WHAT WE BELIEVE

Church Covenant 
First Congregational Church is organized by our Church Covenant: 
          We are banded together as a Christian church to maintain the worship of God, to proclaim the gospel of Christ, to develop in all people a consciousness of their relations and duties to God and to each other, and to inspire them with love for truth, passion for righteousness, and enthusiasm for service. To this end we pledge our loyalty to Christ and covenant with each other to strive to express His spirit in our individual and corporate life; to live together as Christians and to submit ourselves to the government of this church, working, giving, praying for its increase, its purity, its peace and seeking in every way to make it a power for the building up of the Kingdom of God. 

Congregationalism 
          As a Congregational church, FCC emphasizes the authority of Jesus Christ as head of his Church (Matthew 16:18; Romans 12:5; Colossians 1:18; Hebrews 10:24-25). Under Christ the government of the church is vested in our members, so every member has a voice and a vote, and no person, board, or committee holds authority over the congregation. While First Congregational Church is not part of a denomination, we are a member of the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches (NACCC), a group of churches cooperating for mutual encouragement and support while sharing resources and supporting mission efforts around the world. For more information on the NACCC, CLICK HERE.

Statements of Faith 

• We believe the Holy Scriptures are the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, inspired by God and the only reliable source of faith and truth. (John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
  
  
• We believe there is only one eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God who has revealed himself to humanity as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Genesis 1:1-2; Deuteronomy 6:4; John 1:1-4)
  
  
• We believe Jesus Christ is God Incarnate, who came into the world, lived a sinless life, died, and rose victorious over death to provide the only way of salvation and eternal life for all who will receive it. (John 1:1-5, 9-14, 3:16-21, 14:6)
  
  
• We believe the Holy Spirit is God, sent by the Father to those who accept Jesus to guide, teach, encourage, comfort, intercede, and empower us in this life. (John 14:15-17, 26; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:26)
  
  
• We believe Jesus Christ established his Church, the Body of Christ, and is its head. As a local church we believe we are part of the Body of Christ, and it is our privilege to cooperate with other churches and organizations who serve Christ to spread the Gospel and glorify God. (Matthew 16:18; Romans 12:5; Colossians 1:18; Hebrews 10:24-25)
  
  
• We believe the Sacraments are Baptism and Communion both established by Jesus Christ for his church and reserved for those who have accepted him as Savior. While we practice Infant Baptism, it is a ceremony of dedication in which parents commit to raise their child in the Christian faith toward the hope the child will choose to accept Christ when they are able to do so. (Proverbs 22:6; Matthew 19:14, 26:26-28, 28:19; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38
  
  
• We believe it is our duty as Christians to glorify God, obey Christ, and love one another. We seek to grow in our faith through worship, prayer, Bible study, fellowship, sharing the Gospel, serving through our local church, and showing love and respect for others. (Luke 11:28; John 13:34-35, 14:15; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:23)
  
  
• We believe all individuals are created in God’s image and worthy of respect, that all human life is sacred, that we are stewards of the resources God has given us, that marriage is exclusively between one man and one woman, and that we are obligated to serve the needs of humanity. (Genesis 1:27, 2:15, 24; Matthew 19:4-6. 23:11; Galatians 5:13; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Peter 4:10)