Mission and Faith Statement

The Mission of First Presbyterian Church is to reach out to all people as Christ's disciples, enabling everyone to realize the full potential Christ offers through the Holy Spirit, as we teach, evangelize and serve.

As Presbyterians, there are three distinguishing words that describe our belief. They are 1) Universal, 2) Evangelical, and 3) Reformed. As Christians, there is a universal body of belief which we hold with other Christian bodies. Most predominantly, the Divinity of Christ, the Trinity, the authority and inspiration of the Scripture, and the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. As Presbyterians, we are also evangelical in that our main thrust is to proclaim and live out the gospel of Jesus Christ. As reformed Christians, we affirm the need for regular and constant introspection so that we are changing and being led by the Holy Spirit on a continuing basis.

The Presbyterian Church USA & Its Beliefs:

The distinguishing mark of Presbyterians is our form of government - how we as a congregation govern ourselves before the Lord. We are Christians in line with the protestant and reformed understanding of the faith, but our form of government sets us apart most distinctively from other denominations.

The Presbyterian Church is connected to other congregations through Presbyteries, Synods and through a General Assembly, but the main power in the Presbyterian church lies in the session of each individual church. Session is made up of elders elected by the congregation - a democratic, representative form of government. These elders in turn are connected to various committees and departments in the church.

Although Presbyterians highest authority is the Bible, we are also guided in our life as a church by The Constitution of the Presbyterian Church USA. There are two parts to our constitution (1) the Book of Confessions and (2) the Book of Order. These documents help guide the denomination with worship, rules of discipline and on how to govern ourselves.

The Presbyterian Church states its faith and bears witness to God's grace in Jesus Christ in the creeds and confessions in the Book of Confessions. In these statements the Church declares to its members and to the world: who and what it is, what it believes, and what it resolves to do. These confessional statements are subordinate to the authority of Jesus Christ as the Scriptures bear witness to Him. We affirm "the church reformed, always reforming" according to the Word of God and call of the Spirit.

For more information, visit the Presbyterian Church USA or Miami Valley Presbytery.