On the north side of Kaufman Street in Seagoville, Texas, the Seagoville Church of Christ has gathered as a family of believers for decades, with the motto "Speaking the Truth in Love" drawn from Ephesians 4:15. Members describe themselves as a congregation saved by the "lavish grace" of God, aiming to imitate the church of New Testament times - revering the Bible as God's Word, confessing Jesus as God's unique Son, worshipping according to the pattern of scripture, and letting everyday life be transformed by Christ's example.
A Full Sunday Around the Building
The Seagoville church meets three times on Sundays. Bible classes for adults, teens, and children begin at 9:00 AM and last 40 to 45 minutes; on a first visit, greeters at the main entrance help families find the right classroom. Morning worship starts at 10:00 AM and runs about an hour. The service opens with a cappella singing - the building's acoustics are tuned for it - and continues with the Lord's Supper (unleavened bread and grape juice), prayers, scripture reading, preaching, and a collection. The worship leader chooses a mix of older and newer hymns that focus on the worshipper's relationship with God and with each other. Visitors are welcome to contribute but are not expected to. The pulpit minister typically walks the congregation through a book of the Bible, and the messages are topical but always rooted in scripture. Evening worship begins at 5:00 PM and lasts roughly an hour with more singing, prayers, scripture reading, and a sermon; near the end, those who missed the morning gathering can take the Lord's Supper and give.
Wednesday Evenings
On Wednesdays the Bible classes for adults, teens, and children resume at 7:00 PM, and after class everyone moves into the auditorium for a devotional of singing, a short message, and prayer. The whole midweek gathering lasts about an hour. Video recordings of both the Wednesday devotional and the previous Sunday's classes are posted online so anyone who cannot attend can keep up.
Bible Classes for Every Age
Every adult gathering also includes a Bible class, and the Seagoville teachers emphasize making their lessons "interesting, practical, and scriptural." Adults can choose among several electives. The Family Circle's "Home and Family" class has covered topics such as Servant Leadership, the 30 Day Bible Challenge in the book of John, the Five Love Languages, and a video study of Matthew. Children's and teen classes run on the same Sunday morning and Wednesday evening schedule as the adults, so a family can arrive together and split by age.
Elders, a Pulpit Minister, and Deacons
The congregation is led by a plurality of elders - shepherds, or overseers, in the language of scripture - who shepherd the flock at 510 N. Kaufman St. Four men currently serve in that role. Monty Lawley has been an elder since 2006, Steve McClelen since 2010, Willie Coleman since 2022 (he served as a deacon from 2013), and Matt McCullough since 2022 as well. The pulpit minister is Marco Arroyo, who was raised in Los Angeles, heard the gospel in high school, and trained at the Brown Trail School of Preaching. Two deacons, Jason Turner and Hesikiah Williamson, were both appointed in 2013 and share the practical and benevolence work of the church.
Youth from Junior High Through Senior Year
Children and teens from 7th grade through high school belong to a separate youth group that meets for weekly Roundhouse devotionals and fun, plus regular service projects. They sing at a local assisted living center, rake yards, and help serve the homeless; in the summer they join the DFW summer youth series on Tuesdays and head to Texoma Youth Camp; in the winter they gather for a retreat. The youth are grounded in verses such as Joshua 1:9 ("Be strong and of good courage") and Romans 12:10-13, and many of them travel each spring to the Lads to Leaders convention in Grapevine.
The Family Circle and the 55 and Better Group
Adults of every stage of life find a circle of their own. The Family Circle ranges from college students and engaged couples to parents with small children and seasoned adults, and includes singles who want to fellowship with other Christians. Within the Family Circle is the "Home and Family" Sunday morning class, along with luncheons, fellowships, donations to those less fortunate, outreach to members who are ill, and a Saturday visitation program. The 55 and Better group focuses on the same needs for the church's older adults.
Ladies Ministries
Women meet for a Ladies Bible Class on Tuesdays and gather for an annual Ladies Day and Ladies Retreat. Each gathering combines teaching, food, and fellowship designed to strengthen friendships across the congregation.
Local Outreach: Doors, Cookies, and the Neighborhood
Outreach in the Seagoville community takes several shapes. An Evangelism Team knocks doors twice a month on Sunday afternoons, introduces neighbors to the church, and offers in-home Bible studies at the visitor's convenience. A Visitation Team sends cards, makes calls, and visits members who are sick or discouraged. The congregation supports Medina's Children's Home, helps the homeless through Main St. Church of Christ in downtown Dallas, delivers cookies to a nursing home, hosts Vacation Bible School, and observes a "Love Your Neighbor" week that frames outreach for every age group.
Project Philippines, World Bible School, and Brown Trail
Outside Texas the church sustains a long-running relationship called Project Philippines, and lessons are sent abroad through World Bible School - via the web, email, and postal mail - to teach the gospel in other countries and to support preacher training schools in Africa. Closer to home, the congregation has hosted Brown Trail School of Preaching students for years; today three modest houses on the Seagoville campus provide free housing for qualifying students of the two-year Bedford, Texas program, and many of those students later preach for congregations across the country. Marco Arroyo himself is a Brown Trail graduate.
Lads to Leaders
Seagoville families have been active in the Lads to Leaders program, which trains preschoolers through adults "to do Bible things in Bible ways." Each spring the group travels to the L2L Dallas convention at the Gaylord resort in Grapevine, where participants compete in speech, song leading, art, puppets, Bible reading, Bible Bowl, technology, teaching, and bulletin boards. The church uses the program to build leadership for service inside the kingdom.
Sermons, Blog, and a Weekly Video Devotional
The church livestreams its services on YouTube and keeps an online sermon archive that runs back many years. Sermon series have covered Colossians, the Sermon on the Mount, Paul's last letter, the Fruit of the Spirit, the Story of Jonah, Defending the Faith, God's Plan of Salvation, and many other books and topics, with speakers from regular members to visiting preachers. A weekly Video Devotional keeps the midweek lesson fresh, and the church blog features articles such as "Mistakes of 'Successful' Men" and a back-to-school reflection on being "the hammer instead of the nail."