Core Beliefs
Scripture
We believe in one God, who eternally exists in three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). God is the Creator, Sustainer, and Lord of all things, and worthy of our greatest devotion and obedience.
God
We believe that the Bible is the written Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit and without error in the original manuscripts. The Bible is our infallible and divine authority in all matters of faith and life.
Man
We believe that all people are created in the image of God. Due to our willful rebellion against our Creator, though, all people are sinners and are totally unable to save themselves or even to cooperate with God in efforts to earn their salvation.
The Gospel
We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, who became man and lived, died, and rose again to save sinners who trust Him alone for their salvation. He is the only mediator between God and man. Salvation is by God’s grace alone, who saves those He draws to Jesus by His Holy Spirit. He convinces them of their sin and enlightens them so that they repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as He is offered freely in the Gospel. Because God alone knows who are His, we call on people everywhere to repent and to trust in Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit gives Christians the daily strength and wisdom they need to walk according to His will and to grow in holiness. At the end of the age, Jesus Christ shall return to judge all mankind and to receive His people unto Himself.
The Holy Spirit gives Christians the daily strength and wisdom they need to walk according to His will and to grow in holiness. At the end of the age, Jesus Christ shall return to judge all mankind and to receive His people unto Himself.
Our Distinctives
The name “Presbyterian” refers to our type of church government or polity. It is derived from the Greek term πρεσβύτερος (presbyteros) which means “elder.” Very simply, the Presbyterian church is governed by a court of elders elected by the congregation.
First Presbyterian Church is a Reformed Church, that is, we believe the unadulterated theology of the Protestant Reformation. This is most thoroughly articulated in the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) with its Larger and Shorter Catechisms to which we subscribe as containing the system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures.
First Presbyterian Church is a member congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America, a denomination organized in 1973 that is “Faithful to Scripture, True to the Reformed Faith, and Obedient to the Great Commission.”
First Presbyterian Church is a Reformed Church, that is, we believe the unadulterated theology of the Protestant Reformation. This is most thoroughly articulated in the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) with its Larger and Shorter Catechisms to which we subscribe as containing the system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures.
First Presbyterian Church is a member congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America, a denomination organized in 1973 that is “Faithful to Scripture, True to the Reformed Faith, and Obedient to the Great Commission.”