wrath, Xenophobia, Zeal, and dozens more. A reader who wants to study the congregation's teaching on a particular topic, whether abortion, alcohol, apostasy, baptism, Calvinism, church discipline, denominations, evolution, grace, homosexuality, instrumental music, marriage and divorce, prophecy, or salvation, can find pages of related articles and classes. The breadth is intentional: the congregation sees Bible teaching as the heart of its work.
Audio of sermons before 2011 has been deleted from the archive to save space. A Google Calendar of West Side events and a livestream feed of the services on YouTube are also available.
The Preachers and Teachers
Stan Cox is the regular preacher and primary Bible class teacher of the West Side church of Christ. He has preached most of the sermons in the archive and has written or co-written the curriculum for many of the Bible class series. In early 2025 he underwent quadruple bypass surgery and spent several weeks away from the pulpit; during his recovery, other men in the congregation filled in, including Tommy Davis, Josh Cox, Justin Carrell, Dennis Craig, and Armando Vera, and their sermons are preserved in the 2025 archive.
Justin Carrell teaches the Wednesday evening Bible class and has taught Sunday morning studies on Portraits of Discipleship, filled in on Revelation, and preached regularly. Dennis Craig has led the Wednesday Bible from 20,000 Feet survey, taught several quarters of 1 and 2 Peter, and filled in occasionally. Josh Cox and Jeremiah Cox, who appear to be members of the same family, preach and teach regularly. Tommy Davis has taught the Epistles of John and Jude and is a frequent guest speaker. Guest preachers from elsewhere in the country fill the pulpit during the Fall Meeting, the Tri-Annual Singing weekends, and other special occasions, and many of their sermons are preserved in the archive as well. Names that recur include Bruce Reeves, Reagan McClenny, Tyler Hammock, Wayne Fancher, Keith Lambert, Jesse Flowers, Kyle Campbell, Jonathan Hinds, Aaron Collier, Chip Foster, Carl Allen, Tim Stevens, Jimmy Stevens, Micky Galloway, Scott Gilmore, Keith Greer, Bill Crews, Marc Smith, Kris Braddock, JR Bronger, Ron Doss, Nathan Quinn, Roger Paulsel, and Kevin Kay.
Gospel Meetings, Singings, and the Ladies' Class
Twice a year the congregation holds a multi-night gospel meeting. The Joe Price Fall Meeting is scheduled each November, with services on consecutive nights at 7:30 p.m. There is also a Tri-Annual Singing, a congregational song service held three times a year, with the next one set for an October evening from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. The men of the congregation also meet monthly on Sunday afternoons for a brief men's meeting after services, and a Men's Bible Study meets Sunday evenings at 6:00 p.m. in the church building. Recent studies in the men's meeting have walked through the Song of Solomon.
On the fourth Wednesday of each month the congregation gathers for a Singing Class at 7:00 p.m., a brief period of instruction in how to lead singing before the regular Wednesday Bible class. When a fifth Wednesday falls in the month, the evening becomes a 5th Wednesday Singing instead of a Bible class. The goal is to give men in the congregation confidence and skill in leading the congregation in a cappella praise.
The ladies of the church meet for their own Bible study series. Past classes have included The Wife and Mother God Would Have Me to Be, presented by Anne Stevens; Ecclesiastes, based on Wilson Adams' classbook; How to Study; Passages to Ponder, drawn from Mark Copeland's curriculum; Being a 1st Century Christian Woman in the 21st Century; and Water in the Plan. The materials for the ladies' classes are password protected for members.
Vacation Bible School is offered as well. Adult classes from previous VBS sessions, taught by Stan Cox, are preserved in the archive under headings like Growing in Grace (2008), Walking in the Light (2011), Walking with God (2012), and God's Kings (2013). Children's curriculum and activities are available separately. The Bible Class Teachers resource page gathers links to coloring pages, illustrations, activities, and lesson plans from a variety of Christian publishers, with notes to the teachers to vet everything carefully against Scripture.
What the Congregation Teaches
The congregation's statement of identity is unusually detailed and is worth summarizing. They identify themselves simply as the church of Christ, the Lord's church, members of the body of Christ, and not as part of any modern denomination. The emphasis is spiritual rather than material or social: the building is plain, the treasury is not used for social functions, and the focus is on the word of God.
Their central conviction is that the Bible is their only rule of faith and practice. They have no man-written creed book. They accept the Bible as verbally inspired and infallible in content, and they seek to conform to the rules and patterns of the New Testament. They hold that Christ is the head of the church, that there is no human head and no inter-congregational organization, and that each local congregation is independent under Christ. When a congregation matures to the point that men meet the qualifications of 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9, those men are appointed as overseers (elders, bishops, or pastors) to shepherd the flock. Preachers in this setting are not called pastors unless they also serve as elders; they are teachers of the gospel.
The congregation teaches that worship is to be done in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24), without the frenzied emotionalism they say is common in many modern churches. Each element of worship finds its origin in the commands and examples of the New Testament: singing, prayer, preaching, the Lord's Supper, and giving. They observe the Lord's Supper every first day of the week and take up the collection only on the first day of the week, with members and not guests expected to give.
The congregation pleads for unity among all who obediently respond to New Testament teaching, in keeping with the prayer of Jesus in John 17 and the pleadings of Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:10 and Ephesians 4:1-6. They hold that division has come from departure from the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3), and that the way to heal that division is a return to the revealed truth of God's word.
Children, Teens, and the Wider Body
Children meet for Bible classes on Sunday morning alongside the adults, and the Sunday morning rotation includes age-appropriate classes. The Bible Class Teachers resource page is a curated set of links for those who prepare the children's material, with a note that materials should be vetted carefully against Scripture. Teens and young people are addressed directly in many of Stan Cox's sermons and articles, and the topic Youth appears in the Subject Index alongside other headings aimed at younger members.
Several of the longer online Bible studies are aimed specifically at helping new Christians and those preparing to teach. The 2012-2013 FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions) series, written by Jeff Smith and taught on Wednesday evenings, walked through questions like What must I do to be saved?, Who is Jesus Christ?, When was the church of Christ established?, Is salvation by faith?, Where's the organ?, Do you believe in miracles?, Should I tithe?, What about abortion, euthanasia and capital punishment?, What is faith?, What is a gospel meeting?, Is the resurrection real?, What is our benevolent role?, Why are there no women preachers?, Why not call him Reverend?, What is the difference between a pastor and a preacher?, and Why do the righteous suffer? These classes remain available as an introduction to the congregation's basic convictions.
Finding the Building
The West Side church of Christ sits at 6110 White Settlement Road in Fort Worth, Texas 76114, on the north side of the highway. From I-30 in west Fort Worth, take the Green Oaks exit, head north on Green Oaks Road until it dead-ends at Highway 183, then turn east on 183 and follow it until the highway splits (Ys) into White Settlement Road. The building is set back from the road, fronted by the parking lot, and identified by an elevated lighted sign. It sits a few hundred yards east of the entrance to the Naval Reserve Base.
The phone number is (817) 738-7269, and the email address for the teaching office is soundteachingws@gmail.com. The YouTube channel is @WSchurchofChrist, where services are livestreamed and a complete archive of sermons and Bible class videos is maintained.
A Library of Links
The Sound Teaching archive doubles as a curated reference library for Bible students in the wider Restoration Movement tradition. The footer of each page lists links to sister congregations (Adoue Street, El Bethel, Indiana Avenue, Jere Whitson Road, Loop 287, Mt. Baker, Oakmont, Parkview, and Southside), online Bible study tools (Bible College Textbook Series, McGarvey's Commentary on Acts, B.W. Johnson's People's New Testament), apologetics resources (Answers in Genesis, Apologetics Press), commentary and exegesis helps (Executable Outlines, Gospel Way, Seasonal Preaching, Expository Files, Plain Talk, Truth Magazine, Watchman Magazine, NT Greek Study), church directories (Seekye1st.net, Where Saints Meet, bible.ca church search), and reference works (Bible Word Pronunciation, Early Church Fathers, Flavius Josephus, History of the Christian Church, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, McClintock and Strong Bible Encyclopedia, Nave's Topical Bible, Restoration Movements Text Page, and Vine's Expository Dictionary). Links to several Christian bookstores are also provided for those who want printed materials.
The congregation's deeper teaching, in other words, is not limited to what is preached from the pulpit each Sunday. It is meant to be studied, downloaded, and read. The Hebrews study, the Hebrews Bible class series, the long-running Iron Sharpens Iron series on brotherhood, the Sunday morning adult rotation through whole books of the Bible, the Wednesday rotation through shorter topical studies, the Tri-Annual Singing, the men's monthly meetings, the ladies' class, the Vacation Bible School, and the gospel meetings in spring and fall all serve the same purpose. The West Side church of Christ teaches the Bible.