First Christian Church

For us the Christian Church or Christ’s Church is not meant to be a “denomination” identified by a creed or a description beyond the One we are to be identified with; Jesus Christ. There fore we are Christians only and as such we are a body of believers held together by common faith in the person of the Christ. These simple statements help us remember who we are as Christians:

“Where the Scriptures speak, we speak; and where the Scriptures are silent, we are silent”This defines a commitment to speak, teach, and preach on the contents of the Bible (God’s living and inerrant word) while avoiding additions to the scripture that come about from traditions or cultural interpretations. We believe the Bible best interprets itself.

“In essentials unity, in opinions liberty, and in all things love”Essentials include the direct teachings of the Bible, opinions refer to those areas not specifically defined in the Bible (such as musical instruments in worship), and love is held as the divine characteristic that holds the congregation together in spite of differences in opinions.

“No head-quarters but heaven, no creed but Christ, no book but the Bible, no plea but the gospel, and no name but the divine.”Though we may be proud of our national heritage; we remain pilgrims, our home is heaven. We are not a people of creeds that tend to separate the body of believers, but a people of Christ who unites us to himself and to one another. Again, the Bible is the direct basis for all doctrinal statements rather than referencing any denominational creeds and we believe that as a church we should take on no name other than the one that defines us as followers of Christ. Hence the name “Christian Church”.

“We are Christians only, but not the only Christians.”Our connection to Christ is greater than any other identifying characteristic be it national or denominational. We are simply Christians (not Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, or Adventist etc.) We want to be known as Christians so we might be identified with Christ; still, we do not consider ourselves to be the only Christians.